10 Foods to Avoid if You Have High Blood Pressure

NEW YORK (TheStreet) --aHere's an alarming statistic: One out of every three, or 77.9 million, adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, according to a report by the American Heart Association -- and, it's only getting worse. By 2030, it's projected that 41.4% of U.S. adults will have high blood pressure. Why is this so serious? Nearly 28% of Americans don't even know they have the disease. It's called the "silent killer" because high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a cardiovascular diseaseathat is very difficult to detect. The symptoms and signs are subtle. As a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, hypertension is the primary cause of death in Americans. It is one of the most preventable conditions -- but if left uncontrolled it can increase your risk of life-threatening health problems like a heart attack or a stroke. What is high blood pressure? Blood pressure measures the force of the blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Your blood pressure rises with each heartbeat and falls when your heart relaxes between beats. While the number can fluctuate from minute to minute with changes in posture, exercise, stress or food, it should normally be less than 120/80 mmHg. Any higher, and you could be diagnosed with high blood pressure by your doctor. (Hg is the pressure that one millimetre (mm) of mercury (Hg) exerts.) The good news: Most people can bring down their blood pressure naturally by adjusting their diet. Food matters. We've compiled a list of 10 foods to avoid if you have high blood pressure or just want to minimize your chances of getting high blood pressure, using data compiled from WedMD, Healthline.com and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read on to keep your heart health and happy. (Warning: This list may include foods you love to eat) 10. Red Meat A big Texas-sized steak with salt for dinner is a no-no. A healthy eating plan should have only a small amount, if any, of saturated or trans-fats. Fatty foods are bad for both the heart and blood vessels. An 18 oz. ribeye at LongHorn Steakhouse without any sauce has about 1140 calories, 79 grams of fat and 1,500 mg of sodium. Yikes. 9. Sauerkraut Here is a less obvious no-no. It is low in calories and a way to add vegetables to a bratwurst, but it also has over 460 mg of sodium in one serving. Go without the condiment on your hot dog. Better yet, don't get a hot dog either since it's a processed meat containing nitrates and frequently high in sodium. Maybe then it would eliminate the sauerkraut-eating opportunity -- maybe. 8. Ramen Noodles Ramen noodles, cup noodles or any another pre-packaged noodle meal is popular among college students and lazy adults but highly damaging to your body. One package of generic ramen noodles contains 14 grams of fat and a whopping 1,580 mg of sodium. The tiny flavor packet that comes with it is the major culprit, containing most of the sodium. 7. Alcohol Everybody loves happy hour, but alcohol consumption actively causes blood pressure to elevate. It also damages the walls of the blood vessels while simultaneously increasing risks of further complications, making it a horrible choice for adults with high blood pressure. Don't do it. Beer bellies aren't cute. 6. Bacon To be quite frank, bacon is mostly fat. Three slices have 4.5 grams of fat and about 270 mg of sodium, and most people eat way more than that at breakfast or in those B.L.T. sandwiches. It's tough being a meat lover these days, isn't it? 5. Donuts Oh no! The donuts you love are indeed one of the foods to avoid if you have high blood pressure or just want to be a healthy person. The ring-shaped fried dough snack is worse than many other snacks in the market. And no, you can't just have one because one donut can have more than 300 calories with 42% fat and 54% carbs. Being fried, it contains lots of saturated and trans fats -- more trans fat than peanut butter, chocolate bars or even chips. For all of these reasons and more, donuts need to be avoided for a healthy heart. 4. Frozen Pot Pies A single serving of pot pie equals about 1,400 mg of sodium in addition to about 35 grams of fat. That's more than 50% of your daily recommended intake for both, and in one serving. The fat also includes trans fat, which needs to be eliminated from your diet completely, and an unhealthy dose of saturated fat. Clear out your freezer and say no to pre-packaged frozen meals. 3. Whole Milk Didn't expect to see this one on the list, did you? Milk is a great source of calcium, but high-fat dairy sources, like whole milk, provides you more fat than you need. One cup serving of whole milk has about 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of which are saturated. Saturated fats are worse for you than other types and has been linked to heart disease. Try using 2% milk or, even better, 1% or skim. 2. Canned Chicken Noodle Soup The perfect food for those cold rainy days is far from perfect for people with high blood pressure. On average, a cup of canned chicken noodle soup contains as much as 760 mg of sodium. Eat an entire can, which makes about two and a half servings, will have you gulping down 1,800 mg of sodium. 1. Pickles The crunchy, low-calorie snack is a great complement to your sandwich order except for the fact that it's loaded with sodium. Three medium pickles, about 3.75 inches long, can have about 2,355 mg of sodium, more than the recommended sodium limit of 2,300 mg for an entire day. Would you avoid these foods for a healthier heart? Do you agree with the foods on this list? Let us know your feedback in the comments section below. 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