Foods to Avoid With High Blood Pressure

Many things contribute to high blood pressure. Contributors to blood pressure include exercise, weight, heredity and diet. Diet can influence blood pressure in positive and negative ways.

Alcohol

• Avoid alcohol if you have high blood pressure. If you must drink alcohol, limit it to only one drink a day if you're a women and two drinks a day if you're a man.

High-Sodium Foods

• Remove high-sodium foods from your diet. People with high blood pressure should limit sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg a day. Eat less processed foods. Also, watch out for canned vegetables, sports drinks and salted snack foods.

Saturated Fats

• Avoid food high in saturated fat. Check out the food the food labels for saturated fat. The American Heart Association suggests limiting saturated fat to only 7 percent of daily calories.

Caffeine

• Although the link is debatable, avoid caffeinated foods and drinks. It can temporarily raise blood pressure. It might also have long-term effects in those sensitive to caffeine.

Nonfood Precautions

• Nicotine should also be avoided in those with high blood pressure. It can raise blood pressure for up to an hour.