15 Foods That Raise Blood Pressure Quickly

Are you curious about foods that raise blood pressure quickly? If you have high blood pressure, you should limit or avoid foods that can raise your high blood pressure. Here we will explore 15 such foods you should avoid.

Medication, dietary, and lifestyle changes, amongst other factors, can cause high blood pressure. While there is no cure for high blood pressure, knowing what to eat or not to eat goes a long way in helping you manage or regulate your blood pressure.

Foods That Raise Blood Pressure Quickly

Without further ado, here are 15 foods that raise blood pressure quickly.

1. Salt/ salty foods

Top of our list of foods that can raise blood pressure quickly is salt. Salt contains a high amount of sodium.

High sodium intake has been proven to increase blood pressure which in turn increases the risk of having heart diseases like cardiac arrest or stroke

2. Fried Food

Fried foods have a lot of salt and saturated fat, both of which you need to avoid when managing high blood pressure. Baking, grilling, and sautéing are all better options to frying.

Air fryers have become common and are a great option as long as you can control the salt content of what you’re cooking. Any kind of bread or seasoning spice you intend to use should be low-sodium.

3. Foods with Saturated and Trans Fat

There are certain healthy fats that should be in your diet even when you have high blood pressure, but saturated and trans fats are not on that list. Things fried with lots of oils or meats with excess fat are bad for cholesterol and blood pressure.

Limit or avoid red meat. If you must eat red meat, ensure you read labels and pick the leanest cuts possible.

If you take dairy a lot, go for low-fat options. And watch out for cheeses with high salt content.

4. Certain Condiments and Sauces

When looking for table salt alternatives, ensure you find out the sodium content of the alternative you wish to use. Things like ketchup, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, and steak sauce are all laden with sodium.

Other sources with hidden high salt content are pasta sauce and gravy. Tyr exploring other healthy herbs and spices to spice up your foods instead.

5. Fast Food

If you’re on any kind of nutritional plan, fast food is a bad idea from all perspectives. Most food served at fast-food eateries is processed and is usually cooked by frying or cooking in fat-laden oils.

Also, they are often highly salted. Since these foods increase blood pressure, you should avoid them.

6. Caffeine

Coffee, energy drinks, soda, energy drinks, and tea all contain caffeine, which has been proven to increase blood pressure. If you are hypertensive, then you should reduce your caffeine intake.

If drinking coffee is how you start your day, try swapping to half-caff coffee, or decaf if you can’t completely let go. Caffeine-free teas are also available and there are teas with very low quantities of caffeine naturally.

7. Alcohol

Alcohol in small quantities has been found to reduce blood pressure, but when taken in excess, the reverse is the case.

Taking more than 3 drinks in one sitting could spike blood pressure. Also, drinking habitually can cause prolonged blood pressure issues.

Besides raising blood pressure, alcohol is bad for blood pressure medication as it affects their potency.

8. Soda

Along with the caffeine earlier mentioned, sodas contain lots of processed sugar and calories. Drinks high in processed sugar have been proven to increase the risk of obesity in people of all ages.

People who are obese or overweight are at greater risk of having high blood pressure.
24g of added sugar daily for women and 36g of added sugar daily for men is recommended by the American Heart Association.

9. Cheese

Cheese is considered a great source of protein but you should know cheese is heavy in sodium and saturated fats.

This means that taking too much of it could raise your high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

10. Peanut butter

Peanut butter has high sodium content which you should avoid if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

A suitable alternative to peanut butter is homemade peanut butter using unsalted peanuts!

11. Canned food/frozen meals

Though frozen/canned foods are easy and convenient to cook, it is important to know that they are laden with high amounts of sodium which is used as a preservative.

Sodium has been revealed to raise high blood pressure.

12. Noodles

Noodles, everybody’s go-to and easily accessible food, unfortunately, has a high amount of saturated fats and is heavy with sodium.

A small packet of noodle seasoning has roughly 1,600 milligrams of sodium in it, which makes it an unsafe choice for individuals with high blood pressure.

13. Soy sauce

The average intake of sodium per day should be roughly 2,300 milligrams as salt is important for the body. But when taken in excess can cause health problems.

A pinch of soy sauce, according to dietician Ashu Gupta has about 40-45% sodium which is almost equivalent to 2,300 milligrams you should take in a day which makes it a no-no for individuals with high blood pressure.

14. Pickles

Pickles are preserved foods that are usually preserved in salt solution to increase their shelf life.

Taking pickles loaded and preserved in a salt solution can undoubtedly raise blood pressure levels.

15. Sugar

Taking added sugar increases the possibility of obesity which then leads to an increased risk of high blood pressure.

High blood sugar can also cause severe damage to your arteries which can lead to the blocking of your blood vessels. All this increases the likelihood of you having a heart disease or failure.

Summary

There you have it, 15 foods that raise blood pressure quickly that are to raise your blood pressure if not limited or avoided.

While it is true that these foods can raise your blood pressure, we advise you to consult your doctor or dietitian to create a healthy dietary plan for you.