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Change your diet to keep your blood pressure levels in check 

By Rachel Meltzer Warren, MS, RD 

When it comes to heart disease, the way to your heart is most definitely through your stomach — which can be good or bad, depending on what you eat. That’s because certain foods have the power to either ease or exacerbate high blood pressure (aka hypertension), a leading cause of heart disease. If you have high blood pressure or are at risk for it (like if you have diabetes, for example), here three important diet changes to consider.  

1. Ditch the Sugary Drinks

Sipping sugary beverages like soft drinks, iced tea and fruit punch may kick your blood pressure into high gear — and drinking fewer sugary beverages can help lower it. One study found that consuming fewer sugar-sweetened beverages may be an important and effective strategy for lowering blood pressure levels. Think you're off the hook because you drink diet? Not so fast. Though study results have varied when looking at the link between diet soda and blood pressure, it’s possible that diet sodas may increase risk of hypertension.

The healthier choice: If bubbles are what you crave, try jazzing up seltzer with a squeeze of lemon or a dash of fruit juice for your own heart-healthy spritzer.  

2. Eat Fewer Processed Foods

Excess salt can spike your blood pressure, so if you're already sprinkling less on your food, you’re doing your heart a favor. But did you know that most of the sodium in your diet actually comes from packaged foods? In fact, more than 75% of the sodium Americans ingest comes from processed foods — not from their saltshaker, according to the American Heart Association. Packaged pizzas and cold cuts are common sodium sources. But surprisingly, cereals, cottage cheese and even sweets, like hot chocolate and donuts, can hide high amounts of sodium, too. 

The healthier choice:  Avoid processed foods as much as possible. When you do buy, check for sneaky salt on nutrition labels and aim to have no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. Opt for reduced-salt varieties of your favorite cold cuts, including low-sodium sliced turkey breast, chicken or even beef.

3. Hold Back on the Alcohol

While some research suggests that drinking a glass of wine may be good for your heart, many experts agree that drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol can elevate blood pressure to unhealthy levels. And the one thing that most experts agree on is that binge drinking is a definite no-no — in addition to other risks, a South Korean study associated it with nearly double the risk of mortality in adults with hypertension.

The healthier choice: If you do drink, keep it to a minimum — no more than one drink a day for women, one to two drinks a day for men.

Published on September 15, 2016.

Rachel Meltzer Warren is a NYC-area based nutrition writer, educator, and counselor, and the author of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian.