High blood pressure: Limit intake of foods with saturated fat

The Christmas season has many people foregoing healthy eats for more indulgent options. But with those who have to keep their health at the forefront even during the holidays, experts reveal avoiding a certain kind of food to keep blood pressure in check.

Holiday or not, people with high blood pressure have to make lifelong lifestyle changes in order to keep their readings low or at the normal end of the spectrum. Experts say to reduce or cut out foods high in saturated fat to lower readings. This is because as the body uses the saturated fat to make cholesterol, both good and bad, and a lot of cholesterol is bad for the body. Too much cholesterol will put a person at risk for a heart attack and stroke. Further noting, too much saturated fat will somehow change the way the liver takes on the cholesterol.

As to where saturated fat can be found, it can be found in animal food. Meat, butter, and other dairy products like milk and cheese have saturated fat in them. It could also be found in some plant based products like palm oil and coconut oil.

In order to keep blood pressure readings low, experts advise to check the labels in the groceries or supermarkets for the amount of saturated fat in a product. It is high there are more than 5 grams of saturated fat per 100 mg. Experts also advise going for more lower-fat options, such as leaner meat portions in both red and white meat, low-fat dairy products like low-fat mozzarella or pizza toppings and the like.

Along with avoiding food, Express also reports to reduce or avoid drinking alcohol to keep blood pressure in check. This is because heavy alcohol consumption can eventually raise blood pressure over time, which could put a person at risk for heart disease, and more hangovers depending on the person’s alcohol tolerance. Experts advise drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which is equivalent to six pints of normal-strength beer or ale, five pints of cider, six 175ml glasses of wine, and 14 single 25ml measures of spirits.

They also advise spacing out the drinking for days and not in one sitting.