When researchers from Duke took a look at which foods are most likely to give you high blood pressure, they were shocked at what their analysis uncovered.
What you eat is one thing, but where you eat also affects your chances of hypertension.
Their study found that the more you eat out, the more likely you are to be plagued by a lifetime of blood pressure and cardiovascular issues.
Around the world, having high blood pressure is the top risk factor for dying from the complications of heart and artery disease. The Duke study focused on young adults in college. And while the students who often ate out only had blood pressure that was slightly too high, the fact that their blood pressure was climbing at an early age put them at significant risk for a lifetime of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers believe that eating out increases your risk for high blood pressure, also called “the silent killer” because it often has no symptoms. Restaurant food is so risky because it’s often filled with high levels of refined sodium (as opposed to natural salt) and damaging fats (as opposed to healthy fats). And the servings are usually too massive.
38 percent of the 501 people who were studied ate 12 or more meals away from home every week. While 49 percent of the men in the study had blood pressure that was too high, only 9 percent of the women showed signs of the problem.
Eating meals at home means you’re more likely to choose plenty of fruits and vegetables, fewer fried foods, and more healthy oils like coconut oil and olive oil in your cooking. Highly refined oils like corn oil and cottonseed oil can put your heart and arteries at risk.
If you are always on the go and forced to eat away from home during the day, pack a lunch.
One preventative measure you can take that also helps if you’re blood pressure is already elevated is to drink beetroot juice. The juice supplies a wealth of minerals and phytochemicals that support the cardiovascular system, like nitrate. It also supplies nutrients that help people who are suffering heart failure.
And did you know that many pro and college football teams use beetroot juice to enhance performance? They drink it pre-game, instead of Gatorade or other sugary drinks because it increases oxygen uptake – which is very healthy for heart function.
