Bad Foods to Eat With High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps out blood. When your blood pressure reaches or surpasses a reading of 140/90, this is considered high blood pressure or hypertension. This value is a combination of a systolic, or "top" reading, and diastolic, or "bottom" reading. Systolic refers to the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats, and diastolic refers to the pressure in your arteries between the beats. Certain lifestyle habits, such as poor diet choices, may cause high blood pressure and should be avoided, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Saturated Fat

The fat content in your diet constitutes roughly 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories, according to MayoClinic.com. Therefore, it's important to exclude fat sources that are a risk factor for high blood pressure. Saturated fat is the number one type of fat that should be eliminated from your diet. This type of fat is a risk factor for high blood pressure, because it interrupts regular cellular functioning and hormonal balance within your body. It is found in foods such as red meat, bacon, baked goods, lard, butter, dark-meat chicken and non-fish seafood, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Simple Carbohydrates

Your daily diet should consist of 45 to 65 percent carbohydrate calorie intake, notes MayoClinic.com. These carbohydrates should be complex and low on the glycemic index. Carbohydrates that should be excluded because of their negative impact on high blood pressure are simple, high-glycemic index carbs. These carbs aren't good for high blood pressure, because they cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels, which are risk factors for high blood pressure when deregulated. Foods such as white bread, instant rice, starchy potatoes and candy should be restricted from your diet completely.

High-fat Protein

Protein is the final component of your diet that constitutes your daily caloric needs. Protein is important because it helps to repair and build body tissues. However, when a protein food source is high in fat or saturated fat, it contributes toward high blood pressure. Consequently, you should avoid high-protein foods such as red meat, non-fish seafood, whole-fat dairy products, non-skinless dark-meat chicken, bacon and egg yolks.