12 Everyday Foods Could Be Spiking Your Blood Pressure (and What to Eat Instead)

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The worst foods for high blood pressure are typically not the meals you eat at home. Prepackaged foods and restaurant foods are high in sodium and saturated fat, which can lead to high blood pressure when consumed regularly.

Jump to Key Takeaways.

1. Potato Chips

Serving: 1 ounce (22 chips) of salted potato chips
Sodium: 527 milligrams (mg)
Saturated fat: 3.4 grams (g)

Potato chips have high levels of salt and saturated fat, which can spike your blood pressure.

Sodium (which makes up about 40% of table salt) can raise blood pressure in several ways. One way is by causing water retention. As the body draws more water into the bloodstream, pressure in the blood vessels rises.

Most excess sodium (70%) in people’s diets comes from prepackaged or restaurant foods, not meals seasoned with salt at home. Avoiding potato chips and other salty, packaged foods is one way to manage blood pressure.

Healthy swaps: Air-popped popcorn or roasted chickpeas

2. Processed Meats

Serving: One slice of deli ham
Sodium: 249 mg
Saturated fat: 1 g

Processed meats like bacon, deli meats, and sausages are significant sources of sodium. Avoiding processed, prepackaged meats can reduce your daily salt intake and positively affect your blood pressure.

Healthy swaps: Unsalted and roasted lean meats, fresh or frozen fish, or tofu

3. Pickles

Serving: One dill pickle spear
Sodium: 326 mg
Saturated fat: 0 g

Eating pickles is associated with high blood pressure.

Store-bought pickles contain high sodium levels, which can raise blood pressure. Before purchasing, check the nutrition label to determine how much sodium a serving of pickles contributes to the recommended daily amount of 2,300 mg.

Healthy swaps: Fresh sliced cucumbers or salt-free refrigerator pickles with vinegar

4. Olives

Serving: One green olive
Sodium: 62 mg
Saturated fat: 0 g

Fresh olives are not bad for your blood pressure. In fact, olive oil can lower blood pressure.

But like pickles, olives are soaked in a brine of vinegar and salt, so people with high blood pressure should avoid jarred olives due to their high sodium content.

Healthy swaps: Unsalted olives, berries, or almonds

5. Canned Soup

Serving: 1 cup of canned chicken noodle soup
Sodium: 798 mg
Saturated fat: 3 g

Canned soup is another source of hidden sodium in many people’s diets.

Like other processed foods, canned soup may not always taste salty despite having a high sodium content. Check the nutrition label before purchasing.

If you buy canned soup, look for low-sodium options with less than 140 mg of sodium per serving.

Healthy swap: Homemade salt-free soup

6. French Fries

Serving: One small order of fast-food fries
Sodium: 134 mg
Saturated fat: 2 g

If you are concerned about your blood pressure, avoid French fries (and other fried foods). They contain high levels of salt and fats, which can negatively impact your blood pressure.

Saturated fat can raise cholesterol, a waxy, fatty substance in the blood that eventually can narrow blood vessels and lead to high blood pressure.

Healthy swaps: Unsalted and air-fried potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, or zucchinis

7. Butter

Serving: 1 tablespoon of salted butter
Sodium: 91 g
Saturated fat: 7.3 g

Butter (even unsalted) is another food to avoid if you’re trying to lower your blood pressure. Butter has a high saturated fat content. One tablespoon of salted butter has 11.5 grams of fat, of which 7.3 are saturated or “unhealthy” fats.

The American Heart Foundation recommends limiting saturated fat to less than 6% of your daily caloric intake, which is about 120 calories on a 2,000-calorie diet. Since there are 9 calories per gram of fat, this amounts to about 13 grams daily.

Healthy swaps: Low-salt margarine or olive oil

8. Red Meat

Serving: One single-patty fast-food hamburger
Sodium: 469 mg
Saturated fat: 3 g

Diets high in red meat are associated with high blood pressure and poor blood pressure control. Beef, lamb, and pork all contain high levels of saturated fat and should be avoided in large quantities if you have high blood pressure.

Healthy swaps: Fish or skinless chicken

9. Coconut Oil

Serving: 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Sodium: 0 mg
Saturated fat: 11 g

Coconut oil has among the highest levels of saturated fats of any oil, and should be avoided if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and beef tallow also have significant amounts of saturated fats and should be avoided.

Healthy swaps: Olive oil or algae oil

10. Ice Cream

Serving: One-half cup of vanilla ice cream
Sugar: 14 g
Saturated fat: 4.5 g

Ice cream is high in sugar and saturated fat. Sugar can raise blood pressure through chemical processes that lower the nitric oxide (a gas that relaxes blood vessels and promotes blood flow), contributing to increased blood pressure.

Healthy swaps: Nonfat frozen yogurt or nonfat Greek yogurt with fruit

11. Soda

Serving: One 12-ounce cola
Sugar: 37 g
Sodium: 11 mg

Similar to ice cream and other sweets, soda is bad for your blood pressure due to its high levels of sugar, which can increase it directly and indirectly (through weight gain). Many sodas also contain caffeine, which increases blood pressure when consumed regularly.

Healthy swaps: Water, sparkling water, kombucha, coconut water, or herbal tea

12. Alcohol

Serving: One 12-ounce beer
Sodium: 14 mg
Saturated fat: 0 g

Drinking alcohol regularly can increase your blood pressure, though researchers aren’t sure of the exact mechanisms behind this relationship. The healthiest level of alcohol consumption is none at all, but if you do drink, aim to limit yourself to no more than two alcoholic drinks per day for men or one per day for women.

Healthy swaps: Sparkling water, mocktails, nonalcoholic beer, or kombucha

Takeaway

• Most excess sodium comes from prepackaged food and restaurant foods, not from salt added to food at home.
• Reducing sodium and saturated fat can help support heart health and lower blood pressure.
• Limiting or avoiding sugar, alcohol, and caffeine can also help reduce and prevent high blood pressure.