It is getting increasingly clear that those looking for lower blood pressure should avoid fast foods. Its certainly no coincidence that runaway rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and extraordinary obesity in the West coincide with the rise of these products.
As an important point, 2 specific processed foods, products that have come to dominate complete food groups, are now obviously linked to obesity and raised blood pressure. They are hydrogenated, or trans-, fats and high fructose sweeteners. These freaks can justly be called ‘Frankenstein Foods’ as examples of science gone wrong.
Trans-fats undergo a method that turns liquid oil into solid fat. We know this substance most commonly as margarine. The characteristics of many of these margarines are no coincidence ; the chemical structure of hydrogenated fat is analogous to plastic. Needless to say, trans-fats do not occur naturally.
Ironically, margarine and other hydrogenated fats were once promoted as healthy alternatives to saturated fats. But now we know that natural fats contain trace minerals, amino acids and other nutrients vital to good health. Its hydrogenated fats that are the monsters.
Consumers need to read food labels carefully and treat hydrogenated fats with caution. And if you have high blood pressure you have got to avoid them like the plague. Naturally, with extensive coverage of the health issues of trans-fats this recommendation may appear old hat. A number of progressive supermarkets and food producers have even taken the 1st steps to prohibit trans-fats in their products.
Another known cause of hypertension is high fructose syrups. These sweeteners were similarly promoted as healthy alternate choices to the feared cane sugar. Food producers have pulled the wool over the publics eye by stressing the association of the name ‘fructose’ with fruit. Fruit contains fructose but it is in no fashion the same substance as the high fructose syrups, most frequently corn syrup, utilized in the food industry.
High fructose syrups are only now being exposed as a health danger and few folk recognize the size of the problem. High fructose corn syrup is cheaper than cane sugar and many times sweeter. The result is not surprising ; high fructose syrup is everywhere in fast foods from soft drinks to ketchup to spaghetti sauce. Even Coca-Cola has used high fructose corn syrup since 1985.
Like hydrogenated fats, fructose sweeteners also increase gut fat, much way more than conventional sugar. The effect is a threatening condition called metabolic syndrome. Obesity, defective insulin metabolism, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are all results. What is more, fructose sweeteners have the potential to damage the liver as they pass undigested through the small intestine where they head straight to the liver.
But our supermarkets remain stacked high with numerous other hypertension causing foods. These include processed cheese, beef from animals treated with expansion hormones and other chemicals, fake salt substitutes, dairy substitutes and lots more. Fundamentally, they include any foods that have been chemically or mechanically created, reinforced or improved. Please bear in mind that not all these foods are harmful if eating in miniscule quantities, but the majority are just not needed for the protection of our food supply and our good health.
