Four gut-friendly foods could pose a risk for your blood pressure, expert warns

Dr Chris Steele shares diet tips on reducing blood pressure

Characterised by tart flavours and plentiful gut bacteria, fermented foods have been around for centuries.

However, the recent decade has seen a rise in popularity in the likes of kombucha and sauerkraut.

While fermented foods can boost your gut health and even dampen down inflammation, they might not be so generous to your blood pressure, according to Alison Cullen, Nutritional Practitioner and Education Manager at A.Vogel.

The expert said: “Miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, sourdough bread all contain varying amounts of salt, which may affect blood pressure if taken in immoderate amounts, or on top of a diet that already contains large quantities of salty foods or added table salt.”

Blood Pressure UK explains that eating too much salt is the “single biggest” cause of high blood pressure.

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Worryingly, the more of the common seasoning you eat, the higher your blood pressure can be.

Salt makes your body hold onto water, which puts extra water in your blood, applying extra pressure on your blood vessel walls.

This process is a recipe for high blood pressure levels, according to the charity.

What’s worse, if you already have a high reading, salt can raise your blood pressure even further.

The good news is that cutting down on the popular ingredient is one of the simplest ways to lower your blood pressure.

What’s more, keeping your salt intake in check will start to make a difference “very quickly”, Blood Pressure UK explains.

Therefore, the charity recommends cutting down on high-salt foods. 

They recommend checking the labels as salt contents can vary greatly between products. 

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“Check the labels of foods before you buy them and compare with other products – you’ll often find lower salt low-salt options,” Blood Pressure UK advises.

The following guidelines can help you understand how to choose less salty foods:

• Low – 0.3g salt or less per 100g
• Medium – 0.3 to1.5g salt per 100g (these are usually fine to eat, but choose low salt options where you can)
• High – 1.5g salt or more per 100g (try to avoid these or eat them only occasionally).

While some fermented foods can add extra salt to your diet, Cullen explained you shouldn’t ditch them altogether.

The expert said: “It’s all about the dosage, as with so many things! Even water can be bad for you if you take too much.

“Adding one tablespoon of an average sauerkraut to your daily menu will give you a gut boost without adding more than around 0.08g of salt to your daily intake.”

“However, it’s important to keep an eye on your overall salt intake, with the daily limit set by the NHS being no more than six grams of salt per day.

“This includes the salt that’s already in our food and the salt added during and after cooking,” the health body adds.

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