Your favourite health foods may be doing wonders for your waistline, but they may harbour hidden risks for your cardiovascular health, an expert has warned.
Many products promoted as nutritious options could be secretly contributing to elevated blood pressure due to the presence of deleterious substances that undermine their supposed health benefits.
These items frequently contain concealed amounts of salt, sweeteners and harmful lipids, warned Dr David Clarke, President of the Association for Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms.
The expert identified several problematic products that fall under this category, noting that the issue lies in deceptive marketing and complex ingredient lists.
Deceptive marketing and complex ingredient lists can conceal potential blood pressure dangers
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Dr Clarke noted that even items that appear beneficial based on their primary ingredients can harbour unexpected risks when examined more closely.
He highlighted that numerous vegetable juice brands pack excessive salt content while maintaining their reputation for nutritional value.
"Some foods marketed as 'healthy' may unknowingly increase blood pressure," Dr Clarke told GB News, citing "vegetable juices" that "contain high levels of sodium despite their nutrient-rich profile".
He also warned about cereal bars, which frequently contain excessive sweeteners or syrups that counter their fibre advantages.
Additionally, reduced-fat and dietary alternatives often compensate for the removed lipids by incorporating extra salt or sweeteners to improve taste.
To prevent any issues, Dr Clarke advised scrutinising product packaging for concealed salt, sweeteners and harmful lipids.
He recommends avoiding items with "natural flavours" or extensive ingredient lists, which typically signal heavy processing.
To identify truly beneficial options, he suggests examining labels for salt content below 140 milligrams per portion, sweetener additions under five grams per portion, and the absence of trans fats.
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Store-bought vegetable juices can pack a lot of salt
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His guidance includes selecting unprocessed produce, vegetables, unrefined grains, low-fat proteins and beneficial oils such as olive oil.
"The longer the ingredient list or presence of unfamiliar additives suggests higher processing levels," Dr Clarke explained, recommending consumers minimise their consumption of packaged items.
According to the NHS, it is important to adopt a broad range of healthy lifestyle measures to keep blood pressure in check.
The health service recommends:
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Exercising regularly - doing at least 150 minutes of exercise a week
- Lose weight if you're overweight.
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