Maintaining a healthy diet is as much about what we don’t eat as well as what we do eat. While food is an important part of keeping our bodies healthy and a way to get a number of essential nutrients, there’s also room to do some harm by eating certain foods.

One food, in particular, is linked to high blood pressure, with one study finding that consuming as little as 17 grams of it a day can increase your chances of developing high blood pressure. Having a diet that’s high in salt can increase your chances of developing high blood pressure. And although there might not be any symptoms, leaving it untreated can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, stroke and even heart failure. There’s a number of other lifestyle factors that can also lead to high blood pressure including age and stress, but these are more difficult to manage than our diet. 

It’s estimated that 14.4 million adults in the UK have high blood pressure and one food that could seriously increase your risk of developing this is processed meats. 

These are meats that have been modified to extend their shelf life, either through smoking or curing, or adding salt to them, and include bacon, hot dogs, canned meat and salami and ham sold in packets. 

Although meat is an important part of our diet, and a source of many essential nutrients, from protein to iron and B vitamins, the type of meat we consume could have very different effects on our bodies.

In the UK, the NHS advises people to eat no more than 70 grams a day of red or processed meat, which is the equivalent to a couple of slices of bacon. 

Processed meats can be a convenient addition to many meals, especially if you don’t feel like cooking or want to indulge in a bacon sandwich at the weekend; this should be limited in our diet in order to avoid high blood pressure caused by excess amounts of salt. 

Salt isn’t necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it’s essential for our body to function properly, helping to maintain nerve health and encouraging nutrient absorption. However, it is important that we consume salt in moderation.