A too high blood pressure can endanger health! To lower your blood pressure, there’s nothing like reduce your salt intake. But there is no question of depriving yourself of cheese. We tell you which ones to boycott and which ones to prioritize!
What is hypertension?
We’re talking abouthypertension to designate high blood pressure observed when the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries is abnormally strong. A natural phenomenon, which can be observed during a situation of intense stress or during physical exertion. However, in some people, blood pressure stays high all the time. In the long term, thehigh blood pressure can promote heart and vascular disorders, the onset of heart failure, kidney and eye problems… High blood pressure is usually not accompanied by any symptoms and a large number of people hypertendues unaware of their condition.
From the age of 55, blood pressure tends to increase. In fact, the people most prone to hypertension are people over 55, people with a family history of hypertension, people with diseases such as diabetes, sleep apnea, or kidney disease… Ethnic origin can also be a contributing factor to hypertension!
Can you eat cheese when your blood pressure is too high?
The enemy of hypertension? the sodium ! According to scientific studies, limit your salt intake could allow 30% of hypertensives tolower their blood pressure1 ! In general, it is recommended – among other things – to reduce salt intake to lower his blood pressure. And for good reason: salt – made up of chlorine and sodium – is the main source of sodium! It is estimated that a consumption of more than 5 g of salt chloride (sodium)2 per day promotes hypertension (for an adult). The problem? On average, in France, we consume 12 g of salt per day…
But it is not enough to simply banish salty foods from your plate, you must also be wary of hidden salts (in bread, canned foods, industrial and frozen products) or even have a lighter hand when eating. add salt to your dishes or pasta cooking water! Other foods to watch out for? Cheese ! Indeed, all cheeses contain salt to ensure their preservation but they do not all contain it in the same quantity.
High blood pressure: cheeses to avoid
Cheeses are indeed part of the foods pointed out when you want to reduce your salt intake. But when it comes to salt content, not all cheeses are created equal! Some cheeses have a salt content higher: it is better to avoid them if you suffer from hypertension or if you are used to consuming too much salt. Cheeses to avoid? The saltiest cheesesto know :
– Roquefort (3.22 g of salt per 100 g) and more generally blue-veined cheeses such as Bleu d’Auvergne (2.85 g of salt per 100 g), Bleu des Causses (3.3 g of salt per 100 g), fourme d’Ambert (2.2 g of salt per 100 g), gorgonzola (1.77 g of salt per 100 g) …
– Saint-Marcellin (3.8 g of salt per 100 g)
– Cow’s milk feta (3.6 g of salt per 100 g) but also sheep’s feta (3.1 g of salt (per 100 g).
– The old mimolette (3.68 g of salt per 100 g) but also the mimolette (2.84 g of salt per 100 g).
– Parmesan (2.7 g of salt per 100 g).
– Le Sainte-Maure (2.6 g of salt per 100 g).
– Morbier (2.5 g of salt per 100 g).
Hypertension, which cheeses contain the least salt?
However, simply eliminating cheese from your diet is far from a good idea. Indeed, although the cheese either a relatively caloric and salt-rich food, it is rich in calcium, potassium and other nutrients essential for the proper functioning of the body. The good solution ? Prioritize cheeses with the lowest salt content ! To know :
– Ricotta (0.3 g of salt per 100 g)
– Fresh goat cheese made from raw milk (0.7 g of salt per 100 g)
– Emmental cheese (0.7 g of salt per 100 g)
– Fresh goat cheese with pasteurized milk (0.8 g of salt per 100 g)
– Saint Nectaire (0.8 g of salt per 100 g)
– Le Neufchâtel (0.8 g of salt per 100 g)
– Gruyère cheese (0.9 g of salt per 100 g)
– Rocamadour (0.9 g of salt per 100 g)
– Le Pouligny Saint-Pierre (0.9 g of salt per 100 g)
– Mozzarella (1.0 g of salt per 100 g)
Source : Anses. 2020. Table of nutritional composition of Ciqual foods.
1.”Hypertension, everything to prevent and treat it” by Michel Brack, published by Alpen.
2. According to the recommendations of theOMS.
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Which cheeses are the richest in calcium?
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Cholesterol: cheeses to avoid