Foods to avoid while taking lisinopril

Your heart health plan will often include more than just medication. If you’re taking an ACE inhibitor, like lisinopril (Qbrelis, Zestril), you may also have special dietary requirements.

Healthcare professionals originally prescribed ACE inhibitors to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) exclusively. They work by blocking a complex protein called an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which constricts blood vessels.

With less active ACE, your blood vessels are able to relax, allowing the blood to flow more easily. The food you eat and avoid can help manage heart conditions more effectively.

Lisinopril and other ACE inhibitors

As ACE inhibitors proved so effective, experts began to use them for a wider range of heart-related health conditions. “The most common uses include the treatment of hypertension, coronary artery disease, and certain types of heart failure and kidney disease,” said Dmitry Abramov, MD, a cardiologist at Loma Linda University Health in California.

Common ACE inhibitors include lisinopril (Qbrelis, Zestril), benazepril (Lotensin), and enalapril (Vasotec). If you’re on one of these medications, your doctor is likely looking after your heart health. However, as well as medications, a healthcare team may also suggest paying close attention to the food you eat.

“Most people taking an ACE inhibitor should be on a heart-healthy diet,” Dr. Abramov said. In fact, diet and other lifestyle modifications may even reduce your reliance on medication. “Consuming less salt and alcohol, getting more exercise, and effectively managing your weight can sometimes lead to a reduction in blood pressure, so you may no longer need medications like ACE inhibitors,” he explained.

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Foods to consider when taking lisinopril

More than 20 years ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed a diet for heart health called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). To follow the DASH diet, you’ll generally want to focus on foods like:

• fruits
• vegetables
• nuts
• low fat dairy products
• fish
• poultry
• whole grains

DASH limits salt in recipes and suggests monitoring sodium in packaged foods. “I’ll tell patients, ‘Throw out your salt shaker,’” said Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, a clinical dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the author of Recipe for Survival.

It is also important to avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats and include foods rich in fiber, magnesium, and protein.

Foods to avoid when taking lisinopril

Eating well can help you manage your condition and live a long, healthy life, and limiting or avoiding some foods is important to your eating plan.

Sodium

Sodium, the mineral in salt, is one of the biggest foods to be aware of if you have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests keeping your intake below 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day, ideally 1,500 mg or less.

That means that if you’re eating three meals a day, you should aim for each one to contain 500 mg of sodium or less. For snacks, “I encourage people to look for things with less than 100 mg of sodium,” said Hunnes.

It may sometimes feel difficult at first. “When we’re telling people to cut back on sodium, it’s a huge change for their palates,” Hunnes continued. However, once you adjust to less salt, you might not even miss it.

The challenge with avoiding sodium is that many supermarket foods contain high levels. “It’s difficult to find packaged foods that don’t have a lot of sodium,” Hunnes said. Although she stresses the importance of reading food labels and understanding sodium levels, she recommends being particularly cautious of the following foods:

• Bread: Some sandwich breads have 300–400 mg of sodium per slice. Hunnes said: “If you’re making a sandwich, that could be more than a third of your daily sodium allotment.”
• Canned soups: “Canned soups can have 1,000 mg or more of sodium in one can,” Hunnes noted. Look for soups marked “low sodium,” then check the label to be sure this is correct.
• Canned beans: Beans don’t naturally have sodium, but during cooking and canning, processors usually add salt. Again, look for low sodium options. You can rinse canned beans before using them or buy dry beans and cook them yourself.
• Frozen dinners: The wrong pizza or fried chicken dinner could deliver more than a full day’s worth of sodium in one meal, so again, it is important to check the food packaging labels.
• Condiments and salad dressings: “Prepared salad dressings can have 400 mg per serving,” said Hunnes. Look for low sodium options, or make your own dressing at home.
• Sodas (even diet ones): A 20-ounce bottle of Diet Dr Pepper has 100 mg of sodium. “That is a lot of sodium for no calories,” Hunnes noted.
• Cheese: Many cheeses are high in sodium, but some types are better than others. “Mozzarellas tend to be lower in sodium,” Hunnes observed. You might also find that Parmesan is allowable. It’s high in sodium, but if you’re using just a sprinkle to add flavor, the overall effect will be low. Hunnes also recommends nutritional yeast, which many people following a vegan diet use as a substitute for cheese flavoring. It contains little sodium but adds the richness of cheese.
• Deli meat: Avoid cured meats such as ham or bacon. Noncured options such as roasted turkey might be safe, but always check the label. “There are some brands out there that have no added sodium, whereas other brands can have 600–700 mg per serving,” Hunnes said.

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Potassium

In addition to sodium, it is important to keep an eye on potassium. Hunnes said: “ACE inhibitors can interfere with how your body processes potassium. It can actually build up in the blood a little bit.”

Additionally, as ACE inhibitors can raise potassium levels, they can affect kidney function, so a doctor or healthcare professional may monitor you if you have a condition affecting your kidneys.

As a general rule, Hunnes recommends capping potassium at 2,000 mg per day. That could mean limiting foods like:

• avocados — 507 mg of potassium per 100 grams (g)
• yams — 816 mg of potassium per 100 g
• potatoes — 446 mg of potassium per 100 g
• tomatoes — 193 mg of potassium per 100 g
• bananas — 326 mg of potassium per 100 g
• Nu-Salt or other salt substitutes made with potassium — 525 mg of potassium per 1.25 g

“Most people don’t have as much difficulty avoiding potassium as they do with sodium,” noted Dr. Abramov. So you might have more freedom to eat the foods you enjoy.

In either case, a thoughtful approach to diet is important. It can have a huge effect on your heart health.

Summary

Foods like fruits, nuts, and whole grains are a choice for your heart. Choosing these foods and others that make up part of the DASH diet can help you manage your heart health alongside ACE inhibitors like lisinopril.

When initially making changes to your diet, try to keep your salt intake below 2,300 mg per day and aim for 1,500 mg per day or less. It is also important to monitor your potassium intake, as ACE inhibitors can raise potassium levels in the blood.

Regular contact with a healthcare team can help ensure the best outcomes for your heart health.

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