Workers with high blood pressure should pay attention when eating pickled onions during Tet

Sour pickled dishes such as pickled onions are almost indispensable in Vietnamese family meals during the Lunar New Year. Pickled onions help balance taste buds, prevent greasiness and create a unique flavor for Tet.

However, for workers with high blood pressure, eating pickled onions needs special attention to avoid negative effects on health.

The biggest problem of pickled onions for people with high blood pressure is high salt (sodium) content. The process of pickling onions requires using a lot of salt to preserve and create a salty and sour taste. When the body absorbs too much sodium, blood pressure tends to rise due to water retention in blood vessels, putting pressure on the heart and circulatory system. For workers – who are often under work pressure and physical fatigue – sudden blood pressure can lead to headaches, dizziness, and even increase the risk of cardiovascular accidents.

Besides, during Tet, workers often eat irregularly, combining pickled onions with fatty dishes such as braised meat, banh chung, gio cha. This combination not only increases the amount of salt intake into the body but also causes blood fat to rise, indirectly affecting blood pressure. If not controlled well, this eating habit can make underlying diseases worse after the Tet holiday.

However, that does not mean that people with high blood pressure must absolutely abstain from pickled onions. It is important to eat in moderation.

Workers should only eat a small amount, not eat continuously for many meals and should wash pickled onions in boiled and cooled water to reduce salinity. At the same time, it is necessary to increase eating green vegetables, fresh fruits and drink enough water to help the body balance sodium levels.

Workers with high blood pressure can completely eat pickled onions during Tet if they know how to control them properly.

Paying attention to portion sizes, combining a healthy diet and maintaining a regular lifestyle will help both preserve traditional cuisine and protect long-term health in the first days of the new year.

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