Fruits that lower high blood pressure are Fruits like bananas and mangoes are low in calories, contain valuable vitamins and minerals, are good sources of fiber, and taste great. In this article, you will learn about three fruits that you should include in your diet more often because they have a lot of health benefits and can lower high blood pressure.
The Top 10 Foods that Keep Your Blood Pressure Low
If you’re one of the nearly half of American adults with hypertension—or if you want to avoid becoming one of them—a few dietary tweaks (plus regular exercise and shedding excess belly fat) could make a big difference.
One of the best ways to upgrade your diet is to add more plant-based foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and grains. A study review in the Journal of Hypertension showed that people who ate plant-rich diets, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Nordic diet, or Mediterranean diet, had lower blood pressures on average than those who didn’t.
You can still eat animal foods like meat and dairy—the idea is just to add more plants into the mix. Plant foods tend to be high in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and others that help counterbalance sodium, a mineral many Americans overeat, to keep blood pressure in check.
“Think of the relationship between sodium and these other minerals kind of like as a pulley system,” says Roberta Anding, MS, RD/LD, a dietitian and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. “When you think about high-sodium foods, usually things that are really high in sodium are low in these other nutrients, and what you’re trying to do is balance these out, so it’s not like you can never have salt or anything that’s got sodium in it, but the question is what is on the other side of the pulley system.”
Follow the American Heart Association’s guideline of less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. Then, add more of the following foods to your diet to help you keep your BP in the safe zone.
Leafy greens
Your favorite salads can help you lower your blood pressure and protect your heart, thanks in part to a compound called nitrate, which helps blood vessels open and close. In a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, people who ate the most nitrate-rich vegetables had lower systolic blood pressures, by about three points on average, than people who ate the least. Then, over the following 23 years, people who consumed about 60 milligrams of nitrate from vegetables per day had a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who ate less. Lettuce was the top nitrate-rich vegetable in participants’ diets. The researchers say about a cup of green leafy vegetables per day could be enough to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Check out the easiest way to eat a whole day’s worth of greens in one sitting—and it’s not a smoothie.
Beets and beet juice
Beet juice is Anding’s favorite BP-reducing food. The reason: It’s rich in blood-vessel-friendly nitrates, and it’s easy to incorporate into your diet even if you hate the taste of vegetables. She has helped many collegiate and professional athletes keep their BPs in check by showing them how to work beet juice into their daily routines. You can down a one-ounce serving of beet juice like a shot or mix it into your favorite fruit or vegetable smoothie. If you like beets in their natural form, roast three to five beets as a side dish or accompaniment to your favorite salad.
Pistachios
These green nuts could help you keep your BP in the clear. In a study review published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that regular pistachio consumption is associated with a systolic blood pressure reduction of about two points. Pistachios and other nuts are rich in magnesium, fats, fiber, and polyphenols that might all have beneficial effects on blood pressure, says Anding. She recommends crushing pistachios and using them in place of breadcrumbs or croutons. “Those are probably the two ways I use it, as a coating for either chicken or fish or in salads,” she says.
Cashews
Another nut worth cracking? The cashew. A study review published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine showed that people who regularly ate cashews had systolic blood pressures about three points lower than those who did not. The fatty acids in cashews might beneficially affect baroreflex sensitivity, one of your body’s mechanisms for regulating blood pressure, the researchers say. Cashews are also rich in arginine, which your body uses to make nitric oxide to expand and contract your blood vessels.
Water
Good old H2O can help you regulate your BP. In a study published in the journal Nutrients, healthy adults who drank an extra 550 milliliters of water in the morning and at bedtime reduced their systolic blood pressure by about six points within 12 weeks. The extra hydration might have helped study participants in multiple ways, such as improving their kidney function to help them clear excess sodium and water, changing their secretion of hormones involved in raising BP, or decreasing resistance in their circulatory system, the researchers say. (Check out this guideline for how much water you should be drinking in a day.)
If you already have hypertension and take medicine to control it, talk with your doctor before changing your fluid intake. This is especially important if you take a diuretic, which works by helping your body clear out excess water and sodium, says Anding.
Green tea
Sipping tea could help you calm your mind and tame your blood pressure. A study review published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine suggests that drinking about three to four cups of tea daily, especially green tea, could reduce systolic blood pressure by about 3.5 points and diastolic blood pressure by about a point. Antioxidants in tea might lower blood pressure in many ways, such as increasing the bioavailability of nitric oxide to dilate blood vessels, suppressing a hormone system known to trigger blood pressure increases, and reducing inflammation, the researchers say.
Oat bran
You can upgrade your daily breakfast with less than a half cup of hot cereal. In a study published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, people with hypertension who consumed 30 grams of fiber-rich oat bran daily reduced their systolic blood pressure by an average of 15 points and their diastolic blood pressure by an average of 10 points within 30 days. The bran eaters then needed less BP-lowering medication than people in the control group. One reason: The bran diet induced a beneficial shift in gut bacteria toward species that produce short-chain fatty acids that might activate receptors in the kidneys and blood vessels in a way that benefits blood pressure regulation.
Beans and lentils
Beans are sometimes lauded as magical foods, and here’s another reason to believe. In a study published in the journal Nutrients, people who ate 55 to 70 grams of legumes (about one-third of a cup of cooked lentils or beans) per day were 43 percent less likely to develop hypertension over nearly four years than people who ate less. Legumes tend to be high in potassium plus filling fiber and protein, says Anding. Pair them with other BP-reducing foods for a healthy meal; for example, you can add nuts to lentil curries for creaminess and crunch, she recommends.
Baked or boiled potatoes
In a study published in the journal Nutrients, people who added 1,000 milligrams of potassium per day from baked or boiled potatoes (that’s about a potato and a half) to their daily diets reduced their systolic blood pressure by about three more points than people on a control diet within just 17 days. Potatoes are rich in potassium and may help reduce sodium retention, the researchers say. Sadly, people fed French Fries didn’t reap the same benefits. Check out other ways potatoes are great for you here.
Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help transfer sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and fluids into your cells and aid your body’s regulation of an important hormone. “Omega-3 sensitizes your body to your own insulin,” says Anding. “When you make your own insulin in the right amount, things go well; when you make too much insulin, you can have the retention of fluid and sodium, which contribute to high blood pressure.” The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish, such as salmon, tuna, or cod, per week.
Fight High Blood Pressure With These 8 Foods!
Have you ever worried about the effects of hypertension or high blood pressure? Does navigating through this condition overwhelm you? What changes can one make in your diet to help deal with this condition?
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a serious health problem. It refers to the pressure of blood against the walls of the arteries. High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels and lead to serious health problems like heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, etc.
High blood pressure is also known as a silent killer because it does not produce any symptoms and can go unnoticed for years before causing serious health issues.
There are several factors associated with high blood pressure: age, family history, race, and gender, all of which are uncontrollable factors. There are some factors, however, that can be controlled and can be very helpful. Those are exercise and diet. A diet rich in magnesium, potassium and fibre can greatly benefit people with high BP.
Which Foods Lower Blood Pressure?
If you were on the lookout for a list of foods that could help lower blood pressure, look no further. There are plenty of foods good for high blood pressure. These food items may not look like the yummiest options to fill your stomach, but with some smart cooking, they can be made into dishes that can go a long way in lowering BP and bringing your health back on track. Scroll through the list below of food for high BP and start living a healthy life today.
1. Munch on Leafy Vegetables
Did the thought of eating green leafy vegetables ever feel distasteful? While they might not be the most appealing of foods, leafy vegetables are loaded with potassium which helps the kidneys get rid of excess sodium through urine. This process lowers blood pressure. Try leafy vegetables like Romaine lettuce, arugula, kale, spinach, collard greens, beet greens and swiss chard. You can cook them to make delicious soups or add them to your salads for a quick bite. Avoid eating canned green vegetables because they may have added sodium in them.
2. Try the Berries
All berries are loaded with flavonoids that can help to prevent hypertension and lower blood pressure. You can eat blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries with your morning cereal and yoghurt or even add them to salads, desserts and smoothies.
3. How About Some Red Beets
The beautiful red beets are high in nitric oxide which helps in opening up clogged blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. This is one of the most effective foods to reduce blood pressure.
4. The Good Ole’ Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a high fibre food that is low in fat and sodium. It is the perfect food to reduce blood pressure while you grab a quick breakfast in the morning. Soak them overnight in milk and top them with fresh berries and granola in the morning to enjoy a yummy and healthy breakfast. Read more about the health benefits of oatmeal.
5. Go Bananas
Bananas are probably the most common fruit, eaten all over the world. This fruit is full of potassium which is much needed for lowering high blood pressure. You can eat it as it is, add it to a smoothie, to a bowl of cereal, make a banana cake or add it to a fruit plate. Regardless of how you consume it, bananas are a delicious food that lower blood pressure.
6. Go Fishing for Omega 3 and Vitamin D
Omega 3 is great for the heart. Fatty fishes like mackerel and salmon are high in this fatty acid and can help to lower blood pressure while also being delicious. Omega 3 fatty acids can also reduce inflammation and lower triglycerides. Trout fish also contains vitamin D which is great for high BP.
7. Spice It Up with Garlic
Garlic has BP lowering tendencies. It works by increasing the amount of nitric acid in the body. It also helps by widening the arteries and reducing blood pressure. You can add garlic to various food dishes.
8. Greek Yoghurt
This is a nutrient-dense dairy product that’s packed with minerals that helps regulate blood pressure, including potassium and calcium. Not only does consuming it lower the risk of high blood pressure, but it also shows a reduction in hypertension risk.
Healthy foods alongside proper exercise can go a long way in lowering blood pressure and keep it within the prescribed limits. You should also make it a point to visit your doctor regularly so your blood pressure can be monitored and controlled effectively.
If you have blood pressure, you do not have to eat bland foods. There are various delicious recipes that can be made out of foods that lower blood pressure. Healthy foods can be your difference between a healthy long life and a life-threatening disease.
Fruits and vegetables’ latest superpower? Lowering blood pressure
Eating potassium-rich foods like sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, beans, bananas — and even coffee — could be key to lowering blood pressure, according to Alicia McDonough, PhD, professor of cell and neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
“Decreasing sodium intake is a well-established way to lower blood pressure,” McDonough said, “but evidence suggests that increasing dietary potassium may have an equally important effect on hypertension.”
Hypertension is a global health issue that affects more than one billion people worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that hypertension is responsible for at least 51 percent of deaths due to stroke and 45 percent of deaths due to heart disease.
McDonough explored the link between blood pressure and dietary sodium, potassium and the sodium-potassium ratio in a review article in the April 2017 issue of the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism. The review looked at population, interventional and molecular mechanism studies that investigated the effects of dietary sodium and potassium on hypertension.
McDonough’s review found several population studies demonstrating that higher dietary potassium (estimated from urinary excretion or dietary recall) was associated with lower blood pressure, regardless of sodium intake. Interventional studies with potassium supplementation also suggested that potassium provides a direct benefit.
McDonough reviewed recent studies in rodent models, from her own lab and others, to illustrate the mechanisms for potassium benefit. These studies indicated that the body does a balancing act that uses sodium to maintain close control of potassium levels in the blood, which is critical to normal heart, nerve and muscle function.
“When dietary potassium is high, kidneys excrete more salt and water, which increases potassium excretion,” McDonough said. “Eating a high potassium diet is like taking a diuretic.”
Increasing dietary potassium will take a conscious effort, however. McDonough explained that humans’ early ancestors ate primitive diets that were high in fruits, roots, vegetables, beans and grains (all higher in potassium) and very low in sodium. As a result, humans evolved to crave sodium — but not potassium. Modern diets, however, have changed drastically since then: processed food companies add salt to satisfy our cravings and processed foods are usually low in potassium.
“If you eat a typical Western diet, your sodium intake is high and your potassium intake is low,” McDonough said. This significantly increases your chances of developing high blood pressure.” When dietary potassium is low, the balancing act uses sodium retention to hold onto the limited potassium, which is like eating a higher sodium diet, she said.
But how much dietary potassium is appropriate? A 2004 Institute of Medicine report recommends that adults consume at least 4.7 grams of potassium per day to lower blood pressure, blunt the effects of dietary sodium and reduce the risks of kidney stones and bone loss, McDonough said. Eating ¾ cup of black beans, for example, will help adults reach almost 50 percent of a daily potassium goal.
McDonough recommends developing public policies to increase intake of dietary potassium from plant-based sources. She also advocates adding potassium content to nutrition labels to help raise consumers’ awareness of economical sources of potassium.