By Did you know that approximately half of Americans (47%) experience hypertension with a systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg and diastolic above 80 mm Hg? Not only this, almost one billion people globally suffer from high blood pressure. Unfortunately, there are no specific medicines that explicitly treat hypertension permanently.
But, several medications such as Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors are widely used to control high blood pressure. Other than this, some lifestyle changes including a healthy diet, exercise, hydration, and reducing alcohol and tobacco are helpful in lowering blood pressure.
In this article, you will know about how you can naturally lower blood pressure with food and diminish the risk factors of heart disease.
10 Foods to Lower Blood Pressure
Keep in mind, if you want to lower blood pressure diastolic or systolic, you need to keep your diet healthy and regulate your blood pressure. Further, some studies have shown that a few foods that are high in nutrients like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and other minerals drops blood pressure levels.
Below are some foods you can consume to balance your blood pressure naturally.
1. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is one of the highly nutrient-rich foods for lowering blood pressure naturally and helping balance your blood pressure. Not only this, Greek yogurt contains a huge amount of calcium and potassium.
According to numerous types of research, if you consume three servings of Greek yogurt or any other equivalent dairy product per day, you can reduce the risk factor of high blood pressure to up to 13%. Besides, if you consume 200 grams of any dairy product, you can lower your blood pressure by up to 5% and diminish hypertension risks.
2. Flax Seed and Chia Seed
Flax and chia seeds are small seeds that are full of nutrients and crucial for balanced blood pressure. These seeds contain a substantial amount of omega, potassium, magnesium, and fiber that help lowering blood pressure.
The research was conducted on 26 people for almost 3 months, who were patients with hypertension. These people were given 35 grams of chia seed flour every day and found a reduction in their blood pressure to a great extent.
In addition, a few studies recommended that consuming flax whole flax seeds for 12 weeks help to drop blood pressure levels.
3. Citrus Fruits
Another way to lower blood pressure with food is by eating lots of citrus fruits, such as lime, lemon, grapefruit, oranges, etc. These fruits are a powerful source of lowering your blood pressure. Other than this, they are fully loaded with minerals, vitamins, and other components that help in maintaining overall heart health and diminish the risk of hypertension.
In order to prove citrus fruit to be a good source to lower blood pressure with food, Japanese research was conducted for approximately five months on 101 women experiencing hypertension. These women were given lemon juice on regular basis along with a little walk. Consequently, it considerably helped in the reduction of systolic blood pressure. Thus, this study proved that citric acid is a good source of lowering blood pressure.
Further studies suggested that consuming grapefruit and orange juice helps in reducing high blood pressure and could be an alternative to high blood pressure medications. But firstly, it is advised to consult your doctor and determine which citrus food to add to your diet.
4. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate contains antioxidants, cocoa, and flavonoids that help in the reduction of blood pressure. Nonetheless, according to AHA, a small amount of dark chocolate frequently could be used for a balanced diet. Moreover, it is also said that people enjoy eating it other than for health reasons. This could be probably your one of the fav ways to lower blood pressure with food.
5. Oats
Another one of amazing food that lower blood pressure is oats. Oats contain a fiber type known as avenanthramide-C and beta-glucan which are helpful for maintaining blood pressure and heart health. You can consume a full bowl of oats for breakfast, use oats in coating instead of breadcrumbs, or sprinkle them on your dessert.
The fiber in oats functions as an indicator of oxidative stress in patients with hypertension. It results in dropping the level of blood pressure and prevents the heart from any cardiac health issues.
6. Berries
Berries are associated with plenty of outstanding health benefits such as lowering risk factors of heart diseases, hypertension, and other relevant problems. They are considered a rich source of antioxidants such as anthocyanins. These elements tend to increase the nitric oxide levels in the blood and diminish the risks of restricted blood vessels that may help in dropping blood pressure levels.
Yet, a lot of investigations have been conducted on humans to identify the power of berries to treat hypertension. And thus, berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, chokeberries, raspberries, and other types are highly effective in lowering blood pressure.
7. Beetroot and Beet Greens
Beetroots and beet greens are remarkably incredible choices if you want to lower blood pressure with food. Eating beets helps in boosting healthy blood pressure levels because they contain high amounts of nitrates to relax your vascular system and reduce blood pressure.
Several studies have been conducted that have shown that adding beets and greens to your regular diet helps you endorse your overall health and blood pressure levels. For instance, research was conducted on 24 people who were patients with hypertension. They consumed beet juice and cooked beetroot with their diet for 2 weeks. It drastically reduced the blood pressure level and found that beetroot juice was more effective to promote overall health benefits.
Notwithstanding, several other studies have also shown that the consumption of beetroot juice affects blood pressure and has pretty positive results on a person’s hemoglobin as well. Besides, it directly impacts your long-term hypertension disease.
8. Lentils and Beans
Other exceptional foods for lowering blood pressure quickly include beans and lentils. They are loaded with protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamins, and potassium that help in the reduction of high blood pressure levels. Various researchers have suggested that eating lentils and beans are highly beneficial for people experiencing hypertension.
Almost eight researches were conducted which encompass 554 people suffering from high blood pressure. These people consumed beans and lentils and noticed a significant change in their systolic blood pressure.
9. Fatty Fish
You must have heard that fish is a rich source of omega-3 fats that drastically improved heart health. Fats produced in fish are helpful in leveling blood pressure by eliminating soreness and reducing the restriction of the blood vessels.
Studies have demonstrated that more consumption of omega-3 helps substantially in lowering blood pressure. An investigation occurred, in which 2036 people with increased blood pressure levels were involved. They were tested by consuming fatty fish and found that their diastolic and systolic blood pressure level dropped significantly.
10. Spinach
Although every green leafy vegetable is useful to prevent hypertension, spinach is higher in nitrates and several antioxidants such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium. People who want to lower blood pressure with food should opt for spinach as an excellent choice.
As another study was conducted including 27 people, who consumed 500oz of spinach in soup form for one week. They experienced a drastic decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. It is also found that spinach soup helps in reducing the rigidness of arteries which may help in the reduction of blood pressure and improves overall heart health.
Food to Avoid to Lower Blood Pressure
Although the aforementioned foods lower blood pressure naturally and help you drop blood pressure levels, there are some foods that should be avoided while preventing hypertension.
Processed Food
Processed foods usually contain fats that are really harmful to the human body. As per 2021 research, people who eat lots of processed food tend to experience high blood pressure or hypertension.
Salt
Salt is one of the high-sodium foods to avoid with high blood pressure. Many studies have shown that a reduced amount of salt substantially helps in reducing high blood pressure. Not only this, the USDA also advises that limiting salt intake to a maximum of one tablespoon per day helps you prevent high blood pressure.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol regularly can also be one of the major causes of hypertension. As per studies, even a small amount of alcohol can have an impact on high blood pressure, especially in females. Yet, there is no evidence that alcohol has some positive and useful impacts on heart health.
Caffeine
Many studies have portrayed that consuming 200-300 mg of caffeine may result in an increase in blood pressure by 8.1 mm Hg systolic and 5.7 mm Hg diastolic within one hour. However, the impact of caffeine consumption lasts for more than three hours. Therefore, it is suggested to limit caffeine as much as possible.
Take Away
There are several methods and ways to lower blood pressure with food. But, if you change your lifestyle a bit and maintain a healthy diet, it could have a significant impact on the reduction of blood pressure levels. However, it is essential to bear in mind that you don’t have to keep track of your diastolic blood pressure only, but it is also important to observe your systolic blood pressure.
Nevertheless, it is suggested to see a doctor first and execute an in-depth checkup of your blood pressure and heart health. Consult your doctor and get guidelines about what and how many foods you should add to your regular diet.
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