Most often when you think about lowering blood pressure your mind typically thinks of limiting salt and avoiding processed foods, without really thinking about what kind of food might help. However, following a heart-friendly diet is what you need, and it is more than just limiting sugar and avoiding processed foods.
DASH Diet
If you are looking for an eating plan that lays it all out for you to follow then you may want to consider the DASH Diet. In full form, it is called the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and it was designed to help people manage their blood pressure and improve overall health. The DASH Diet is consistently cited in studies as being one of the most heart-friendly diets to make significant improvements.
The DASH Diet eating plan suggests a well-balanced diet that includes lots of fish, poultry, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, providing recommendations on amounts and limits for certain types of foods. This easy-to-follow, flexible, balanced, low-fat, family-friendly, budget-smart meal plan is successful by focusing on food choices that are rich in potassium, calcium, fiber, protein, and magnesium while limiting foods that are high in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats such as packaged, refined, and processed foods.
Healthful Lifestyle Changes
Your diet plays a huge role in your overall health, and when it comes to blood pressure, what you eat can either lower or raise those numbers. For example, diets that are high in salt can potentially increase blood pressure while diets rich in fruits and veggies tend to be associated with potentially lowering blood pressure.
Lowering blood pressure is not just about what you eat though. For most people, making lifestyle changes such as lowering alcohol intake, managing your levels of stress, getting enough sleep, striving to maintain a healthy weight, and moving more can help you to manage blood pressure better to see improvements within a few weeks and noticeable changes within one to three months. Keep in mind that these benefits will only have a positive impact on your blood pressure as long you continue to do them.
With all that being said, while there are no foods to magically cure high blood pressure, if you are looking to incorporate some food into your diet that could help lower your blood pressure to replace some less-than-healthy snack choices, we have gathered a few for your consideration.
Food That May Help Lower Blood Pressure
Yogurt
Fat-free or low-fat dairy products are rich sources of calcium which is well-known to be one of the main compounds that helps to lower high blood pressure. As for it being a great snack option, just one 12-ounce serving will provide you with about 30% of the daily recommended amount of calcium.
Bananas
Bananas are an excellent fiber-rich snack option to consider. One average-sized banana is loaded with potassium, providing about 9% of the recommended daily value. Potassium is another yummy option that has been shown to be a good choice in lowering blood pressure.
Blueberries
These little blue balls are rich sources of nitric oxide gases which help to increase blood flow and lower blood pressure. In fact, studies have found that less than one ounce a day can help to significantly lower your blood pressure.
Quinoa
These little versatile balls are considered to be a super grain. You can add them to a salad, bake them into muffins, or use them as a base for veggie burgers. Just a half cup of quinoa contains around 15% of the daily recommended magnesium you need plus it is loaded with fiber and plant-based protein which helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, ward off hunger, and ease the digestion process as well as relieve constipation.
Kiwi
While kiwi won’t magically cure your blood pressure struggles, eating kiwi could be a good start. Studies suggest that eating 3 kiwi a day could significantly lower your blood pressure. Kiwis are a rich source of antioxidants like lutein, vitamin C, and carotenoids, some research suggests these little green fruits have a higher total antioxidant capacity than many other popular fruits.
Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds
Store-bought pumpkin seeds are typically high in salt, but if you get unsalted varieties or roast your own, pumpkin seeds are rich sources of zinc and magnesium which can help to lower your blood pressure.
Pomegranates
While they are not easy to eat because they can be hard to peel and a little messy, the effort is worth it. But if you want to take the easier route, some studies suggest that unsweetened organic pomegranate juice can provide similar antioxidant benefits.
Broccoli
Like most cruciferous veggies, broccoli hits the bullseye for containing all of the compounds that can help lower your blood pressure: vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. As an added benefit, diets high in cruciferous veggies led to lower levels of heart disease and extended longevity.
Food To Avoid
While we are talking about healthful choices, we should mention choices that can increase your blood pressure. There are several choices that can increase the numbers, but according to the American Heart Association, you should in particular limit these choices if you are trying to lower your blood pressure: Alcoholic beverages, sodium/salt, fatty and processed meats, saturated and trans fats, and choices with added sugars like sweets/candy/pastries, soda/pop, and other sugar-sweetened beverages.
Additionally, grapefruit, although typically healthy, can interact with some blood pressure medications, check with your doctor before eating any grapefruit.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://worldhealth.net/news/5-food-choices-help-lower-blood-pressure/
https://worldhealth.net/news/more-evidence-dash-diet-good-heart-health/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10551663
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/.
https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672%2814%2901633-5/abstract
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25483553
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6267416
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648092
https://worldhealth.net/news/cruciferous-vegetables-lower-blood-pressure/
