Living with high blood pressure can be stressful. Every meal seems to contain hidden enemies of healthy blood pressure, which leads people to resenting their condition or else not treating it consistently.
The American College of Cardiology recommends that patients use both non-medicinal and medicinal remedies to control high blood pressure. In addition to lowering overall sodium consumption, patients can try these foods to ensure proper consumption of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which are considered essential for healthy blood pressure.
Low fat, non-flavored yogurt
While it may seem tasteless and boring, low-fat, non-flavored yogurt contains the calcium and peptides that you need to keep your blood pressure level. If you want to sweeten it, use fresh fruits like pineapple or blueberries with a light drizzle of honey. These will contain fewer sugars (and no preservatives).
Kale
Long hailed as a superfood, kale (raw or cooked) provides calcium, potassium, and magnesium in addition to antioxidants. Use it in salads, smoothies, or soups as a powerful way to pack nutrients into your diet.
Flaxseeds
These little gems help to reduce blood pressure and provide Omega 3s for healthy brain functioning too! You can sprinkle them on oatmeal, add to your yogurt or salads, or even eat them as a snack. Use milled flaxseeds for smoothies and soups or stews.
Quinoa
Pronounced KEEN-wah, this nutty-flavored grain has become quite popular due to its overall health benefits. Naturally gluten-free, it is an alternative to white rice and potatoes that provides 15% of the recommended daily allowance of magnesium per half-cup!
Avocado
You’ve probably already guessed that this fruit is on the heart-healthy list. Avocado is rich in potassium, and can use in a variety of ways: cut up and added to the salad, sliced and eaten in a sandwich, mashed into guacamole…the possibilities are endless.
Beets
The nitrates in beets reduce blood pressure within hours of ingestion. This superfood also contains phytonutrients that have been studied for their cancer-treating properties. Adding a few beets to your weekly diet will also help fight inflammation. Don’t eat too many of these, as beetroots have a high sugar content that can inversely affect your blood pressure.
Bananas
Not only do these sweet yellow fruits contain rich amounts of potassium, but they also help to lower blood pressure by lowering stress hormones in the blood. Bananas are also thought to have cancer-fighting properties.
Salmon
Along with flaxseed, fatty fish like salmon contain Omega-3s, which lower blood pressure. Eating salmon three times per week can significantly reduce your blood pressure and increase brain function.
Pomegranates
The polyphenols in pomegranates make them a sweet helper in reducing blood pressure. Rich in antioxidants, pomegranates have been proven to reduce blood pressure, both short-term and long-term. If you’re going to drink the juice, make sure it’s 100% pomegranate juice, as other juices typically contain 10% fruit juice and tons of added sugars.
Chocolate
Yes, you read right. Dark chocolate (80% dark or higher) may not have the added sugar we’ve come to expect with chocolate bars, but it does have an increased amount of flavonoids that help reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
Incorporating a healthy diet is necessary to not only lowering blood pressure but also to sustain those levels. For some, systolic and diastolic numbers may not stabilize with diet and exercise alone, and a medicinal intervention like PD 120 may be needed.
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