10 Natural Foods that Lower Blood Pressure
The good news is, there are a lot of food items that can naturally lower down your blood pressure. And adding them into your daily meal will allow you to live a normal life – the kind that won’t leave you worrying about taking blood-pressure lowering medications.
Here is a list of the different foods that you can take to effectively lower blood pressure without the aid of medications:
1. Raisins
A new study started at the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center indicated that people who munch on raisins have a slightly lower blood pressure than those who don’t. This study simply proves that raisins are the ideal snacks for people who are suffering from hypertension. So if given a choice between cookies, crackers, and all other types of snacks, raisin proves to be your better option.
2. Skim milk
If you’re not lactose intolerant, then skim milk may do wonders for your blood pressure. Skim milk is healthy for the heart because it is composed of just 1% milk. And it is rich with Vitamin D and calcium, both of which are known to reduce blood pressure by up to 10%. Taking a glass of skim milk every day reduces the risks of heart disease by about 15%.
3. Kiwi
Another research presented at the American Heart Association showed that consuming around three kiwi fruits in a day may decrease one’s blood pressure level. The study tested 188 individuals who are aged 55 years old and above. It was found out that those who ate at least three kiwis in a day for a span of eight weeks have a slightly lower blood pressure than the rest of the participants who don’t.
4. Spinach
Spinach is a very popular green leafy vegetable, thanks to Popeye who uses this veggie as his primary source of strength. The thing is, it can work for you too. Spinach has low very calorie levels while being high in fiber. It also has got lots of nutrients that are good for the heart such as magnesium, folate, and potassium. All of these are also known to decrease one’s blood pressure level.
5. Banana
You must have heard the old adage, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’. Well, it’s almost the same for the banana. Individuals who are suffering from hypertension are encouraged to eat at least one banana every day to maintain a healthy level of blood pressure. A study that was conducted in 2005 was published in the Hypertension Journal indicated all the blood pressure lowering properties of banana, including all other fruits and veggies that are high in potassium.
6. Sunflower Seeds
No, you don’t have to be a bird or a mouse to enjoy the healthy goodness of sunflower seeds. Just pick the unsalted variant and you’re in for the most nutritious and the most blood-pressure friendly snack. Munching on these seeds is highly recommended, just don’t make the mistake of buying the salted version as that one is high in sodium. Remember that sodium is something that can make your blood pressure run high.
7. Watermelon
Don’t you just love watermelons during the summer? Well, if you suffer from hypertension, you better make this one your year-long fruit, if possible. Watermelon is very rich in fiber, Vitamin A, lycopene, and potassium. A recent study conducted at the Florida State University showed that watermelon also contains L-arginine and L-citrulline, two nutrients that are known to drastically lower blood pressure.
8. Potatoes
If you didn’t know that potatoes can lower blood pressure, then you’re not alone. The study that was presented at the American Chemical Society meeting showed how purple potatoes can effectively lower one’s blood pressure, all without adding extra inches on the waistline. This is because the purple variant doesn’t have as much carbohydrates in it as all the others. So the next time you’re buying potatoes, purple is the shade to go for. It’s the healthiest type yet.
9. Beans
After the potatoes come the beans. There are many types of beans available in the market and fortunately enough, all of them are good for the blood. So no need to cull. You can eat black beans, white beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans and kidney beans all to your heart’s delight. Plus, it’s easy to add these little goodies to just about any dish. They’re also on the inexpensive side too there’s really no reason why you can’t binge.
10. Tofu
Tofu, including all other food items created from soya beans, is very good for the heart. They keep the blood pressure at healthy levels because they are rich in isoflavones. Isoflavones became the subject of one of the many annual meetings of the American College of Cardiology when researchers discovered that this nutrient can effectively lower one’s systolic blood pressure better than most food items.
Here are 10 different food items that can provide you with a much lower blood pressure in the most natural way. Alternately, eating these natural goodies will allow your blood flows in the healthiest possible way, every single day.
