Good foods for high blood pressure

Research has shown that certain foods can lower blood pressure. Combining these foods in the diet may lead to long-term health benefits. Medications, dietary changes, and other lifestyle modifications can reduce high blood pressure, or hypertension, while lowering the likelihood of developing associated conditions. High blood pressure increases a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.

Types of food that may help include: fruits, such as kiwi and oranges, vegetables, for instance, green leafy vegetables and beets, nuts, for example, pistachios and walnuts, oily fish, such as mackerel spices, such as cinnamon. In this article, we discuss foods that can help reduce high blood pressure, and provide scientific evidence. Many researchers have found that certain foods can lower high blood pressure. We look at some foods that may help and how to incorporate them into the diet.

1. Berries: Blueberries and strawberries contain antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid. 2. Bananas: Bananas contain potassium, which can help manage hypertension. One medium-sized banana contains around 422 milligrams of potassium. 3. Beets: Drinking beet juice may reduce blood pressure in the short and long term, because it contains dietary nitrate. 4. Dark chocolate: Cacao, an ingredient in dark chocolate, contains flavonoids, an antioxidant. Flavonoids may help reduce blood pressure. 5. Kiwis: A daily serving of kiwi can help manage mildly high blood pressure.

6. Watermelon: The body converts citrulline to arginine, and this helps the body produce nitric oxide, a gas that relaxes blood vessels and encourages flexibility in arteries. These effects aid the flow of blood, which can lower high blood pressure. 7. Oats: Oats contain a type of fiber called beta-glucan, which may have benefits for heart health, including blood pressure. 8. Leafy green vegetables: Leafy green vegetables are rich in nitrates, which help manage blood pressure.

9. Garlic: Garlic has antibiotic and antifungal properties, many of which may be due to its main active ingredient, allicin. Garlic can enhance the flavor of many savory meals, including stir-fries, soups, and omelets. It can also be an alternative to salt as a flavoring. 10. Fermented foods: Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that may help manage blood pressure. 11. Lentils and other pulses: Lentils provide protein and fiber, and experts say they can benefit the blood vessels of people with hypertension. 12. Natural yogurt: Yogurt is fermented dairy food. A study looked at data for people with and without high blood pressure to see whether there was a link between fermented dairy products and hypertension. The participants with high blood pressure who consumed more yogurt had lower systolic blood pressure and lower arterial pressure than those who did not. 13. Pomegranates: Pomegranates contain antioxidants and other ingredients that may help preventTrusted Source high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

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