5 Foods that Help to Lower Blood Pressure
5 Foods that Help to Lower Blood Pressure
A diet filled with whole foods or unprocessed foods has many health benefits.These foods such as meat, fruits, vegetables and whole grains are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidant which contribute to your overall health. One important factor of health is the health of our heart. Keeping your blood pressure within the normal range is key to maintaining overall cardiovascular health. The article below looks at five whole foods that help to lower blood pressure.
Diary
Research has shown that diary; specifically low fat has blood pressure lowering effects. Low-fat dairy food like yogurt and milk contain calcium and other compounds such as peptides, which may contribute to lowering blood pressure.1 It is recommended that you should consume about 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy daily. So after all dairy, once it is low fat, is an excellent food to add to your daily diet.
Pomegranate
This fruit has many health benefits as it is packed with vitamins A, C, E as well as iron, potassium, and antioxidants. Its rich nutritional content enables it to have blood pressure lowering effects. A study that was conducted showed that the consumption of more than a cup of pomegranate juice daily for weeks lead to drop in overall blood pressure.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines are beneficial to your health as they contain protein, vitamin D, vitamin B and selenium. Last but not least, they contain Omega 3 fatty acids, which is known as the good fat. This fat lowers the risk of high blood pressure. It is recommended that two portions of fish be consumed weekly. You should particularly aim for these portions to be fatty fish.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is the form of chocolate that has a rich taste and contains little to no added sugar. It helps to improve cardiovascular health because it is made from cocoa. Cocoa is a good source of iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and zinc. It’s also rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants such as polyphenols help to lower blood pressure by widening and relaxing the arteries. So the next time you crave for something sweet aim for some dark chocolate preferably the ones that contain 60% or more cocoa rather than milk chocolate.
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Wholegrain
Research has shown that a diet rich in whole grains has blood pressure lowering effects. The study compared the consumption of refined grains vs whole grains and found that people who consumed, at least, three servings of whole grains daily saw a reduction in their blood pressure. You should aim to replace all your daily consumption of refined grains with whole grains. Whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice improve overall cardiovascular health and are great options to include in your diet.
Including all or even some these whole foods listed above will improve your overall health. Eating a balanced diet that includes unprocessed foods has endless health benefits as most times they are low in sodium and rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and antioxidants which will help to stabilize and lower blood pressure.
Byline
Amanda Harris-Logie has a BSc Chemistry and a MSc Renewable Energy. She works on behalf of MyHealthByNature and has a passion for helping people through educating them about the importance of healthy living.
