Dietary Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, occurs when the smaller blood vessels of your body become narrower. Therefore, the natural blood flow of your body starts putting a higher amount of pressure on the artery walls. This condition, in turn, forces your heart to work a lot harder to maintain the overall pressure.
So, if you want to avoid this condition, then you would have to, first, find a way to prevent the narrowing of your blood vessels. There are numerous types of foods and diet tips for lowering blood pressure that can help you with it. Here are some of them.
Have More Leafy Vegetables
Potassium, a type of mineral found in leafy vegetables helps the kidneys in getting rid of extra sodium from your blood. When your body loses sodium, your overall blood pressure also decreases by quite a mile. So, while following the diet tips for lowering blood pressure, you would also have to increase your daily intake of leafy vegetables.
However, when buying vegetables from a store, you should always avoid the canned ones. They are not really fresh and often contain a lot of sodium. Therefore, if you consume them on a daily basis, then your blood pressure might increase.
Beets Are Great for Your Blood
Beets, especially the red ones, are known to be a great source of nitric oxide, which can help in clearing your blood vessels. It, in turn, would also help you to reduce your blood pressure. Recent research on this aspect has also found that the daily consumption of beetroot juice can lower a patient’s blood pressure within only 24 to 48 hours.
So, to increase your intake of beet, you can either make juice with your juicer or cook it with just a small amount of salt. You may also roast them or add them in your daily dose of stews or stir-fries. If you are following some specific diet tips for lowering blood pressure, then you can also bake them into chips.
Oatmeal Can be Your New Breakfast
Oat is a type of whole grain, which is high in fiber and low in sodium and fat. Therefore, if you eat oatmeal for your breakfast, then you will be able to lower your blood pressure quite effectively. Aside from only making breakfast with oats, you can also add various types of fruits, such as apples and bananas, in it to make your breakfast more delicious.
Add Herbs to Your Meals
Herbs like garlic, ginger, and celery can help you to lower your blood pressure by amplifying nitric oxide in your body. Therefore, if you increase your intake of these food items, then your arteries would widen and your blood pressure will also decrease.
Aside from following the diet tips for lowering blood pressure, you can eat various types of flavorful herbs for your cause. The following are some herbs that can be beneficial for you:
- Cinnamon
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Hypertension is one of those health conditions that you can comfortably treat by making some dietary changes. So, meet your dietitian today and consult with him to make a healthy diet plan.