Lower Your Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force used by your heart to pump blood to all organs in the body. It is measured in mmHg as two numbers – systolic and diastolic. A normal blood pressure reading is 120 over 80 or 120/80. The top number is systolic – it is the force the blood reaches with every heartbeat. The bottom number is diastolic – this is the force of the blood when the heart rests between each beat.

Any blood pressure reading at and above 139/90 is considered high blood pressure.

High blood pressure does not have any defined symptoms. However, if your pressure keeps getting higher, you might experience shortness of breath, weakness, chest pain, headaches, and more.

Hypertension, if left unchecked, could lead to severe heart diseases and even stroke. One of the best ways to keep blood pressure under check is through food.

What Is The DASH Diet?

The DASH diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is a high blood pressure diet plan aimed at eating healthy and reducing the intake of harmful elements like salt that increases blood pressure. A diet designed to utilize foods that reduce blood pressure and bring BP back to normal levels means including a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into food preparations.

Here are some common foods that can reduce blood pressure.

8 common foods that lower blood pressure

1. Pineapples

One of the extremely healthy foods that reduce blood pressure is pineapple. Pineapple is an excellent fruit to snack on if you have high blood pressure. Pineapple is a natural diuretic. Diuretics help to flush out salt and excess water from the body. A cup of pineapple is nutritionally composed of 206 mg of potassium, 28 mg of vitamin C, and 21 mg of calcium. One of the harmful effects of prolonged hypertension is heart disease. The numerous vitamins in pineapple can help in combating against heart problems and miscellaneous aches in the body.

2. Oats

Oats are a common source of food for livestock. However, that does not mean that it cannot be used for human consumption. The main aim when you have hypertension is to get the blood pressure levels back to normal. Oats are high in fibre and low in fat. They also contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which helps immensely in reducing blood pressure. If simple oats seem unpalatable, you can add cinnamon or honey to sweeten the dish. In khichdis, you can replace rice with oats to make an already healthy recipe even more healthy. Oats truly help to lower blood pressure.

3. Bananas

Bananas are sweet and available quite abundantly. A diet plan for reducing high blood pressure involves the consumption of several natural diuretics, which help in flushing out excess salt from the body. The disadvantage of such a diet is that there is a high chance of loss of potassium from the body. A single banana provides you with almost 450 mg of potassium and around 110 calories. If you don’t like to eat a banana as it is, it can be made into a smoothie with oats, milk, and honey to turn it even more tasty and healthy.

4. Spinach

All leafy greens help in keeping you healthy. Spinach, especially, is low in sodium and rich in iron. Spinach also is an excellent source of calcium. A half-cup of spinach provides the body with 12% of the daily need for calcium. The abundance of fibre, vitamin A and vitamin C, as well as iron, makes spinach an excellent choice of food to lower blood pressure.

5. Flaxseeds

Other than some fish like salmon and Indian mackerel, flaxseeds are one of the richest sources for getting Omega-3 fatty acids. The fatty acids are important for brain development and keeping eyesight sharp. Flaxseeds help in keeping the blood pressure under control or, rather, a regular intake reduces blood pressure. Being high in fibre and low in carbohydrates, flaxseeds are very good for the digestion of food.

6. Beetroots

Nitrates are converted into nitric acid by the body during the process of digestion. The nitric acid helps in relaxing and widening the blood vessels. The broadening of the blood vessels reduces the pressure of blood on the cells. Beetroots are an excellent source of nitrates and one of the more common food which reduces blood pressure. Beetroots are also full of natural sugars and can be used for sweetening any food. Vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, iron is also found in beetroots. Include these root vegetables into your meals regularly to see a positive impact on overall health.

7. Cashew Nuts

Like all other nuts, cashews, too, come under the banner of superfood. These little nuggets are packed with nutrition and have been used as alternatives to milk in vegan food. Cashews help in increasing the good cholesterol in the body. This helps the body in controlling bad cholesterol, which often leads to elevated blood pressure and heart diseases. Cashews are naturally sweet and make for better snacks than any packaged items available in the markets.

8. Garlic

Who doesn’t like these tiny little packets of flavour? Although used as a spice in cooking, garlic is primarily a vegetable. When cooked properly, the basic pungent flavour of garlic is converted into a burnt sweetness that is extremely palatable. Garlic helps in relaxing blood vessels and allowing more space for the blood to flow. This automatically reduces blood pressure. It also increases the water content in the blood and makes the flow of blood smoother.

Conclusion

Hypertension is an extremely serious condition. Unchecked high blood pressure could lead to the hardening of the walls of the arteries. This could lead to damage not only to the heart but to the kidneys too. Damage to the heart could lead to heart failure and heart attacks, while damage to kidneys could affect their ability to filter blood.

It is better to get your blood pressure checked regularly. In case of constant fluctuations in the pressure levels, after communicating with your doctor, you can start consuming foods that reduce blood pressure.

Try 24 Mantra Organics’s organic food products and taste the goodness of organic food.