High blood pressure can cause serious health risks. By managing the foods you eat, reducing sodium intake and boosting your potassium levels, you will be able to control two of the primary risk factors for hypertension, excess sodium and obesity. BloodPressureCenter.com recommends choosing foods that encourage weight loss and keeping sodium levels below 2,400 mg per day. Add these following foods to your grocery list to help manage your high blood pressure and maintain good health.
Potassium-Rich Foods
Based on a report made by Highbloodpressureinfo.org, reducing hypertension with foods rich in potassium helps balance the sodium/potassium mechanism in the blood and kidneys. Make choices from this list of foods to add a healthy dose of potassium to your diet every day. Eat bananas, soybeans and soy products, white potatoes, lemons and juice, tiny grains consisting of either amaranth, millet or quinoa, tart cherry juice, organic apple cider vinegar, Chinese cabbage, dill and dandelion greens.
Dark Chocolate
According to a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association, eating ½ oz. per day of dark chocolate, which is high in phenols, is associated with lowering blood pressure. No weight gain was observed in people who followed this tasty prescription.
Garlic
Also high in potassium, garlic helps protect the heart and arteries, by reducing cholesterol levels and preventing blood clots, according to nutritionist, Dr. Liz Applegate. Garlic reduces the building blocks of plaque, called nanoplaque, reports German scientist Professor Güautnter Siegel, M.D., from the University of Medicine in Berlin.
Beans
Dr. Applegate considers legumes to be wonder foods and strongly recommends them in her Heart-Smart food guide. A daily serving of 1 1/2 cups of beans provides enough soluble fiber to lower cholesterol levels. An excellent source of folic acid, beans help prevent buildup of artery clogging substances that contribute to high blood pressure.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that prevents LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. Eating tomatoes helps prevent plaque formation and heart disease as well as reducing blood pressure, reports Dr. Applegate.
Tiny Grains
Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, in his book, "Alkalinize or Die" discusses how foods that are more alkaline help to balance the system and maintain health. The ideal state of good health requires that the body maintain a slightly alkaline pH, thus preventing a dangerous condition known as acidosis, or the build-up of excess acids in the tissues and organs. He urges readers to consume what he refers to as "tiny grains," which are amaranth, quinoa and millet. These grains are unmodified, unaltered and organic. They are assist the body in maintaining an alkaline-forming state, promoting health. They are also known to be high in potassium, aiding the kidneys in their process of balancing blood pressure.
Other Considerations: Salt
FamilyDoctor.org explains that people should reduce sodium intake to help manage hypertension. Some people are more prone than others to the effects of sodium on their kidneys and blood pressure. Take your blood pressure regularly and keep track of how you react to sodium. If you are sensitive, reduce your sodium intake by eliminating canned foods, fast foods and processed meats, all very high in salt.
References
- FamilyDoctor.org: High Blood Pressure: Things You Can Do to Help Lower Yours
- "Materia Medica and Repertory", William Boericke, 1987 Indian edition
- Liz Applegate, Ph.D.
