Hypertension, or high blood pressure, increases your risk for serious medical conditions, but a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, can promote better control of your blood pressure. Red chili peppers can be part of your diet plan for preventing or reversing hypertension as long as you eat them in moderation and with plenty of other healthful foods. A nutritionist can help you develop a nutritional eating plan with red chili peppers.
Hypertension increases your risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010." Since obesity can lead to high blood pressure, use red chili peppers as part of a calorie-controlled diet to prevent weight gain. Each red chili pepper has only 18 calories and less than 0.5 grams of fat.
Vitamin C
Red chili peppers may help lower your blood pressure readings because of their vitamin C content. Each red chili pepper provides 65 mg vitamin C, or 108 percent of the daily value, and a high intake of this antioxidant vitamin can lower high blood pressure. Other good sources of vitamin C include sweet red peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli and oranges. Many other factors affect your blood pressure, so continue to work with your doctor to stay healthy.
Sodium
Red chili peppers may be healthy for your blood pressure because they are naturally nearly sodium-free, with only 4 mg sodium per pepper. A high-sodium diet leads to high blood pressure, and healthy individuals should not have more than 2,300 mg sodium per day. Stay under 1,500 mg sodium per day if you already have hypertension, according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans." Red chili peppers are flavorful, and can help you reduce the sodium in your diet if you use them for seasoning instead of salt.
Recommendations
Keep your red chili peppers as low in sodium possible by preparing them without salt or salty seasonings, or by purchasing low-sodium canned or jarred peppers. Avoid eating them in high-sodium, high-calorie recipes, such as cheese-stuffed peppers. Red chili peppers can help you meet the recommendations to get four to five servings of vegetables per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.
