High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases your risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, but you may be able to lower your numbers by improving your diet. Apricots may be beneficial because they contain some essential nutrients for a healthy blood pressure. Work with a nutritionist to develop a balanced meal plan for lowering your blood pressure, and ask your doctor for further recommendations.
Potassium
A cup of raw apricots provides 401 mg potassium, which is a necessary mineral for lowering your blood pressure. Healthy adults should get at least 4,700 mg potassium per day, but the typical American diet includes less than 60 percent of recommended amounts, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Natural sources of potassium include most fruits and vegetables, beans, fish and yogurt. A cup of dried apricots provides 1,511 mg potassium.
Fiber
Apricots may lower your blood pressure because raw apricots have 3.1 g of dietary fiber per cup, and each cup of dried apricots has 9.5 g of fiber. A high-fiber diet can help control your blood pressure, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. A rapid increase in your fiber intake can lead to side effects such as cramping and bloating, so only increase your intake gradually, and drink plenty of water to reduce your symptoms.
Sodium
Apricots can be part of a balanced diet to lower blood pressure because they only have 2 g of sodium per cup. Sodium is an essential electrolyte in your diet, but too much causes hypertension or prevents you from lowering high blood pressure. Healthy adults should have no more than 2,300 mg per day, and individuals with hypertension should have no more than 1,500 mg sodium per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Recommendations
An eating pattern that might lower your blood pressure is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A 2,000-calorie DASH diet includes four to five servings of fruit per day. A half-cup of raw apricots or quarter-cup of dried apricots counts as a serving to help meet these recommendations. The DASH diet also includes vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats.
