If you have high blood pressure and wish to improve your diet, oat bran may be worth considering. This whole-grain cereal may help lower your blood pressure to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. Note that no single food can do this on its own, so eat oat bran as part of a balanced diet to manage your blood pressure.
Low-sodium Alternative
Oat bran cooked with water provides only 2 mg of sodium per cup. It can help you lower your sodium intake if you eat it instead of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. Breakfast cereals are among the top sources of sodium in the typical American diet, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A high-sodium diet increases your risk for high blood pressure or prevents you from lowering high blood pressure. Individuals with hypertension should have no more than 1,500 mg sodium per day.
Nutrients for Blood Pressure
Each cup of oat bran supplies 201 mg of potassium, which is an essential mineral to help regulate your blood pressure. Healthy adults should get at least 4,700 mg potassium per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. MayoClinic.com states that the magnesium and folate from whole grains may promote heart health and contribute to a healthy blood pressure, and a cup of cooked oat bran has 88 mg of magnesium and 13 mcg of folate.
Weight Control
You can lower your blood pressure by losing a few extra pounds if you are overweight or obese, according to MayoClinic.com. Oat bran may help you lose weight because it only has 88 calories per 1-cup serving. It has 7 g of protein, which is a hunger-suppressing nutrient because it slows digestion so that you feel full longer after a meal. High-fiber diets may also promote weight loss, and each cup of cooked oat bran provides 5.7 g, or 23 percent of the daily recommended value.
Recommendations
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet may be useful in developing a meal plan for a healthy blood pressure. This dietary pattern may effectively lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from HHS. It includes six to eight servings per day of grains, with at least half of them from whole-grain sources, such as oat bran. Other foods to emphasize include fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Dietary Fiber; Victoria Drake; August 2009
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Cereal Grains and Pasta
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Magnesium; Victoria Drake; August 2007
- MayoClinic.com; High Blood Pressure (Hypertension); March 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Can Whole-Grain Foods Lower Blood Pressure?; Sheldon Sheps; April 2010
