Foods that Help Lower Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) leads to a plethora of other conditions related to heart, vascular and organ function. As blood travels from the heart to the arteries, arterial pressure is exerted on the arterial walls. Your blood pressure is made up of 2 numbers, which are the systolic and diastolic, respectively. The systolic pressure represents the period of time when the blood is leaving the heart. The diastolic pressure represents the time when the heart is filling back up with blood.

A person's blood pressure is considered normal when it is not above 120/80. Many people with hypertension have to take blood pressure medications; however, many people are watching their diets to control blood pressure. There are many delicious foods that are beneficial for keeping blood pressure under control. Foods that help blood pressure include blueberries, strawberries, oranges and other fruits. The chemicals that specifically help to lower blood pressure are most concentrated in berries. The chemicals that help lower blood pressure care called Flavonoids. Other fruits and vegetables that help to lower blood pressure are bananas, grapefruit, tomatoes, avocados, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and your green leafy vegetables. Many of your fruits and vegetables contain potassium and calcium; these minerals are essential to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

Aside from eating fruits and vegetables, a good way to get calcium and magnesium is to add foods like sunflower seeds, red beans, black beans, pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, fat free yogurts, skim milk, and soy milk. Adding healthy oils to the diet help to protect the heart.

It is important to have a healthy cholesterol level when you are controlling your blood pressure; therefore it is important to replace the least healthy foods with more healthy choices. Chicken and fish are good choices; in fact, salmon is a good source of good cholesterol. Having a higher HDL (good cholesterol) will help to lower the LDL (bad cholesterol).

Foods to avoid

Foods to avoid to for controlling your blood pressure include fatty foods, including fatty meats such as beef, pork and organ meats. Prepackaged foods and canned foods are usually high in sodium content; therefore, it is usually best to prepare your meals from scratch, when eating specific foods to lower blood pressure.

Why are people turning to food for controlling blood pressure?

More and more people are turning to food for controlling their blood pressure. Many of the drugs used to treat hypertension can cause unwanted side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, headaches and other unpleasant manifestations. Eating a healthier diet can help you lose visceral fat (fat that is in the midsection which covers the organs) and lower the triglycerides (fat in the blood). Losing weight has the effect of bringing an unhealthy blood pressure to normal limits. You don't even have to go on a strict diet; just start making healthy changes in the way you eat to help control your blood pressure.

A future article will discuss the importance of exercise to help lower blood pressure.

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Blood pressure

Foods that help blood pressure