Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common ailment that many people deal with. Of course many of us are aware that cutting back on meat and keeping our cholesterol in check will help. However, there are several natural foods that you should be eating to help lower blood pressure. You might also checkout these heart healthy tips we’ve posted previously.
Beets: Don’t just eat ’em, drink them too! When people with high blood pressure drank 8 ounces of beet juice, their blood pressure dipped an average of 10 points for up to 24 hours afterwards, notes a study published in Hypertension. Research suggests that eating nitrate-rich foods like beets and green leafy vegetables could help people with hypertension by widening blood vessels and aiding blood flow!
Walnuts: Research in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition now suggest walnuts, long touted as healthy, may lower blood pressure. When adults ate about 1/2 cup of walnuts daily for four months, they had better blood flow, lower blood pressure and smaller waists. Plus, they didn’t gain weight even though they added over 350 calories of walnuts daily. Walnuts deliver healthy fats, magnesium and fiber, which may be the reason they’re good for blood pressure.
Flaxseed: Eating 3 tablespoons of these nutty seeds daily for six months helped people with hypertension lower their blood pressure by an average of ten percent, says a study published in the journal Hypertension. People who didn’t eat flaxseed saw no change or even a slight increase. Researchers believe the anti-inflammatory effect of the omega-3 fats in combination with lignans (a phytoestrogen) and fiver may be the reason flax is good for blood pressure.
If you’re trying Meatless Mondays give these foods a try to help lower your blood pressure and to add more nutrients to your body! Beets are perfect boiled and diced up in a salad or eaten alone with olive oil and vinegar (with a dash of sea salt)! Walnuts are a great nut to have on hand to snack on throughout the day and/or toss them in your salads. Flaxseed can be added to salads, granola, smoothies, breads, and more. You get to pick but don’t forget Avocado Fries. The flaxseed on these healthy green fries is perfect.
EatingWell July/August 2014 issue (BP notations)
Latest posts by Litsa @How to Have it All (see all)
- Mushrooms: Portobello, Morels, & More - April 25, 2016
- Giving Back: Get Involved - December 2, 2015
- The Autumn Advantage - December 1, 2015
