How To Lower Blood Pressure With Food

Knowing how to lower blood pressure with food can help you to stay healthy. When you improve your diet you can also have lower blood pressure. Including foods like fiber and whole foods and avoiding sugar, salt and saturated fat are components of heart healthy eating. The most effective eating plan may be to combine two or more of these diets.

1. A vegetarian diet. This diet usually contains lower saturated fat and includes more complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. These are all components of a heart healthy diet that improves blood pressure.
2. A high-fiber diet. Food that is high in fiber such as oatmeal, seeds and brown rice help to reduce cholesterol levels and help those with high blood pressure to lose weight.
3. A low-sugar diet. When sugar is eaten, it can elevate blood pressure. The exact way that this works is not clearly understood by scientists. One hypothesis is that sugar increases the release of adrenaline, which causes salt retention and causes blood vessels to constrict.
4. A whole food diet. Vegetable and fruit supply essential potassium and vitamins. Whole food diets rely less on sugar, salt and saturated fat.
5. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. This eating plan was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and includes whole grains, low fat dairy, vegetables, fruit, fish, poultry and nuts. It minimized saturated fats and sugar.
6. A low-sodium diet. To lower blood pressure, those with hypertension can simply eat less salt. Before hypertension medications, this was one of the only treatments for high blood pressure. It is most effective when combined with an increased intake of potassium.
7. Diet with blood pressure lowering vegetables and spices. Celery, garlic, onions, tomatoes, broccoli and carrots are all beneficial for those with high blood pressure. Saffron, black pepper, fennel, oregano and tarragon all have ingredients that help to lower blood pressure.