Nutrition and Diet Affects High Blood Pressure: Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is damaging to the heart, blood vessels, and organs. Ideally, blood pressure should be 120/80 or lower. If you consistently practice the following suggestions, as well as the steps to reduce stress, you have a very good chance of not developing hypertension or of reducing it naturally (without the need for medications). Good adherence to these suggestions has been shown to be as effective as hypertension drugs.
1. Maintain a healthy weight. Lose at least 10% of your current weight if you are overweight.
2. Lower the amount of sodium in your diet. Watch for hidden sodium or salt in packaged food, canned food, fast food, restaurant food, sauces, sodas, soups, and meats and try to pick healthier alternatives.
3. Eat a healthy diet that is heavy in fresh vegetables (4+ servings/day), fruits (4+ servings/day), and whole grains. Particularly heart healthy foods are bananas, raisins, lima beans, and apricots because of their high potassium levels. Potassium supplements, often including calcium, might also provide positive effects. Magnesium is also important. Lowfat milk products, unsalted nuts and seeds, and good fats (omega-3’s and olive oil) are also needed as part of a heart healthy diet.
4. Drink green tea. Hot green tea that is! Bottled cold teas usually have much less of the healthy phytochemicals in them, and often have a lot of added sugar. Recommended dose is at least two cups each day. You can get extra beneficial levels if you dip your tea bag up and down releasing more phytochemicals. Adding lemon juice, lime juice, or even Vitamin C to the brewed tea increases the absorption of them up to 40 times. An added benefit is to sit quietly while you drink, relax, and savor the taste and the calm.
5. Garlic has been known to lower cholesterol for decades, and blood pressure more recently. Adding Vitamin C might increase its effectiveness according to a study using 650 mg of garlic bulb powder and 2,000 mg of Vitamin C. The participant’s systolic pressure (top number) dropped an average of 20 points.
6. Tomatoes have nutrients including lycopene, beta carotene, and Vitamin E, which have beneficial effects. Eating some broccoli with the lycopene appears to make it more effective. Lycopene may be found in high levels in tomato sauces, cooked tomatoes, and in organic ketchups, and it is also found naturally in watermelon.
7. Spicy peppers contain capsaicin, which helps produce calming hormones, which lowers blood pressure. Spicy salsas with tomatoes are a great appetizer (careful about the chips) and also are great for topping meats and other dishes.
8. Indulge in some chocolate every day. The recommended dosage is 1 ounce of dark chocolate to get the healthy flavonoids. These chemicals are found in cocoa, so the higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the better. Cocoa may be used to supplement foods to increase or acheive the heart benefit, but be careful of what is added to it (sugar especially). It is always best to eat chocolate by biting off a small piece and letting it melt slowly on your tongue. Breathe in slowly through your mouth to get the aroma and the greatest benefits.
9. Supplements, often called nutraceuticals, may also be helpful for dropping blood pressure. Always remember to check with your physician before taking new supplements, especially if you are taking medications or have serious medical problems. Here are a few that have some research support:
- Grape seed extract
- Lycopene in an extract form
- Coenzyme Q10
- Melatonin (Helps lower sleeping blood pressure. This is also found in grape skins.)
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