Allison Turner
If you want to do something good for your health, you should pay attention to foods that lower blood pressure. How they can support drug therapy and which foods should be on the shopping list.
Improper diet is one of the causes of high blood pressure. There are antihypertensive foods that can counteract high blood pressure. Certain ingredients are particularly important.
Why Antihypertensive Foods?
People with high blood pressure have a significantly increased risk of a heart attack. In addition, the walls of the heart muscle increasingly lose elasticity with age: the heart has to work harder and harder to pump. Smoking, stress, and alcohol exacerbate the risk. And the wrong diet also affects the heart. For example, it can lead to obesity. In addition, too much salt is especially harmful to high blood pressure patients. It is therefore important to avoid finished products in particular, as they contain a lot of salt. The amount of salt in ready-made foods is often underestimated.
What blood pressure-lowering foods are there?
The following list provides an overview of antihypertensive foods and antihypertensive drinks:
Tomatoes: A glass of tomato juice a day has been shown to lower blood pressure. Tomatoes are one of the antihypertensive foods. They have a high content of lycopene, folic acid, and potassium and break down toxins and cholesterol and thus protect against vascular deposits. In a study, physicians achieved measurable results after just eight weeks; high blood pressure was demonstrably reduced.
Bananas: They are high in potassium, which is very good for fluid balance in the body and therefore improved blood flow.
Pineapple: The enzyme bromelain contained in pineapple prevents the blood platelets from aggregating. It has a similar effect to the blood thinner acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).
Raisins: They also contain a lot of potassium and are therefore the ideal snack for high blood pressure patients. Potassium has a positive effect on the arteries and reduces blood pressure.
Herbs: Many herbs such as parsley, wild garlic, or lavender contain potassium and magnesium, both of which have antihypertensive properties. Herbs can be used as a substitute for salt.
Garlic: Another spice that can replace salt. Garlic contains allicin and S-allyl cysteine, which has a blood-thinning effect, dilate blood vessels, and thus reduces blood pressure
Cocoa: The cocoa contained in chocolate is also one of the antihypertensive foods. The contained flavonols and phenols have a vascular protective effect. It is important to pay attention to high-quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content.
Drinks: In general, if you have high blood pressure, you should drink a lot to keep the blood fluid. Suitable are still water and teas (especially green tea, black tea, and hibiscus tea)
There are many books that, in addition to recipes, also contain a table with an overview of foods that lower blood pressure. They are particularly suitable if you are initially unsure how to incorporate which blood pressure-lowering food into your diet.
