Do you suffer from high blood pressure? Many Americans do. It’s a rapidly growing health concern. For some people, high blood pressure is hereditary, for others it’s due to being overweight from eating junk food that contains too many carbs and too much fat. Your doctor may prescribe medicine for this condition but you’ll also want to adjust your diet to get the best results. Optimal blood pressure is at or below 120/80. Have you checked your lately? If you do have high blood pressure, it’s very important to keep a close eye on your numbers. Some people check theirs every day.
You may already know that the very first thing you should do is cut out the salt. Hide your salt shaker at home. Most foods already contain way too much salt. You sure don’t want to add any more. A great way to reduce your salt intake is to avoid fast food, heavily processed and “instant foods such as “noodles in a cup” and that kind of thing”. Basically any kind of junk you take from a box, heat and eat in a few minutes should be avoided.
Here is a list of five healthy food that will help you keep your blood pressure down:
1. Foods High In Fiber: Eat lot’s of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These are great for your blood pressure as well as your heart and overall health. It’s best to eat them raw when possible to get the best results.
2. Celery: Believe it or not, there is a compound found in celery called phthalide (3nb) that actually help improve blood flow. Just eating a couple of celery stalks a day can drastically improve your blood pressure numbers. One good thing about celery is that it’s easy to consume. Eat it raw for a healthy snack throughout the day, put it in your juicer and drink it or just add it to homemade vegetable soup.
3. Garlic: Eating fresh garlic by adding it to your meals will help lower your blood pressure. Eating garlic helps to open up your arteries, letting your blood flow easier. You have to take it on a regular basis for the best results. If you don’t like the smell and taste of raw garlic, you can find many good natural garlic supplements at your local health food store. You can even get an “odor free” version. Less bad breath this way and worth the extra cost. One note of caution, garlic also acts as a natural blood thinner so it should not be taken by some people already using blood thinning medicine or those who do not want their blood thinned. Ask your doctor first if you think this applies to you.
4. Tomatoes: Eat plenty of tomatoes as they are a rich source of lycopene. Lycopene lowers your blood pressure. Eat two or three fresh tomatoes a day or juice them in your juicer. If you find you can’t eat that many, you can try a lycopene supplement from a health store or buy it online.
5. Foods Rich In Potassium: High blood pressure is sometimes caused by not consuming enough potassium. It’s important not to get your sodium/potassium levels out of balance. Most people get way to much sodium and nowhere near enough potassium. While potassium supplements are available, it’s best to get it naturally from the healthy foods you eat. Meat, potatoes, bananas and oranges all contain potassium. Don’t go overboard though. Try to get a good balance of potassium and sodium. Too much of either is not good. Taking the middle way is best.
6. Skim Milk: The vitamin D and calcium in skim milk work as a powerful team to fight high blood pressure. Try to drink at least one or two glasses a day.
7. Unsalted Sunflower Seeds: This good tasting natural food is loaded with magnesium, an important substance for lowering blood pressure. Sunflower seeds are also contain a good source of potassium.
8. Dark Chocolate: Don’t go overboard. Just one ounce per day is enough to help keep your blood pressure down.
9. Baked Potato: A rich source of potassium which helps in maintain proper sodium levels in the blood. Baked is better for you than mashed due to the nutrients in the skin of the potato. Try and eat the skin and not just the inner part.
10: Spinach: This leafy green vegetable contains a lot of magnesium and potassium. If you don’t like the taste of cooked spinach, just put some in your salad. It tastes good this way. As an added benefit, it also has quite a bit of fiber it too.
These ten foods will go a long way in helping you to lower your blood pressure. Try them for a couple of weeks and see how easy it is to lower your blood pressure with these all natural, healthy and tasty foods.
Brad Bahr is the author of this article. If you’d like more information about the only anti-aging supplement he recommends and personally uses, you can read more detailed information about the product and see the scientific data he has collected at his website: HGH Facts at http://www.hgh-facts.com
