Lower Blood Pressure

Foods That Lower Blood Pressure

The blood in our bodies runs through the veins and arteries at a certain pressure. Normally, the optimal blood pressure is said to be at or below 120/80 mm Hg. Everything’s fine as long as our blood pressure is within the normal limits. But whenever this pressure rises for any reason, the heart is overworked and the arteries build up unusual interior tissue growth.

The result is that that the passage of the blood is obstructed causing an increase in blood pressure. Eventually, the heart muscle itself thickens, making the heart gradually weaker. However, one major problem with high blood pressure is that it’s often not detected until it leads to other health issues.

Consequences of High Blood Pressure

There is a possibility that high blood pressure may eventually lead to chronic heart disease in a person. Infact, strokes, heart attacks and heart failure are some common ailments caused by high blood pressure. Another serious health problem due to high blood pressure is kidney failure. Sporadically, there might be symptoms such as nausea, headaches, dizziness, heart palpitation i.e. speedy beating and arrhythmia, which is the problem of irregular heart beat.

Foods / Diet that Lower Blood Pressure

Contemporary medical science is continuously trying to find solutions for lowering the blood pressure. By itself the high blood pressure, which is also called arterial hypertension is not quite that much of a serious health menace. However, physicians do their best to lessen high blood pressure in their patients because it can have acute long-term repercussions.

An effective way to lower high blood pressure apart from taking specific medicines and exercising is by including certain food items in your daily diet. Incase you are suffering from high blood pressure problem, you can prepare a diet chart for yourself in consultation with your doctor. Here’s a list about the food items that help in lowering the blood pressure.

• Skim Milk

Skim milk supply calcium as well as vitamin D to the body. These are two nutrients that act as a team for reducing blood pressure in the body by about three to 10 per cent. Even though this does not sound very substantial, it could add up to around 15 per cent diminution in risk for cardiovascular disease.

• Spinach, Unsalted Sunflower Seeds & Beans

Spinach, unsalted sunflower seeds, beans (black, white, navy, lima, pinto, kidney) are all very rich in magnesium, which is a chief ingredient for lessening and keeping healthy blood pressure levels. All these food items also give ample potassium, a key nutrient for fighting against high blood pressure.

• Baked White Potato, Banana & Soybeans

Include the above mentioned food items in your daily diet as they too provide ample potassium. Your blood levels of potassium and sodium are integrally associated. When potassium is less the body retains sodium, too much of which increases the blood pressure. On the other hand, when potassium is high the body lessens sodium level. Consuming potassium-rich diet is vital for maintaining a healthy balance of both minerals and therefore, for keeping blood pressure low.

• Dark Chocolate

Most would readily include this in their daily diet for lowering blood pressure. The ideal amount is eating about 30 calories each day, which is less than half an ounce of dark chocolate. Having this specified amount of dark chocolate is said to lessen the blood pressure without weight gain or any other unfavorable fallouts.