Diet for hypertension: foods that lower blood pressure

“Hypertension is the cause of heart attacks and strokes,” says Elena. – Today, more than a billion people suffer from high blood pressure. Along with medications, it is imperative to include certain foods in the menu. After all, as Hippocrates said, your food should be medicine, and your medicine should be food. But remember about individual intolerance to some products, so a doctor’s consultation is necessary. “

This vegetable contains anti-inflammatory substances that lower blood pressure and prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. American scientists have proven that this king cabbage contains amino acids that have a beneficial effect on human blood pressure. This vegetable can also predict the likelihood of developing cancer. Therefore, eat broccoli and your body will thank you. But with great care, those who have stomach or pancreatic problems should include it in their diet.

Even ancient healers noticed the healing properties of pomegranate juice and used it as a hematopoietic agent for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, as well as in the fight against blood pressure. If you want to bring the pressure back to normal, then you need to consume half a pomegranate or half a glass of pomegranate juice daily. But be extremely careful with the juice, as it can negatively affect the tooth enamel. To avoid this kind of trouble, dilute it with water in a 1: 1 ratio.

It has already been proven that people who love fish will always have lower blood pressure than those who love hamburgers. Red fish is rich in omega-3 and unsaturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels. But this is not a salty and smoked product, but only fresh fish cooked without salt, with the addition of a small amount of olive oil, lemon and spices.

Cottage cheese and dairy products are the most important suppliers of not only potassium and magnesium, but also another important trace element – calcium, which is good for our bones and our blood vessels. It is calcium that makes them relax and contract at the right time. Therefore, people whose menu contains cottage cheese and dairy products are protected from strokes and heart attacks.

The reason why black beans are on the championship list for blood pressure reduction is very simple: they contain a lot of such a trace element as magnesium, which dilates blood vessels and thereby normalizes blood pressure. Magnesium deficiency always leads to vasoconstriction, which means that the risk of high blood pressure increases.

The vessels of those who eat oats and those who do not eat them are completely different. People who eat oats have elastic vessels that narrow and expand in time. Otherwise, the vessels become fragile and brittle and lose their ability to regulate pressure. And also oats, getting into the human intestines, removes 10-15% of cholesterol and prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, it regulates sugar, that is, does not allow it to rise.

Beetroot and beet juice contain substances that have tremendous vasodilating power. Therefore, more often include beets in your diet, make vinaigrette, cook borscht. But for many, beet juice is contraindicated due to a number of diseases, such as urolithiasis, stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers, gout, etc. Therefore, a doctor’s consultation is essential, especially if you use fresh juice and raw beets.

Paradoxically, but true: coffee is a product that reduces blood pressure, and not vice versa. As you know, coffee contains caffeine, which has diuretic properties. And for hypertensive patients, drugs with a diuretic effect are prescribed in order to remove excess fluid from the body. Therefore, coffee is a natural diuretic that is good at fighting blood pressure. But remember, drinking a lot of this drink will dehydrate your body.

Dried herbs such as parsley, dill and celery contain potassium, which is responsible for proper contraction and relaxation of the muscles in the arteries. 100 g of these herbs contain a daily dose of potassium. It makes sodium leave the body and prevents fluid retention.

Dear hypotonic people, remember that chocolate lowers blood pressure, and if you want to try to increase it with the help of this delicacy, you can only harm yourself. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which have a beneficial effect on blood vessels and prevent the formation of harmful plaques. Therefore, the blood is pumped freely, and the pressure returns to normal.

Banana is one of the available fruits, which is high in potassium, magnesium, calcium. Doctors say that if you eat just a couple of bananas a day, then the pressure can drop by a few millimeters of mercury. There is a lot of potassium in this fruit – almost 358 ml, but due to the lack of this mineral, the heart rate will certainly suffer. Therefore, eat bananas as a snack, raw, and they are also good frozen. But these fruits are high in calories, so they are not recommended for people with increased body weight. For diabetics, banana also turns into a harmful product.

Strawberries contain vitamin C, which is responsible for the skeleton of our blood vessels so that they are elastic and expand well, thereby helping to maintain normal blood pressure. And with a lack of this vitamin, the vessels become brittle and fragile. Therefore, during the season, consume this tasty and aromatic berry more often.

Scientists have shown that drinking a couple of glasses of orange juice a day is enough to eliminate the risk of heart disease and improve blood pressure. However, hypertensive patients first need to consult their doctor, since this juice, along with juices from apples and grapes, can reduce the effect of the drug taken. Allergy sufferers should also be used with great care.

No wonder they say – garlic and onions from seven ailments. It is garlic that doctors recommend to use as an adjunct in the treatment of hypertension. This product is very useful, although it has one drawback – it is a deadly smell, after which it is impossible to appear in society. But there are many more advantages: Chinese scientists have proven that regular consumption of garlic reduces the risk of developing cancer of the lungs, esophagus, blood cholesterol, and most importantly, lowers blood pressure by about 5 mm Hg.

Tomatoes contain a substance such as lycopene, which prevents lipoproteins from oxidizing and thereby forming atherosclerotic plaques. Moreover, in the process of heat treatment, the amount of lycopene increases: after 2 minutes – by a third, and after 5 minutes – by 50%. So it is useful to use not only fresh tomatoes, but also boiled ones, for example, tomato paste. But with gastritis with high acidity and gallstone disease, this vegetable is contraindicated.

Soy unfairly stands somewhere at the end of the list of useful foods for humans. And this is a vegetable protein, which, unlike an animal, does not contain cholesterol. Studies have shown that if you consume 20 g of soy per day for at least 5 weeks, not only blood pressure will decrease, but also cholesterol levels. The main thing is to make sure that soy products are not salty, because this provokes a pressure surge.

There is a lot of potassium in general in dried fruits, and especially in dried apricots. It is this trace element that fights edema and helps to normalize blood pressure. This is why we often hear that dried apricots are good for the heart. But there is a lot of sugar in dried apricots, so the dose of dried fruits must be observed in reinforced concrete, otherwise sugar will destroy blood vessels and begin to form atherosclerotic plaques.

Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, which play a huge role in blood pressure regulation. This drink also prevents the body from secreting substances that constrict blood vessels. After all, if the vessels are wide, then the pressure is also normal. Scientists have found that Indians, who very often consume cocoa in food, have a low incidence of hypertension.

Rice contains a lot of potassium. If you arrange a fasting day for yourself on rice, boiled and unsalted, then potassium will displace sodium from the body, remove excess water from the body and lower the pressure by 10 mm Hg.

I must say that the best option for hypertensive patients is raw potatoes. We Russians are not used to eating raw potatoes, but the Chinese make amazing salads out of them. But because of the vitamin C contained in the tuber, the skin and blood vessels become elastic. It is known that 100 g of raw potatoes contains 33% of the daily value of vitamin C. In second place is baked potatoes in a peel without salt. Therefore, we can safely say that because of potassium, magnesium and vitamin C, potatoes are one of the main products for vascular and heart health.