Experts recommend treating High Blood Pressure with lifestyle changes and medications.
So, are you wondering how to lower blood pressure besides changing your diet? Reducing stress can lower blood pressure. Some other natural ways to lower blood pressure include getting better sleep, scheduling in more free-time and fun, surrounding yourself with encouraging friends and exercising on a daily basis.
Regular exercise and diet play a large role in the development (or not) of Hypertension. Another one of the most detrimental components of the Western lifestyle is Stress.
Managing stress includes relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, journaling or art therapy.You can raise your blood pressure to alarming levels just by thinking or stressing about events. Imagined events have as much physiological effect as real ones. In fact, this is the basis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the improvement of performance in businessmen and Olympic athletic gains through visualization.
One of the best things you can do to lower your blood pressure is to eat a healthy, high blood pressure diet. Read on below to find out more about what foods are good for high blood pressure.
•High fiber foods: Unprocessed foods high in fiber such as vegetables, fruits and seeds should be the basis of any healthy diet. If you’re wondering how can you stabilize your blood pressure, eating foods high in healthy fiber can definitely help.
•Low sodium foods: Excess salt consumption raises blood pressure. Limit your consumption to no more than 1,500–2,000 mg daily.
•High potassium foods: Potassium counteracts the effects of sodium and helps lower blood pressure. Include foods like melons, avocados and bananas.
•Omega-3 rich foods: Consume omega-3 rich foods like grass-fed beef, wild caught salmon, chia and flax seeds to reduce inflammation.
FOODS THAT REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE
(1) DARK CHOCOLATE:
Look for a dark chocolate that contains at least 200 milligrams of cocoa phenols, which can reduce blood pressure.
(2) GARLIC
Garlic and garlic supplements can help lower blood pressure and relax smooth muscles. Research on the health benefits of garlic is finding more and more miraculous effects. Among them, garlic seems to help thin the blood, prevent the blockage in blood vessels, and therefore lower blood pressure.
3. SPINACH:
Spinach is rich in magnesium and folate, which can help prevent high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
(4) SUNFLOWER SEEDS:
Rich in potassium, magnesium and healthy plant fats, sunflower seedscan help reduce cholesterol levels, open up blood vessels and promote healthy blood pressure.
5. BANANAS:
Bananas contain loads of potassium and fiber.
(6) TOMATOES
Tomatoes are loaded with calcium, potassium, vitamins A, C, and E and lycopene. Compounds in tomatoes can lower cholesterol buildup in blood vessels and combat the development of hypertension in a variety of ways. Lycopene, one of the tomato’s most useful compounds, is activated by heat, so add tomatoes to your next chili or stew.
(7) BROCCOLI
Broccoli has been found to have a whole host of beneficial health effects including high amounts of potassium and chromium that help regulate blood sugar levels and weight, both related to high blood pressure.
(8) MELON
Melon is rich in potassium. Cantaloupe and watermelon are especially rich sources.Every morning, be faithful to watermelon. Often times watermelon as viewed as a strictly summer fruit, one for seed spitting contests and barbecues, but it can also help lower blood pressure. An organic compound called citrulline, an a-amino acid, was first isolated in 1914 from watermelon. Once ingested, the body can convert citrulline to the amino acid L-arginine, which is a precursor to nitric oxide. To translate, citrulline-found in watermelon- is converted into arginine-essentially a chemical building block-which leads to the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide talks to various cells and systems in your body that regulates, among other things, how hard your blood gets pumped through your entire body-also known as vascular systematic resistance. It will widen blood vessels, which lowers vascular resistance, which ultimately lowers blood pressure. Imagine trying to pump a certain volume of liquid through a small opening versus a wider opening. The wider opening will allow it to flow smoothly and easily-it’s the same with blood cells! You will need… -1-2 cups of fresh water melon, Directions
Every morning eat your melon on an empty stomach. If you have a home blood pressure device, monitor yourself and observe the changes.
(9) HIBISCUS
Cultures across the world have used hibiscus to naturally manage blood pressure,. First, hibiscus acts as a diuretic, which draws sodium from the bloodstream, thus decreasing the pressure on the arterial walls. Even more interesting is how it can mimic angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. ACE inhibitors are a common group of pharmaceutical drugs used to treat high blood pressure.. As a result of this inhibition, blood vessels relax and blood volume is lowered, decreasing blood pressure. While certainly not as potent as those ACE drugs prescribed, it can still be surprisingly effective.
You will need…
-1-2 teaspoon of dried hibiscus, -1 cup of fresh, piping hot water, -Honey, lemon, or 1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional),
Directions: Bring water to a boil and add the hibiscus and cinnamon sticks (if using them) and allow it to steep for 5 minutes. Add honey or lemon to taste, and drink 2-3 times daily. This also makes a lovely iced tea for those sticky hot summer days.
(10) COCONUT WATER
Coconut water is found inside the shell of green, unripe coconuts that retains its natural benefits in organic and raw form. It contains potassium and magnesium, both of which relate to regular muscle function, and of course, the heart is a big giant muscle. While there have been some limited studies on the effect of coconut water on hypertension, many people report anecdotally that it has helped lower blood pressure. In studies, it seemed to particularly affect systolic blood pressure, or the force that takes place when the heart pumps blood away from it. If you don’t have a problem with coconut water, it may prove to be a solid remedy for you.
You will need… -8 ounces of fresh, organic coconut water
Directions: Drink 8 ounces 1-2 times daily. Morning is ideal if you drink it once a day, while morning and night works well if you opt to drink it twice a day.
BLOOD PRESSURE FOODS TO AVOID
•HIGH SODIUM FOODS
Sodium raises blood pressure; avoid high sodium processed foods, pickles, olives or canned foods.
•TRANS FATS AND OMEGA-6 FATS
These fats increase inflammation and blood pressure and are found in packaged foods and conventional meats. •Sugar: High sugar consumption is connected to high blood pressure.
CAFFEINE
Too much caffeine can cause an increase in blood pressure.
ALCOHOL
Narrows arteries and can increase blood pressure.
Quote:
“Reducing stress can lower blood pressure. Some other natural ways to lower blood pressure include getting better sleep, scheduling in more free-time and fun, surrounding yourself with encouraging friends and exercising on a daily basis”
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