Eat Your Way to Reduced Hypertension
Eating our way to reduced hypertension is not a far fetched idea; after all, we are what we eat. Just as there are foods, such as salt, that can make our blood pressure soar there are also foods that have the opposite effect.
The problem is our modern diet which is high in saturated fat and sodium, both of which can elevate our hypertension. These are mainly found in the highly processed foods and snacks that we eat on a daily basis.
The solution is simplicity itself. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and sodium in our diet and increasing the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables we eat can lower our high blood pressure.
Which foods should we eat to reduce our hypertension?
Having skimmed milk on our wholegrain breakfast cereal each day can help lower our high blood pressure by as much as ten percent. Skimmed milk is almost fat free, but high in vitamin D and calcium, both of which are known to lower high blood pressure. Calcium can also be found in sardines, salmon, nuts, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Foods that are rich in magnesium, such as beans and spinach, also help to reduce our hypertension. Other sources of magnesium are figs, grapefruit, whole grains, almonds, and apples.
Bananas, oranges, watermelon and spinach are rich in potassium. Potassium helps our bodies to rid itself of extra fluid. That has two benefits. Firstly, it helps eliminate excess sodium; and, secondly our heart does not need to work as hard both of which help to reduce our hypertension. Eating foods high in dietary fibre, such as whole grains, fruit, and vegetables can significantly reduce our high blood pressure.
Not all fats are bad for our health. Our bodies need some fat. Omega-3 fats, typically found in oily fish such as mackerel and salmon, are known to help reduce our hypertension.
Replacing our high fat, salty snacks with fruits high in magnesium, potassium, or calcium is a healthy way to curb our hunger between meals without raising our blood pressure.
Such is the variety of foods that can help to reduce our hypertension it is easy to construct healthy menu plans when they are combined with fish and lean meat without having to eat the same thing every day. Studies have shown that eating enough of these foods in the right combination can be as effective as medicine for some people. We have a choice: we can continue digging our graves with our teeth or we can eat our way to reduced hypertension.
