mdolla: An Alternative to Medication: 10 Foods That Lower Blood Pressure Organically

What are you doing to lower your blood pressure?

Are you handing over your paycheck to doctors and pharmacists?
Are you sacrificing the tastes of your favorite foods?
Are you missing out on some of your favorite activities?

If you are suffering from high blood pressure, or have been recently diagnosed with high blood pressure, your life will never be the same.

High blood pressure is a serious health issue that requires many lifestyle changes and treatments to control. It’s not something you can – or should – ignore, and it’s certainly not to taken lightly.

But while doctors and medications can help you lower your blood pressure, it’s ultimately up to you to make changes to your health that will keep your blood pressure in check.

Your doctor may have told you to avoid certain foods that contribute to high blood pressure, but you might not realize that there are foods that lower blood pressure, too. And if lowering your blood pressure is important to you, then, by all means, you should be eating these foods.

Diet is Better Than Reliance on Medication

While many folks marvel at the wonders of modern medicine, you should know that no medication is completely risk-proof. Many medicines used to lower blood pressure often tack on some unpleasant side effects, like diarrhea, constipation, erectile dysfunction, lack of energy, dizziness, cough, vomiting, headache, weight loss, or weight gain. Each of these side effects may need additional treatment measures, which means more doctor visits, possibly more medications, and certainly more money.

If you face high blood pressure, you may not realize that you have other management options outside of expensive medical treatment.

You may already know to avoid certain foods that can elevate your blood pressure, like salty foods, alcohol, processed meat, and coffee. But adding the right foods, such as those rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, can help you lower your blood pressure naturally without the drastic side effects of blood pressure medication.

How Diets Lower Our Blood Pressure as Studies Show

Eating potassium helps your kidneys purge your body of excess sodium, one of the major culprits of high blood pressure.
Calcium helps blood vessels contract and expand, and not having enough calcium can tighten artery walls. It also helps balance your body’s sodium supply.
Magnesium helps calcium and potassium to pass through cell walls. Studies show that low magnesium levels can up the chance of a heart attack by 60%. ^[1]

10 All-Star Foods That Lower Blood Pressure

Now, that’s not to say that you should not take medication the doctor prescribed. But eating foods that lower blood pressure give you an additional means of taking control of your health that could give you the results you need quicker than medication alone.

Below you shall see 10 foods that help lower blood pressure.

1. Flaxseed

Studies have proven that flaxseed can successfully lower blood pressure. Flaxseed doesn’t taste like much, which makes it great to sprinkle some on just about anything from salads to soups to sandwiches and more ^[2].

Try flax seed in these delicious chocolate-cherry snack bars.

2. Fresh Leafy Greens

Foods like fresh kale, arugula, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, and spinach are naturally high in potassium. Avoid eating canned greens, like spinach and turnip greens, because these usually have added salt.

This smoothie recipe combines fresh greens with calcium-rich yogurt for a tasty breakfast treat.

3. Red Beets

High in nitric oxide, red beets can help open blood vessels to lower blood pressure. In addition, research shows that the nitrates in beet juice successfully lowered blood pressure in participants in just 24 hours ^[3].

Try this easy recipe for a roasted beets salad.

4. White Beans

Just one cup of white beans, like cannellini beans or navy beans, can give you 13% of your calcium, 30% of your magnesium, and 24% of your potassium each day. Make sure you choose a no-salt canned variety if you don’t want to cook dry beans.

Try this heart-healthy white bean chicken chili.

5. Yogurt

Yogurt is packed with calcium – you can get almost half of your daily servings in just one cup! It also contains 12% of the magnesium and 18% of the potassium your body needs.

Make your own fat-free Greek yogurt at home.

6. Bananas

Bananas have long been known as a source for potassium, but they also contain a fair amount of magnesium and calcium.

Try this heart-healthy banana bread recipe.

7. Quinoa

This whole grain packs 15% of your daily magnesium, along with 1.5% the calcium and 4.5% of the potassium you need. It’s also gluten-free.

Try this basic quinoa recipe.

8. Broccoli

Broccoli packs the potassium-calcium-magnesium trifecta in every stalk.

Try one of these 3 recipes that are chock full of broccoli goodness.

9. Skim Milk

Smothered in calcium, you can do your body good with a glass or two of skim milk each day. The Vitamin D and calcium work together to help lower blood pressure by 3 to 10 percent ^[4].

Try this morning smoothie recipe that uses skim milk and other heart-healthy ingredients.

10. Sunflower Seeds

These tiny seeds provide a great source of magnesium. Just make sure you buy the unsalted kind, since you want to minimize your salt intake.

Add to any salad, or try this extraordinary recipe for Sunflower Chive Cheese Cucumber Bites.

Let’s Embrace Health with a Good Diet!

Adding these 10 foods that lower blood pressure to your diet may be the extra health boost your body needs to fight back against blood pressure issues.

Reference

[1]	^	Rodale Wellness: 3 Power Minerals to Lower Your Blood Pressure
[2]	^	Natural Medicine Journal: Flaxseed Reduces High Blood Pressure
[3]	^	Queen Mary: Nitrate in beetroot juice lowers blood pressure
[4]	^	Joy Bauer: High Blood Pressure Diet and Treatment