Blood pressure lowering foods
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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The problem of hypertension concerns many people. High blood pressure is not only bad health, headaches, dizziness, constant fatigue, tinnitus, but also the risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Hypertensives, as a rule, take daily medications that normalize blood pressure. Certain foods can also help lower it.
What foods lower blood pressure?
It is not possible to completely replace medications with products that lower blood pressure, but you can use their properties such as the ability to dilate blood vessels, calm the nervous system, prevent the deposition of cholesterol plaques, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and heart muscle for a comprehensive solution to the problem. So what products will help in the fight against hypertension?
Honey for lowering blood pressure
Honey appears in folk recipes as a means of regulating blood pressure. How does it work? It is primarily a carbohydrate, the sweet taste of which gives us pleasure, which means that impulses from the taste buds have reached the hypothalamus. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which has a relaxing effect on organs and systems, including dilating blood vessels - a necessary factor for lowering blood pressure.
Especially effective bee product in tandem with other products characterized by the same properties (garlic, beet, cinnamon, etc.). [1]
Kalina for lowering blood pressure
Kalina is usually used for colds, it accelerates recovery, because it contains a large amount of vitamin C, flavonoids. But it also has a diuretic effect, which positively affects the normalization of blood pressure, and thanks to polyunsaturated fatty acids prevents the deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
Kalina is not suitable for everyone, it is contraindicated for people with high blood clotting, a tendency to thrombosis, pregnant women. It also increases the acidity of the stomach, which can cause an exacerbation of hyperacid gastritis. [2]
Beets for lowering blood pressure
Beet, and especially beet juice perfectly copes with the problem of high blood pressure. Experts explain this by the chemical composition, among the components of which there are substances that are transformed during metabolism into nitric oxide. It has the property to dilate blood vessels and, accordingly, reduce pressure.
The root vegetable will also benefit other organs; liver, gastrointestinal tract, hematopoiesis. But it also has contraindications. It is not recommended to abuse beets with diabetes, and concentrated juices will harm the pancreas diagnosed with pancreatitis. [3]
Cinnamon for lowering blood pressure
Cinnamon is used in confectionery as a spice because of its strong specific flavor. But it is also very useful for the body, as it contains many vitamins (A, B, E, K, PP), coumarin, aldehydes, tannins, trace elements: magnesium, zinc, sodium, iron, calcium, selenium.
The spice stimulates lipid metabolism, reduces the level of low-density cholesterol harmful to health, and antioxidants make the walls of blood vessels more elastic, expand blood flow. To achieve the effect is enough to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon a day, but not in pure form, but as an additive to dishes, drinks. The combination with honey and a small amount of water will strengthen its effect. [4]
Pressure Relief Oil
In the fight against hypertension, essential oils help. A person in a relaxed and calm state is less prone to pressure spikes, this is the effect of aromatherapy, massage with the use of oils, baths with its addition.
The most suitable essential oils for procedures are ylang-ylang, derived from the tropical plant cananga, as well as lavender, lemon. Their aroma helps to cope with stress, relieves nervousness, vascular spasms, and calms the heartbeat.
Rosehip for lowering blood pressure
Rose hips - a veritable treasure trove of useful substances for the body, they will be useful in hypertension. In addition to anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diuretic, choleretic, tonic action plant strengthens the heart muscle, capillaries, increases the tone of blood vessels, counteracts atherosclerosis.
The only condition for lowering blood pressure is not to use alcohol tincture, but to prepare a decoction or infusion from dried or fresh berries. For decoction take 20g of raw materials per glass of water, boil for 10-15 minutes under a lid and leave to infuse overnight. To make an infusion even easier, berries slightly crushed put in a thermos, pour boiling water (per liter of water 40g rose hips) and leave for 8 hours. Take potion half a cup twice a day before meals. [5]
Vegetables to lower blood pressure
Vegetables rich in antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, other useful trace elements, vitamins, fiber have a beneficial effect on stabilizing blood pressure. In addition to beet, which has already been discussed and which is number one on the list, doctors recommend including in the diet fresh cucumbers (have a diuretic effect, clean the blood vessels), baked potatoes (white varieties), garlic, beans, carrots, soybeans, spinach.
Dill for lowering blood pressure
Dill - not only a pleasant spice used to give a special flavor to dishes, but also a medicinal remedy, because it has the necessary substances to improve the cardiovascular system: vitamins A, B, C, E; potassium, which plays a major role in the emergence and transmission of nerve impulses, maintaining water-electrolyte balance, normalizing blood pressure; magnesium, increasing the tone of blood vessels, stabilizing heart rate, contributing to the absorption of potassium ions.
Dill (green part, seeds) also reduces blood viscosity, level of "bad" cholesterol, improves blood microcirculation, prevents hypertensive crises, life-threatening diagnoses - stroke, heart attack. [6]
The plant is good to add to various dishes, as well as drink decoctions and infusions.
It is best to collect the seeds yourself for use in winter. The most suitable period for this is the second half of August, when the greens are gone and the umbrellas are dried up.
Drinks that lower blood pressure
With drinks you need to be careful, because some are able to reduce blood pressure, and others, on the contrary, can provoke its jump and worsen the condition. What should a hypertensive person choose?
Tea for lowering blood pressure - you will have to give up black varieties, but you can drink green tea. One or two cups a day will not give instant results, but its systematic consumption for several months will bear fruit and reduce the indicators by at least 10 units, it is established experimentally.
It is not brewed strong, not infused for a long time. The caffeine it contains in small amounts will relax and dilate the blood vessels, and catechins will thin the blood, which is also useful for bringing it to normal, and it is also a diuretic.
Another necessary condition is the use of quality varieties and Chinese tea meets such requirements. Buying such varieties as "Lung Jing", "Bi Lo Chun", "Hua Lung Zhu", "Ganpowder" and brewing them correctly, you can significantly reduce the severity of the problem, while not ignoring doctor's appointments and taking medications, if it is not the initial stage of hypertension.
Carcade for lowering blood pressure
Dried hibiscus flowers are called karkade and are brewed and drunk as tea. This tradition from Egypt, Malaysia and Sudan has reached us, especially in hot seasons. It is a good thirst quencher, tonic, and also strengthens the walls of blood vessels, has diuretic, antispasmodic effect, which is important for normalizing blood pressure. Only drink it cooled, otherwise it will have the opposite effect.
There are a lot of vitamins, amino acids, macro- and microelements, bioflavonoids in carkade. Therefore, the drink will serve a good service not only for hypertension, but also for avitaminosis, low resistance to infections. [7]
Prepare it not before taking it directly, but in advance, you can as a compote. Flower petals are placed in a bowl, pour water, keeping the ratio of 2 teaspoons per glass, and boiled for 10 minutes, after cooling stored in the refrigerator.
To treat hypertension, it is recommended to drink the tea in courses of 2-3 weeks, then take a week's break and repeat for 10 days.
Herbal tea for lowering blood pressure
Herbal teas are convenient because, knowing their therapeutic effects, you can compose different plants to get results. Blood pressure is not an exception. In pharmacies you can buy special collections, which contain components that have this property. These can be flowers, leaves, seeds, rhizomes, rhizomes, fruits of plants.
Usually they have a vasodilating, diuretic, normalizing the central and peripheral nervous system action. Thyme, chamomile, blackcurrant, motherwort, linden, nettle, valerian root, melissa, mint, chicory, caraway, fennel are quite deservedly involved in the combination.
A tablespoon of raw materials will be needed for a glass of boiling water. After half an hour, it is drunk half a cup 2 times a day.
Cognac for lowering blood pressure
Some will be categorical - alcohol can only harm high blood pressure, while others will say the opposite, saying that it reduces the tone of blood vessels, widens them. Which of them is right? It turns out that it's all about the amount drunk. Good cognac in the volume of 30-50ml will relieve vasospasm, reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. This effect is provided by the presence of tannins and tannins in the drink.
Exceeding this threshold and bringing it to 80-100ml, get the opposite effect, because alcohol makes the heart contract faster, pump more blood, excite the nervous system.
Wine for lowering blood pressure
There are many different wines, the raw material for which can be grapes, other fruits, herbs. There are dry, fortified, sweet, semi-sweet, carbonated, young, aged varieties, white, rose, red. Studies of medical statistics data of countries, in the culture of which winemaking and a glass of wine at dinner, prove that red dry natural grape wine is good for health and reduces cases of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular pathologies.
Made from red and blue grapes, it contains vitamins A, C, E, B, PP, iron, potassium, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium. It also contains a lot of antioxidants, flavonoids: resveratrol, which improves the state of the endothelium - the inner layer of blood vessels, preventing their narrowing, the deposition of cholesterol plaques; tannins, strengthening blood vessels; anthocyanins, reducing the risk of heart disease. [8]
However, the benefits of wine will be if you do not exceed the daily dose of 50-100ml and limit its strength to 11.5%. Anything unnatural, with added ethyl alcohol will lead to pressure spikes.
Apple cider vinegar for lowering blood pressure
This product is also used to lower blood pressure, but never internally. Apple cider vinegar is used for compresses. Having mixed it with water, wet a cloth napkin in the solution and slightly squeezing it applied to the soles of the feet. Together with soothing drops, this guarantees a rapid reduction in the indicators.
Coffee for lowering blood pressure
Studies of scientists debunk the myth that coffee is absolutely impossible for hypertensive people. Natural ground coffee raised the blood pressure by only a few positions for an insignificant time, then it returned to the original positions. [9]
Another picture was demonstrated by experiments with the soluble product. It is produced with the use of technologies in which the powder has an increased content of cafestol, which worsens the condition of blood vessels. It is this product that should be abandoned.
A cup of natural drink in the morning will help you wake up and dive into your daily activities without harming your health if you don't caffeinate during the day. [10]
Hawthorn for lowering blood pressure
Hawthorn is present in many preparations designed to normalize heart rhythm, stabilize the nervous system, reduce excitability, pressure, fight insomnia. The fruits of the plant adjust blood circulation in the vessels, increase the energy supply to the heart muscle.
The plant owes its medicinal properties to the presence of unsaturated fatty and organic acids, carotene, many vitamins and minerals, tannins, essential oils.
It can be used in its ready form, buying in pharmacies, or prepare decoctions according to this recipe: pour 20g of fruit in a thermos with a glass of boiling water overnight, strain in the morning. Drink a tablespoon 2-3 times a day for 3-4 weeks. [11]
Pomegranate juice for lowering blood pressure
In addition to excellent taste and many useful qualities arising from its rich chemical composition, pomegranate has a large number of phenolic compounds that exceed their content in wine and green tea. It is they that provide its hypotensive properties, strengthen blood vessels and heart muscle.
Pomegranate juice could be drunk without restrictions, if it were not for its impressive list of contraindications. It is too acidic due to the presence of organic acids in it to "like" the stomach, pancreas, intestines. It can also cause constipation, harm tooth enamel.
If there are no factors that prohibit its consumption, it is best to prepare it yourself from ripe and juicy fruits. [12]
Foods that lower blood pressure immediately
It is dangerous to rely on products to drastically reduce blood pressure when it is high, but a comprehensive approach to solving the problem is very reasonable. For example, foods rich in potassium will contribute to the removal of sodium from the body, which increases blood pressure. Thus, a glass of milk is able to reduce blood pressure by several positions.
These properties of foods, will help women during pregnancy, who often face this problem. By including in the diet egg whites, baked potatoes, salads of boiled beets, broccoli, bananas, pomegranates, oatmeal you can reduce the risk of hypertensive crises and return the pressure to normal, without forgetting to keep it under control.