Your diet, what you eat and drink, has a real effect on your heart and high blood pressure. The healthier your eating habits, the lower your high blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, making healthy changes to your diet is even more important. If you take medications for high blood pressure, a healthy diet can reduce the amount you may need of these. For some people, following eating habits to lower blood pressure can help them avoid medications altogether. If you want to know what are the best foods to lower arterial hypertension, do not miss the ones that follow.
Foods to lower high blood pressure and that will help you take fewer medications
Dark chocolate
There’s no getting around it, most of us love chocolate, and the good news is that chocolate is one of the best foods for lowering high blood pressure and you don’t have to give up its sweet indulgence, if you choose the right kind. of chocolate.
Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, contains compounds called flavanols, which come from the cocoa bean. Scientists detected some time ago that these compounds have a wide range of beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
In fact, eating good quality cocoa has been shown to help relax arteries and improve blood flow, as well as lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Apple
Eating an apple a day helps reduce high blood pressure. Apples contain a flavonol called quercetin, which is also found in other plant-based foods, such as onions, citrus fruits, berries, red grapes, red wine, broccoli, bark roots, flowers, and tea. This flavonol quercetin has blood pressure lowering effects.
In a clinical trial in which hypertensive participants received 730 mg / day of quercetin for 28 days, they saw an average 7 mmHg reduction in systolic pressure and a 5 mmHg reduction in diastolic pressure.
Healthy fats
Fats contain fatty acids, and some fatty acids are great for cardiovascular health. For example, omega-3 fatty acids.
One of the main benefits of omega-3s is its ability to calm inflammation throughout the body. And according to a review of 70 clinical trials, omega-3 consumption can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of 1.52 mmHg , and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 0.99 mmHg.
OMEGA 3 food sources include:
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Mackerel
- Flax seed
- Chia seeds
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil is one of the best foods to lower high blood pressure since it is considered an omega-9 fatty acid and contains more than 36 beneficial phenolic compounds. A specific compound, known as oleocanthal, has been found to have very powerful natural anti-inflammatory benefits.
This is very beneficial since cardiovascular disease involves a state of low-grade chronic inflammation in the body. But more than that, the researchers suggest that olive oil may influence genes that regulate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the motor of hormonal blood pressure control.
One study showed that consuming 25 ml / day olive oil (equivalent to approximately 2 tablespoons) can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of 4.2 mmHg and diastolic pressure by an average of 2.1 mmHg.
