Foods to Lower Blood Pressure

Many people are having blood pressure problems. It has to be maintained or else it leads to many complications and diseases. A food that is rich in minerals, high in fiber, and low in saturated fat can help lower blood pressure…

Understanding Blood Pressure:
More than sixty-five million people have high blood pressure and another forty-five million people have prehypertension. It is the leading cause of heart attacks, and strokes. If your blood pressure goes too low you may feel lightheaded. If it goes too high there might not be any symptoms, or it could trigger a stroke. If blood pressure remains high, it can lead to congestive heart failure, kidney failure, hardening of the arteries, stroke, and other complications.

National Institutes of Health has shown that this healthy food can lower blood pressure as well as medication. Results are quick, with many people seeing lower blood pressure in only fourteen days with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension food. Adding weight loss, exercise, and other healthy lifestyle choices further improve the blood pressure benefits.

A food that is rich in minerals, high in fiber, and low in saturated fat can help lower blood pressure. Many of the beneficial nutrients are found in fruits and vegetables, along with low-fat dairy foods - all of which are deficient in the typical American diet.

Many of the risk factors for heart disease can be reduced by making food and lifestyle changes. You can quit smoking, lower blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, lose weight, and become more active.

Minerals That Help Lower Blood Pressure:
For many years that moderation of salt intake can help many people lower their blood pressure. It has been less well known that several other minerals can help lower blood pressure when they are increased in our foods. Foods that are rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium, in particular, have been shown to lower blood pressure.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension of Salt:
Every one has heard that lowering salt will lower blood pressure. Recently there has been some controversy about this broad statement. Some people may be more sensitive than others to the effects of salt or sodium. And there are several other minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium that play into the blood pressure equation.

Beyond Salt - Calcium, Potassium, and Magnesium:
Sodium is not the only mineral that is important in managing blood pressure. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium are all involved in helping to regulate blood pressure. And, their relationship with blood pressure is generally positive. That is, including more of these minerals in your food helps to lower blood pressure. An important point to remember is that studies have shown that eating foods rich in these nutrients helps to lower blood pressure. However, studies looking at dietary supplements containing these minerals were mostly unsuccessful in producing the same benefits for blood pressure control.

Calcium: Calcium has many interesting health benefits beyond strengthening bones. People who include more calcium in their foods tend to have lower blood pressure, weight less, have less body fat, and have a lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

There are many vegetables that are good sources of calcium, and many plant-based foods, such as soy milk, that are formulated to be good sources of calcium.

Potassium: A large worldwide study showed that if potassium were high in relation to sodium, blood pressure was lower. Potassium allows the body to get rid of extra fluid so that the heart does not have to pump too hard, thereby allowing blood pressure to stay low. It is also important for regulating the heart-beat. Good sources of potassium include most fruits and vegetables, especially oranges, bananas, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Magnesium: Magnesium is another important mineral for keeping blood pressure under control. Good sources of magnesium include the dark green vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.

Technorati Tags: beneficial nutrients, foods lower high blood pressure, heart failure, high in fiber, how to reduce high blood pressure, lowering blood pressure foods, reduce blood pres, stroke, ways to reduce blood pressure