What To Eat (And Drink) When BP Is High – Answered

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what to eat when bp is high
Fatty fish, bananas, yogurt, red beets, garlic, and many more foods answer what to eat when bp is high. Read below to know about them all.
 

What to eat when bp is high is our next query to write about, that we’ve received via emails, after getting done with what to eat when bp is low – thank you all for the feedback on our previous article – we appreciate your emails to us. Anyway, let’s get started with this one and see how worse higher blood pressure could become if no attention is paid to it.

High blood pressure is often caused by illegal drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines. Apart from that, obstructive sleep apnea is another one of the most popular reasons people experience to have higher blood pressure levels.

High blood pressure, unlike low blood pressure, occurs when your blood pushes against arteries with every single heartbeat and the pushing of blood against those artery walls is higher due to any cause – this is called high blood pressure.

As mentioned before, illegal drugs and obstructive sleep apnea are two of the most popular reasons why high blood pressure exists – and there definitely are remaining causes you need to be aware of.

  • Kidney problems
  • Adrenal gland tumors
  • Thyroid problems
  • Certain defects you’re born with (congenital) in blood vessels
  • Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers, and some prescription drugs

Apart from this, you can tell whether your blood pressure is high or not based on these symptoms:

  • Headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds might be experienced by few people with high blood pressure, but these signs and symptoms usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a life-threatening stage.
  • No signs or symptoms are found for most people with higher blood pressure, even if their blood pressure levels reach dangerously high levels.

It is advised to work with your doctor to find out what your healthy blood pressure level is, to be safer and healthier.

What to eat when bp is high?

Now that we’re done with what high blood pressure is, with more details, it is now time for us to answer what to eat when bp is high – and that’s what this article is about.

Following are the foods you can eat when your bp is high.

1 – Leafy greens:

leaf

Leafy greens are so full of potassium which is a good thing here. Potassium has the capability of removing sodium particles from our urine, leaving our blood pressure lower.

Some of best leafy greens that fight sodium particles are:

  • romaine lettuce
  • arugula
  • kale
  • turnip greens
  • collard greens
  • spinach
  • beet greens
  • Swiss chard

You can also add these veggies to bananas and milk to be blended for a healthy and nutritional green juice that is sweet as well.

This answers what foods are good for high blood pressure.

2 – Apples:

apple

Abundant in nature, Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) are found more in fresh fruits and vegetables including Apples. This makes apple to be absorbed quickly into bloodstreams to promote blood pressure become stable if in case it is higher.

You can eat apple as well as drink it in the form of juice if you want.

3 – Onions:

onion

One of the most quercetin-rich foods that promote lowering high blood pressure is onion.

It is recommended to eat onions raw for best results – cooked onions are not much effective as compared to raw ones.

Also, if you could add onions to something that also promotes lowering blood pressure, like garlic, that would be best.

4 – Dark Chocolate:

chocolate

The researchers have been busy these past years trying to find whether dark chocolates are healthy or not and found that the darkest confections are foods which are capable of lowering blood pressure.

5 – Mangoes:

mango

If you’re wondering sweet treats might increase your blood pressure more, you’re right but not when it comes to mangoes. Mangoes are both fiber and beta-carotene-packed, both of which are found to aid in lowering blood pressure.

If you don’t like eating mangoes raw, you can juice them as well to drink.

6 – Apricots:

apricot

Beta-carotene-filled and vitamin C packed, apricot is a food you can eat any time throughout your day to reduce your blood pressure healthily.

Apricots can be eaten as a snack, as an added ingredient to your salad, or adding some to your favorite smoothie – it all depends on your preference.

7 – Carrots:

carrot

A medicine in disguise, carrots are packed with lots of beta-carotene and C vitamins, allowing you to get your blood pressure to its required (balanced) levels.

8 – Cherries:

cherries

Cherries can sweeten up your meals as well as help you lower your blood pressure. It is because cherries are packed with fiber, vitamin C, and quercetin.

A study published in Feb’15 edition of Clinical Nutrition, says that consumption of cherries can lead towards significant reductions in systolic blood pressure.

9 – Spinach:

spinach

Remember that Popeye’s super-food that would turn him into a strong beast? Spinach here plays the same role when it comes to fighting high blood pressure and making it lower – thanks to fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene found in Spinach.

This makes it one of the best foods that lower blood pressure quickly.

10 – Bell Peppers:

bell-pepper

An excellent source of vitamin C and more antioxidants (even more than citrus fruits), bell peppers make it to the list of top foods that answer what to eat when bp is high. Bell peppers makes it easier to improve cardiac functions while lowering blood pressure at the same time.

There are few studies that mention that loading up on vitamin C reduces blood pressure.

11 – Seaweed:

seaweed

Seaweed can also answer what to eat when bp is high because it naturally remedies blood pressure problems and lowers the bp if in case it’s gone up.

The most popular seafood is Wakame that is mostly used in Japan. Eating as low as 3 grams of wakame (dried) continuously for four weeks can help reduce your diastolic blood pressure by up to five points and systolic blood pressure by up to fourteen points.

12 – Berries:

berries

Berries are found to have natural compounds known as flavonoids, especially the blue ones – blueberries. These flavonoids can help one prevent higher blood pressure levels while also lower it down if in case blood pressure is high already.

Even though blueberries have most of the flavonoids, raspberries and strawberries also contain those natural compounds. Also, adding these berries to your diet is easier and is seen often. Consuming them in your breakfast is the best way to kick-start your day and stabilize blood pressure levels.

13 – Oatmeal:

oatmeal

Willing to fuel up your day energetically and lower your blood pressure at the same time? Start with an oatmeal. Oatmeal is healthier as well as low in sodium – and sodium is bad for higher blood pressure, really bad.

Overnight oats are still one of the most popular breakfast options. To make them, soak 1/2 cup of nut milk in a jar and 1/2 cup of rolled oats. In the morning, stir and add cinnamon, granola, and berries for taste.

14 – Unsalted seeds:

beans

Unsalted seeds are gifted to have everything that’s required to lower blood pressure including lots of potassium, magnesium, and other minerals.

Enjoy a ¼ cup of pumpkin, squash seeds, or sunflower as a snack between meals.

15 – Bananas:

banana

As mentioned very earlier in this article, eating foods that are packed with lots of potassium is a way to answer what to eat when bp is high. But here’s to add more to it; eating foods with lots of potassium is more effective and healthier than taking supplements to reduce blood pressure.

Bananas are one of the foods that are potassium-rich and can be eaten anytime you want. Eating bananas in the morning with oatmeal is found to have more effectiveness though as both banana and oatmeal aid in lowering blood pressure.

Not only does banana help lower your blood pressure but also cures your diarrhea.

It makes it to one of the foods that lower blood pressure quickly.

16 – Red beets:

red-beets

Higher in nitric oxide, beets can make it easier to lower your blood pressure while also helping you to open up your blood vessels.

Beets can be eaten as a whole root (cooked) or can be juiced as well to drink. However, it is more delicious when roasted.

Beet’s juice can stain your clothes though so be careful when handling with beets.

17 – Yogurt:

yogurt

Yogurt is one of the good sources of calcium and is lower in fat thus a good food to eat to answer what to eat when bp is high as both of these elements are found to aid in lowering blood pressure.

According to the American Heart Association, women who ate five or more servings of yogurt a week experienced a 20 percent reduction in their risk for developing high blood pressure.

Try incorporating fruits, almond slivers, and granola into your yogurt for extra heart-healthy benefits. Be sure to check for added sugar when buying yogurt and choose the one with lesser sugar.

18 – Fatty Fish:

fish

If you are wondering what foods are good for high blood pressure, fish is one of them.

One of the nutrients that lower blood pressure is an omega-3 fatty acid. Fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, are not only a great source of lean protein but also contain lots of omega-3 fatty acids.

Apart from lowering your blood pressure, fatty fish also helps reduce inflammation and lowers triglycerides.

One another reason you should try to eat fish is that it is easy to prepare. Also, make sure to not add salt as a topping to your meal as salt increases the blood pressure, it does not lower it.

19 – Garlic:

garlic

Garlic, like red beets, contains nitric oxide which is a supportive element in lowering blood pressure thus one of the foods that lower blood pressure quickly. This happens because nitric oxide widens the arteries, promotes vasodilation in order to reduce blood pressure. And there’s a review backing this claim.

Avoid eating garlic if you have typhoid because garlic is not the food you can eat when you have typhoid.

20 – Flaxseed:

flaxseed

If you’d like to lower your bp healthily, stirring some flax into your oatmeal or your favorite smoothie might be the answer for you. Flaxseed contains an omega-3 fatty acid, which doesn’t only lower blood pressure but also reduces inflammation throughout the body. Flaxseed is a good source of fiber as well.

Also, consumption of flaxseed can lower the risk of heart diseases while improving the circulatory system.

21 – Pistachio:

pistachio

Pistachios help reduce blood pressure in a way that they tighten blood vessels and reduce heart rate.

There also exists a study which proves that a diet having at least one serving of pistachios a day is found to help reduce blood pressure.

22 – Pomegranates:

pomegranates

Drinking only a cup of pomegranates juice a day, continuously for four weeks, can aid one with lowering his/ her blood pressure.

A healthy fruit, you can enjoy pomegranates as raw or as a juice.

The best part about this fruit is it is tasty and can be eaten in breakfast to kick-start your day for an energetic experience.

If you are considering to buy pomegranate juice from stores, be sure to check the sugar content mentioned in labels and buy the ones with the lowest sugar added content.

This answers what foods are good for high blood pressure.

23 – Kale:

kale

Kale, a super-food for anyone who’d want to lower their blood pressure, is packed with lots of quercetin and beta-carotene, as well as vitamin C.

If you’ve read the report of Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, it states that all of these elements aid to lower high blood pressure, naturally.

extras

After getting done with what to eat when bp is high, here are our extras we would like to add so you can be aided more.

What to drink when bp is high?

1 – Skim Milk:

milk

An excellent source of calcium and low-fat consumable, skim milk is one best answers to what to eat when bp is high. Lots of calcium and lower fat are elements of a diet for lowering blood pressure.

The DASH Diet:

Even though the foods mentioned above will help in lowering your blood pressure, but still if you’d want to know about a diet that’s specifically made to lower your blood pressure, the DASH diet is the one.

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a diet specifically designed to lower your blood pressure, by reducing sodium intake, fat intake, and alcohol consumption. This diet is followed for at least 2 weeks to see results.

Serving recommendations for DASH diet include:

Food                                                                      Servings

sodium no more than 2,300 mg on a traditional diet or 1,500 mg on a low-sodium diet
dairy (low-fat) 2 to 3
healthy fats (avocado, coconut oil, ghee) 2 to 3
vegetables 4 to 5
fruit 4 to 5
nuts, seeds, and legumes 4 to 5
lean meat, poultry, and fish 6
whole grains 6 to 8

To make things simpler, this diet promotes the consumption of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and low-fat protein sources.

When to see a doctor?

You will need to have your blood pressure checked by a doctor every once in a while; checking your blood pressure should be a part of a routine.

It, however, is found that most people ask their doctors at least once every two years if they are aged 18 (which is fine – and recommended too) whereas people over 40 choose to ask their doctors about blood pressure readings every year (which again is recommended and fine).

Also, when checking your blood pressure, check in both arms to see if there exists any difference or not.

If you are diagnosed to have high blood pressure, your doctor will more likely tell you to make visits to him/ her quite often.


what to eat when your bp is high - infographic

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The information contained within this article and overall site is merely for informational purposes and is based on historical facts. Please always consult with your dietitian before creating a diet plan for yourself.

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