7 Key High Blood Pressure Foods:

7 Key High Blood Pressure Foods:

When it comes to high blood pressure it turns out that many people can lower their blood pressure naturally. How? By using that old stand-by: diet and exercise. The good news is that some relatively simple dietary changes can produce big results when it comes to dealing with hypertension.

Doctors like to focus on what you "can't have" when it comes to health, but I prefer a more positive approach. So instead of producing a list of prohibited items like salt, coffee, and alcohol, let's take the opposite approach. Let's think about food items we can add to our diet to lower blood pressure naturally. I call these "high blood pressure foods" and it turns out that there are lots of them.

What makes a high blood pressure food? Well, for starters there are a few key nutrients that are known to have a big involvement in regulating your blood pressure. You probably already know one of them: salt. While its true that reducing salt can help keep hypertension in check, it turns out that recent research is showing that adding certain other nutrients can actually have the same effect, and might even work better. Here are some key nutrients:

Potassium

Magnesium

Calcium

I don't want to give the impression that salt isn't important-but let's face reality. Having to eat bland unsalted foods doesn't work for many people. Who wants to sit there and count mg of sodium all day? Well you don't have to. Besides-its a fact that many people have potassium-deficient diets. But by adding a few simple food items-this problem can be rectified and you can see big results when it comes to your blood pressure.

Some research is also showing that magnesium may be beneficial too. This mineral, which you may not have paid all that much attention to until now, may be important to the body by helping blood vessels to relax-which lowers blood pressure. Calcium may be involved in this process as well. Its also a fact that most adults don't get adequate magnesium in their diets.

OK so to lower blood pressure you're going to add foods rich in these three nutrients to your diet-by eating them regularly. Without further ado here is a list of 7 key foods to help you get started:


1-Avocados: A medium avocado has 800 mg of potassium. Plus, a half cup of avocado has 35 mg of magnesium. Right off the bat we're seeing that adding a few avocados to our diet each week can be really helpful when it comes to lowering blood pressure. Avocados also contain lots of mono-unsaturated fats which play a role in keeping your heart healthy as well. This makes it a champion high blood pressure food.
2-Yogurt: Depending on the brand and serving size, yogurt can have anywhere from 180-300 mg of potassium. Add to that the fact that yogurt adds magnesium as well-up to 25% of your recommended daily allowance (again, depending on brand and serving size). So add some yogurt to your daily lunch routine.
3-Orange Juice: Orange juice is a champion food when it comes to lowering blood pressure. Given the about 500 mg of potassium in each serving, plus the overall health benefits of drinking orange juice, plus the good taste most people enjoy, it comes in at #3 on our list of key high blood pressure foods. Drink a glass a day and you're sure to help your hypertension. If you're already drinking some, add more to your diet.
4-Bananas: An average banana is going to have anywhere from 400-500 mg of potassium. Bananas may be the most famous key high blood pressure food.
5-Halibut: Bet you didn't know you could lower your blood pressure eating some tasty fish. A 3 oz serving of halibut has around 90 mg of magnesium.
6-Milk: A cup of milk is rich in magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Stick to a low fat or skim variety, and its a healthful addition to your food arsenal.
7-Raisins: Our final entry on the list is the lowly raisin. A serving of raisins has nearly 600 mg of potassium-making raisins a sure fire way to lower blood pressure naturally.

The list of 7 key foods has a characteristic you should note: don't get caught up in the specific amounts of potassium or magnesium in each food item. Just remember the foods that contain significant amounts of each nutrient, and start eating them! That's an easier way to develop a healthy diet as opposed to trying to restrict salt and counting every little mg you eat each day. By eating the right food items, you will find you can lower blood pressure naturally and feel better, without having to pollute your body with powerful medications.