Diet Tips to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
It is easy to lower blood pressure naturally by making a few simple changes to your diet.
Here are some tips to get you started.
Go bananas: Studies have shown that people who have potassium in their diets tend to have lower blood pressure than those who do not.
Bananas are loaded with potassium so pick up a bunch of them next time you're at the store.
Another great high potassium food is coconut water.
Note this is not the same as coconut milk which is made form the meat of the coconut The water is the liquid that is in the nuts.
You can usually find coconut water near the energy drinks in the grocery store.
If you are athletic you'll find it has some of the highest potassium concentrations you can find, and makes for a better recovery beverage than sugary energy drinks.
Loose the salt: One of the first things most doctors will do when they diagnose pre-hypertension patients is tell you to cut back on the salt.
If your readings get worse, they may restrict your diet or tell you to cut it out altogether.
We use a lot of salt in our daily diets.
Many recipes use salt in their preparation, and then we salt the food again once it gets to the table, often before even tasting it.
Stop doing that! Taste your food first to see if it needs more salt.
Eat fresh: One easy way to reduce salt is to eat more fresh foods.
Processed foods often have a dramatically higher salt content than their fresh counterparts in order to make up for their lack of freshness.
Fresh food tastes better, and has more of the vitamins and minerals that you need, and less of the salt and chemicals that you don't need.
Get your vegetables: Try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as you can.
Some people may find the switch difficult at first, so start by drinking whole juices like those made by Odwalla or Naked Juice.
Whole juices are lightly processed, and while not as healthy as eating actual fruit and veggies, they are better than just shoving another hamburger into your mouth.
The "Green" juices like "Green Machine" are one of my favorite ways to get more greens into my diet.
Loaded with high value greens, they are balanced with a mix of apple and banana juice (potassium) and make a tasty way to get your daily dose of vegetables.
Eat chocolate: That's right, chocolate can help your heart.
Chocolate - especially dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher has high levels of flavinoids which help blood flow in the body.
Better blood flow means better blood pressure numbers.
So treat yourself to a bit of chocolate your taste buds and your heart will thank you!
Here are some tips to get you started.
Go bananas: Studies have shown that people who have potassium in their diets tend to have lower blood pressure than those who do not.
Bananas are loaded with potassium so pick up a bunch of them next time you're at the store.
Another great high potassium food is coconut water.
Note this is not the same as coconut milk which is made form the meat of the coconut The water is the liquid that is in the nuts.
You can usually find coconut water near the energy drinks in the grocery store.
If you are athletic you'll find it has some of the highest potassium concentrations you can find, and makes for a better recovery beverage than sugary energy drinks.
Loose the salt: One of the first things most doctors will do when they diagnose pre-hypertension patients is tell you to cut back on the salt.
If your readings get worse, they may restrict your diet or tell you to cut it out altogether.
We use a lot of salt in our daily diets.
Many recipes use salt in their preparation, and then we salt the food again once it gets to the table, often before even tasting it.
Stop doing that! Taste your food first to see if it needs more salt.
Eat fresh: One easy way to reduce salt is to eat more fresh foods.
Processed foods often have a dramatically higher salt content than their fresh counterparts in order to make up for their lack of freshness.
Fresh food tastes better, and has more of the vitamins and minerals that you need, and less of the salt and chemicals that you don't need.
Get your vegetables: Try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as you can.
Some people may find the switch difficult at first, so start by drinking whole juices like those made by Odwalla or Naked Juice.
Whole juices are lightly processed, and while not as healthy as eating actual fruit and veggies, they are better than just shoving another hamburger into your mouth.
The "Green" juices like "Green Machine" are one of my favorite ways to get more greens into my diet.
Loaded with high value greens, they are balanced with a mix of apple and banana juice (potassium) and make a tasty way to get your daily dose of vegetables.
Eat chocolate: That's right, chocolate can help your heart.
Chocolate - especially dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher has high levels of flavinoids which help blood flow in the body.
Better blood flow means better blood pressure numbers.
So treat yourself to a bit of chocolate your taste buds and your heart will thank you!