Food to Lower Blood Pressure
- Calcium and vitamin D provide nutrients that work together to help reduce blood pressure by 3 to 10 percent. Skim milk is loaded with both calcium and vitamin D, and drinking it regularly can add up to a 15 percent reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease. Drinking skim milk is an easy way to drop blood pressure and help keep your body feeling healthy and strong.
- Magnesium is stocked in spinach, unsalted sunflower seeds and a variety of beans including black, lima, pinto and kidney beans. Eating foods like these that contain a significant quantity of magnesium will help in the battle to lower blood pressure.
- Bananas, baked white potatoes and soybeans are a great source of potassium. Low potassium levels in your body result in higher sodium and can drastically raise your blood pressure. The more potassium in your body, the lower the sodium rate---and maintaining a low sodium rate is critical in fighting off high blood pressure. But eating too many potassium-based foods, on the other hand, will upset the balance and could cause life-threatening consequences, so don't go overboard or take potassium supplements.
- The American Medical Association published a study in 2007 about the effects that the antioxidants in dark chocolate have on high blood pressure. The good news is that dark chocolate has been proven to be beneficial; the bad news is the AMA recommends you eat no more than half an ounce a day. If dark chocolate isn't your favorite treat, you can find antioxidants in lots of other foods like berries, artichokes, russet potatoes and nuts. As far as the medical science community is concerned, the more antioxidants, the better for you.