Having high blood pressure is the new normal for people nowadays. There is a lot of evidence that a sedentary lifestyle, a fast-moving world, pollution, and stress all have negative effects on man’s health.
Due to the pandemic, most people have a sedentary lifestyle, which is a significant concern and leads to many cardiovascular diseases, not to forget high blood pressure. Blood runs in your body through veins. The pressure exerted on your vein as blood passes through the vessels is called blood pressure. The normal blood pressure range is 120/80. When the blood pressure exceeds the normal range, it is called high blood pressure. Here are 5 foods to eat if you have high blood pressure.
Berries
Berries like strawberries and blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and offer several health benefits. One of the health benefits includes reducing hypertension and thus improving cardiovascular health.
Bananas
You can find this fruit in every household. It is pocket friendly, nutritious and is rich in potassium. Salt and water handling by the kidney directly affect BP. At the same time, renal ion channels and transporters maintain electrolyte homeostasis. Potassium is the most abundant intracellular ion and plays a crucial role in regulating BP. It helps in improving heart health by reducing blood pressure.
Dark Chocolate
While many will be surprised, dark chocolate helps lower high blood pressure. However, the chocolate has to be a minimum of 60–75% dark chocolate. Cocoa in chocolate is a flavonoid that helps to prevent high blood pressure.
Beetroot
In various regions of the globe, beetroot is also referred as ‘beet’. It is a tuber that is helpful to the heart. That is because beetroots contain nitrate, which gets converted to nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide acts as a vasodilator and relaxes the smooth muscles of the heart.
Oats
A common complex carbohydrate, it is a go-to snack for those who desire to reduce weight because of its low calorie content. But, little did you know that oats improve heart health and reduce high blood pressure. Oats contain high amounts of fibre, which aids in early satiety. There is a unique type of fibre in oats called beta-glucan, which is soluble.