Keeping your blood pressure in check is a necessity to maintain good health, and as you age, the need for more care toward your diet may become overwhelming for someone diagnosed with hypertension or a similar blood pressure condition. This article will help you discover some common and delicious foods that you can add into your diet to help lower your blood pressure, as well to convenient links to tasty recipes using almost nothing but hypertension friendly foods.
Bananas & Berries
A potassium rich diet is said to be a key to keeping good control over your blood pressure. A diet with lots of potassium and fiber rich foods is easy to maintain when foods with plenty of potassium and fiber are so delicious – Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, sunflower seeds, and many more tasty foods contain plenty of fiber and potassium. A delicious baked pineapple banana bread is a fantastic way to start the day – you can make them into cupcakes or muffins too!
Broccoli & Celery
Sometimes considered to be the least favorite among raw vegetables in males, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of delicious dishes that can be made incorporating celery and / or broccoli that you’ll be pleased to add to your diet. Making a tasty broccoli and cheese casserole is a good way to get some of those healthy greens in your diet, as well as low fat dairy, which is also great for a low blood pressure diet.
Black Beans
Fiber is of course important for a person with hypertension or prehypertension, but black beans have more than just that. The ratio of fiber to protein is important in the black bean, and it’s not found in many other common foods. They also have lots of magnesium, which is essential to maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Black beans are easy to add to a meal – try a black bean & salmon tostada, it combines two hypertension friendly foods in a delectable way!
Salmon & Other Cold Water Fish
Salmon is a favorite fish in the dishes of many different cultures. Salmon and other cold water fishes have lots of omega 3 fats, which are helpful in keeping good cardiovascular health because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Our bodies can’t make these fats, so it’s important to get plenty of them from our food – especially people with hypertension or other blood pressure conditions. You can try making some honey and soy grilled salmon, or try some sesame seared tuna steaks!
Low Fat Dairy Products
Milk and other low fat dairy products can contain many of the things your body needs to maintain proper blood pressure levels. It has magnesium, calcium, and potassium without the added fats, making them a very healthy addition to your diet. It’s easy to find almost every dairy product with reduced fat at your local market, and there are plenty of delicious recipes incorporating low fat dairy food items with other hypertension and prehypertension friendly foods – Try something a little exotic with grilled tandoori salmon with low fat yogurt sauce, or for something more traditional and home-style, try this three cheese macaroni recipe from Food Network.
For more information on blood pressure and cardiovascular conditions, and how diet can effect them, visit the American Heart Association’s website at http://www.heart.org/.
Helpful sources:
Hypertension @ PubMed
Controlling Blood Pressure @ Mayo Clinic