An Ultimate Guide of Foods to Lower Your Blood Pressure

Understanding Hypertension

Blood flows through the pipe-like structures called arteries and veins. The walls experience a certain amount of pressure from the flowing blood. This pressure is what you call blood pressure. It needs to be within a range on the mercury scale when you check with the help of a sphygmomanometer (the machine with which you measure blood pressure.

Ayurvedic experts call the condition of blood pressure 'Rakta Gata vata' (combo of air and space elements that flow as blood). When the Vata in the blood vessels gets aggravated, it increases pressure on the walls and creates pain and physical stress. Modern science contemplates the same. 

The blood pressure varies throughout the day according to body posture, mental stress, and, most importantly, the food you eat. Now, if you have consumed a high blood pressure diet like pickle rice for lunch and measured your blood pressure after half an hour, it is likely to be high due to the salt in the pickle. 

Studies have also linked an increased consumption of processed foods with hypertension. These processed foods contain increased levels of salt, sugar, trans fats and caffeine.

You must not take the condition of hypertension too lightly as it can make a good ground for future stroke, heart attack, liver problems and hormonal imbalances. In the short term, it can cause persistent mental stress and terrible mood swings. In the initial stages, hypertension causes mental stress. 

Are you wondering how to know if you have hypertension? Here are the key symptoms. 

Key Symptoms of Hypertension 

Keep the following symptoms in mind to get a clue that it's high time you check your food intake and get a consultation from a healthcare professional.

• Unexplained discomfort in the chest or chest pain that is short-lived yet intense. 
• Blurred vision may be sudden or gradual. 
• Persistent fatigue and feeling tired for no apparent reason.
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. You may experience this more often after a heavy meal
• Frequent episodes of anxiety and depression
• Prolonged restlessness 

If you experience one or many of these signs, it is advisable to get yourself checked. 

Let us quickly get to the heart of this blog and check out the secret foods that can help prevent hypertension.

Foods To Lower Your Blood Pressure

While hurrying to meet ends in your daily routine, you hardly eat consciously. Most of the time, you grab all stomach fillers. In this run, you must have overlooked that food right next to the one you just grabbed, which could have been the life-saver from hypertension. 

Do you wish to learn to recognise the best foods for your hypertension?

Here are a few surprising foods (anything you eat and drink) that will help you regulate your blood pressure. 

Water

This ubiquitous drink is always around you, and no one considers it. It sounds true if you say, water water everywhere, but not a thought to drink. Water is a beautiful medicine, and regular and timely hydration can prevent almost all the illnesses you can name. 

The mantra is '30 minutes once, one glass of water'. Water is an excellent natural remedy for high BP.

Did you, all of a sudden, remember that you need to drink water? Wait, because gulping down a whole jug of it will not help. Your body expels anything extra. 

That is why, even if water is an excellent remedy, you must be aware of the quantity of water you consume.

Also, regarding quality, clear and clean water has been proven to reduce blood pressure clinically. However, chemically treated water can cause counterproductive results. That is what you find in the market, and you do not know it. You must know the source of water from where it comes from.

Ayurvedic experts recommend consuming water stored in copper or earthen vessels. Furthermore, it is also advisable to use a few aromatic herbs like Vetivera zezoids that can make the water tasty and anti-hypertensive. 

Sweet potatoes

These universally loved tubers can sweetly reduce your blood pressure. Clinical studies revealed that purple-coloured sweet potatoes can reduce blood pressure and improve SOD (Superoxide Dismutase - this is an antioxidant naturally produced in the body to fight against oxidative stress). 

Including these delicious meal makers in breakfast or lunch will be great. You can season them with mixed herbs containing basil, which can add to their anti-hypertensive tendency. 

Pistachios

These green nuts can add greenery to your health profile, too. These are not only lip smackers but also a storehouse of health benefits. They lower blood pressure and improve the body's vitamin and antioxidant levels. 

Clinical studies have revealed how these healthy snack makers can amazingly lower blood pressure. 

Kiwi

Sectors of the globe actively seek after this pulpy fruit from southeastern Asia for its health benefits. Studies reveal that consuming around 360 to 370 gms of kiwi daily can tremendously regulate blood pressure. 

So, this kiwi can be a part of your dessert after breakfast or lunch. You can also consider fresh kiwi juice for an evening drink. 

Apricots

This beautiful fruit can add more health to your eyes and caress your blood pressure. Statistics say apricots contain potassium, which can help naturally lower blood pressure. 

Dark chocolate

Oh, are we just recommending chocolate to you? Yes, but it's not just some regular chocolate. Know your dark chocolate's source and content before consuming it for hypertension. This dusky chocolate bar is just a treat for your tongue; the cacao in dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids that can lower blood pressure. The American Heart Association suggests using dark chocolates to prevent and treat hypertension. 

Watermelon

This heat-beater beats the blood pressure, too. This food is rich in the protein 'citrulline', which improves nitrogen levels in the body. Eventually, this can calm down the blood vessels and aid in maintaining blood pressure. So, pre or post-food or as a part of your snack, watermelon is a life hack against blood pressure. Apart from reducing blood pressure, watermelons also hydrate your body and improve your skin. 

Garlic

Research has linked the use of these aromas with heart health . Ayurvedic experts recommend consuming garlic for improving blood vessel health, reducing blood pressure, and controlling hormonal imbalances. Mainly because it can reduce the Vata during the blood flow and offloads the pressure on the arteries. 

You can liberally use this spice to garnish or in your cheese spread. Garlic contains allicin, which can detox the blood and assist the liver. In this way, it is blood pressure-friendly. 

Apart from these top eight foods, pulses, cereals like oats, leafy green vegetables and greens like spinach, kale and seasonal fruits can fill your body with antioxidants and prevent hypertension. 

So what exactly do you need from the food to prevent hypertension? Let's look deeper into the science of it!

 All of them must be able to: 

• Relax the blood vessels  
• Flush off the toxins from the blood,
• Reduce the burden on the liver and kidney to filter toxins
• Improve nitrogen, vitamins (A, D, E, K and C) and other antioxidants

If there is a tick against all the above, then 'Yes", you can eat it if reducing hypertension is your goal. 

On a quick note, you need to avoid stuff that loads your blood and liver, like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and starchy foods. These are clinically proven to shoot up blood pressure. 

Your Anti-Hypertensive Diet Chart

Ideally 'your' specific anti-hypertensive chart must be very carefully drafted by a team of clinicians, ayurvedic doctors, dieticians and yoga experts (like our crafted Nirva Health Crew. This diet may be the one if you are looking for a 'try-it-on' kind of diet chart.

Here is a sample 3-day meal plan which can help reduce hypertension 
 

Note: Ensure you add minimal or pink salt while on a diet to reduce hypertension. Salt sensitivity is directly linked to hypertension, so monitoring your salt intake regularly is wise. 

Hypertension can either be familial or only diet-related. If hypertension runs in your family, then it is an intelligent decision to make your diet anti-hypertensive, as prevention is better than cure. 

Good exercise and a healthy lifestyle can support your anti-hypertension diet and improve outcomes. Clinically, regular exercise reduces hypertension. Practising specific yoga poses also regulates your heart activity and blood pressure. Poses like diamond pose, cat pose, child pose and sun salutation can significantly improve blood pressure.

Choose Personalised Diet for Hypertension - A Nirva Approach 

Choosing begins with understanding. At Nirva, we spend a lot of time thoroughly analysing your body. This personalisation includes one or more of the following aspects: 

Collective Consultation 

A dedicated team of experts individually understands your lifestyle and its impact on your body, and every small detail counts. Most importantly, your metabolic type, as per Ayurveda, must be identified. 

For instance, sweet potatoes are good for preventing hypertension. However, if your metabolic type is Kapha (earth and water element predominant), it may add to your body weight and may not be apt for you. For a Kapha body type, you must choose foods that control body weight and hypertension, like kiwi and leafy vegetables. You must consult our Ayurvedic experts to know what works best for you!

Supportive Yoga and Lifestyle Chart 

Yoga and lifestyle complement an anti-hypertensive diet. Our Nirva health yoga experts carefully draft the yoga routine according to the body type to balance the anti-hypertensive diet. 

Personalised Diet Chart 

Ultimately, every food in your diet chart from Nirva is literally 'just for you' and has crossed all the checkboxes - like,

So, take some time and try our Nirva health consultation for your right anti-hypertensive diet plan. 

Conclusion

Keeping the tension in your blood vessels away is very important, even if you cannot keep it off your mind. Simple, mindful choices in your daily food intake can ensure that the pressure in the blood vessels is apt. 

Processed foods, preserved foods, reheated foods, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco contain a lot of stuff that can pressurise your blood vessels. It's equally important to avoid certain foods to prevent consuming them altogether.

You can start with the foods we discussed; however, having a detailed consultation with our Ayurvedic experts is even better.