These healthy foods are proven to lower blood pressure better than drugs

Hypertension can be managed without the need to take expensive pharmaceutical drugs. Instead, consume as many naturally nutritious foods in their unprocessed state to help maintain your blood pressure at healthy levels.

Dark chocolate contains flavanols that lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients. It also has procyanidins that get blood vessels to relax. Make sure that the chocolate you eat contains as much cocoa as possible. Dark chocolate is the best for this. As little as one small square a day will help keep the heart doctor away.

If you need oil with which to cook or dress food, use olive oil. It is much healthier than butter, corn oil, or even soybean oil. If olive oil is not to your taste, you can use sesame oil to cook your food and improve their flavor. It takes just 15 days for 35 grams of the oil to bring systolic blood pressure down. Its effects on diastolic pressure can be felt just one hour after eating a meal.

Beets have a lot of natural nitrates that greatly improve blood pressure. A cup of beetroot juice will reduce the stiffness of artery walls and improve the endothelium that lines the inside of the blood vessels.

You are probably already eating garlic. But you could stand to eat even more of the vegetable. The more garlic is in your diet, the better its effect on your hypertension. If you can’t stand its taste, try aged garlic extract instead. (Related: Aged garlic is incredibly good for your heart.)

Eating healthy food is the natural – and best – way to improve hypertension

Watermelon improves blood pressure in several ways. It has an amino acid called L-citrulline. Its potassium keeps salt levels under tight control. It also has strong antioxidant activity in the form of lycopene. Eating six grams everyday is easy and tasty.

The juice of the pomegranate fruit is not only good for the blood pressure of hypertensive people, it also lowers the risk of related atherosclerosis. Drink at least three ounces of this juice everyday.

Another fruit that makes for a refreshing and healthy juice is the chokeberry. A 2015 study conducted by the University of Belgrade found that 13 ounces (400 milliliters) of chokeberry juice can positively affect blood pressure in a matter of weeks.

Many nuts help manage hypertension. But if you had to choose just one nut to munch on, pick pistachios.

Coconut fruits store water inside their shells. This liquid is not just refreshing to gulp down. It greatly lowers systolic blood pressure and also improves diastolic pressure.

Flaxseed is considered to be one of the most effective natural anti-hypertensives based on food. The fiber, lignans, and omega-3 fatty acids stored within just 30 grams worth of seeds are a boon to people with heart disease.

A daily dose of these edibles protect your blood vessels

Diets with high amounts of natural fiber have been shown to amend hypertension. Eating three portions of whole grains every day can also help prevent coronary artery disease and strokes.

Taking two cups of hibiscus tea each day was shown to improve blood pressure. Take this instead of black tea, a cup of which will raise your blood pressure.

Fruits and vegetables are able to support the health of blood vessels through phytochemicals and potassium. Try to eat at least four servings each day.

Blueberries, concord grapes, and kiwi are three fruits that you should eat whenever you can. You can also try out recipes for gazpacho soup, a filling dish made from raw vegetables.

Certain spices can also help your cardiovascular health. Two grams of cinnamon or three grams of cardamom can restore your blood pressure to natural levels.

Sources include:

GreenMedInfo.com

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov