Foods That Lower Blood Pressure – Part 2

Food that lowers blood pressure is an integral part of blood pressure treatment, in fact it is almost impossible to conquer this medical condition without a control on ones diet.

High blood pressure is harmful for the body in many ways. There are medicines that the doctors prescribe for lowering it; however a proper diet and eating food that lower blood pressure can also go a long way in keeping this medical condition in check.

The most important component of food that causes blood pressure to rise is sodium. Sodium is a major ingredient of common salt, food that lower blood pressure is therefore food that avoids or uses minor quantities of sodium. At home it is easy to prepare food that lower blood pressure by abstaining from putting too much salt, but while buying readymade food too, for patients of high blood pressure we should read the labels and know what the writings mean in terms of sodium content. For example low sodium on a label means 140 milligrams of it, very low, 35 milligrams, salt free 5 milligrams, light on sodium means the food has 50% sodium and reduced sodium means it has 25% of it. Readymade food that lowers blood pressure would thus have to be the salt free ones. It is safe to select that variety of packaged food for a patient of high blood pressure.

While preparing the menu for the day at home, we must be conscious of the amount of salt we are using. Food that lowers blood pressure need not be tasteless and unattractive; we can put spices and herbs to make it interesting while avoiding salt as much as possible. It is also a good idea to keep the salt sprinkler away at mealtimes.

Foods that lower blood pressure are for the most part vegetarian. It is good to stick to a mostly vegetarian diet while preparing food for a patient of high blood pressure. Celery, garlic, Onion, tomato, broccoli, carrot, saffron and assorted spices are all included in food that lower blood pressure. People with high blood pressure can have generous quantities of these items and feel safe and healthy.

Some high fiber powders available in the market like oat fiber, guar gum, apple pectin, gum karaya, psyllium seed, dandelion root powder, ginger root powder, fenugreek seed powder and fennel seed powder are also considered food that lower blood pressure. These items also help in weight loss, maintaining cardiac health and a smooth digestive system.

Many items are marketed as salt supplements and promoted as food that lower blood pressure. It is wise to be wary of these. Most of the time sodium supplements have the same effect in the body as sodium. It is also advisable to avoid overuse of sugar as it has been studies that even sugar raises blood pressure levels.

The overall guidelines to remember while selecting food that lower blood pressure are that, they should be low on sodium; they should be low on sugar and low on saturated fats and cholesterol. Therefore even while preparing food for a patient of hypertension at home it is important to remember not to use too much oil or cheese. Food that are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and contain generous amounts of potassium and magnesium can be safely included in the list of food that lowers blood pressure.