High blood pressure also known as hypertension, is a condition that affects both young and old people. Alarming is the fact that it is one of the main factors that can lead to disability and death, worldwide. If you want to protect yourself from this condition, then it is important to change your diet and to focus on consuming healthy foods. You can treat hypertension with the help of medications, lifestyle changes and dietary changes. If you are experiencing hypertension, then you are at risk of suffering from kidney disease, stroke or heart disease, therefore, it is highly important to adopt the needed changes to protect yourself from this health condition. Here are five of the most important foods you should include in your diet to lower your blood pressure.
1. Oats
Oats are not effective only in lowering your cholesterol levels; if you consume this food regularly, you can reduce your blood pressure. A study showed that the individuals who suffer from hypertension and consume oats for six weeks register a reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. If you will start eating oats, you will also be able to maintain your glucose at a healthy level.
2. Oranges
Everyone knows that oranges are rich in Vitamin C, but what they may have no idea about is that if they consume orange juice regularly, they can reduce the diastolic blood pressure. Oranges contain hesperidin that is connected with the reduction of diastolic blood pressure. It is recommended to eat the oranges as a snack or for breakfast, because commercial juices come with numerous additives.
3. Berries
Berries and strawberries are always included in the top of five foods to naturally treat hypertension because they can reduce the blood pressure with 8% if they are consumed regularly. They include a flavonoid called anthocyanin that is effective in lowering the level of blood pressure. It is easy to include berries in your diet; you can consume them as snacks or as smoothies for your breakfast.
4. Dark chocolate
If you are the type of person who loves chocolate the good news is that, you can continue to delight your senses, only that you will have to switch for the dark version of chocolate. Studies show that the persons who are experiencing prehypertension or hypertension can reduce their blood pressure with the help of cocoa-rich chocolate. Make sure that you eat a type that includes minimum of 70% cocoa, and you do not consume more than a square per day.
5. Pistachios
Yes, it takes some work to eat pistachios but they totally worth the effort, they taste amazing and they can easily lower your blood pressure. A study in 2005 showed that nuts have the power to treat hypertension in the people who are experiencing type 2 diabetes. From all the nuts available on the market it looks like pistachios are the ones that are the most effective in lowering both the DBP and the SBP.
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