Bananas: Just one medium-sized banana packs a powerful potassium punch: 422 milligrams, to be exact. Beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and avocado are other potassium-rich foods that may help lower blood pressure naturally.
The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.
*Note: Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interact negatively with certain blood pressure medications. Consult a healthcare provider or dietitian about possible food-drug interactions before changing your diet. Overall, to improve your heart health, eat a low-sodium diet including lean meat and less added sugars.
Cheese is a great source of protein and calcium but is often high in saturated fat and salt. This means eating too much could lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Consuming drinks like tomato juice, beet juice, pomegranate juice, and skimmed milk as part of a balanced, healthy diet can help you manage high blood pressure.
Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day may increase your blood pressure. If you're a big fan of coffee, tea or other caffeine-rich drinks, such as cola and some energy drinks, consider cutting down.
Avocados are one of the best sources of monounsaturated fats. This type of fat can lower high blood pressure and prevent high blood pressure. A single avocado also has more than 10 grams of blood pressure-reducing fiber.
Eggs don't have a direct impact on blood pressure, Dr. Hausvater adds—for example, eating a couple eggs won't cause a surge upward or a sudden downward dip—but they may have an indirect effect because they contain potassium and calcium, which contribute to lower blood pressure.
Yogurt by itself does not lower blood pressure or prevent hypertension. But a diet that includes nutrient-rich foods like low-fat yogurt instead of less healthy foods does combat high blood pressure. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan calls for two to three servings of low-fat dairy per day.
If you're worried maintaining lowered blood pressure might mean giving up bread, you will be thrilled to know that whole grain breads made out of whole wheat, whole rye or whole multigrain have shown to have a blood pressure lowering effect if eaten regularly.
Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, and has been shown in some studies to reduce blood pressure. Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, making it a heart-healthy snack.
Fattier seafood like tuna, salmon and sardines contain these omega 3 fatty acids. In addition to eating seafood, other foods and lifestyle changes can also help manage blood pressure.
Evidence-Based Answer. Walking lowers systolic blood pressure by 4.11 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.01 to 5.22 mm Hg). It lowers diastolic blood pressure by 1.79 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.51 mm Hg) and resting heart rate by 2.76 beats per minute (bpm; 95% CI, 0.95 to 4.57 bpm).
Oatmeal is a great breakfast choice if you have high blood pressure, but oat bran can provide even more health benefits, since it's higher in fiber, which can help to lower blood pressure and improve digestive health. Oatmeal also contains soluble fiber, which has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean diet both recommend including whole grains as part of a healthy diet. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should eat about 3 ounces of whole grains a day, or the equivalent of three slices of whole-wheat bread.