High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. This is a condition when the force applied by your blood flow on your artery walls increase dramatically causing physical pressure on the arteries which is above normal. This leads to damaging of the arteries and causing it to get stiff. Primary reason behind this increase in blood pressure is due to the narrowing of the blood vessels. As the blood vessels get narrow, the blood needs to flow at a faster rate so as to pass the amount pumped out by the heart. There are several reasons that may lead to this condition some of which might be diabetes, stress, obesity and excessive amount of sodium in the body. High blood pressure is associated with many health issues like kidney failure and many other heart diseases. The worst thing about high blood pressure is that till you get aware of the disease through the symptoms, it already does much harm to the body. Here are some food and diet for blood pressure.
Vitamins for High Blood Pressure
Potassium: Unbalanced sodium to potassium ratio is considered as one of the reasons for development of high blood pressure. There are two ways to prevent this ratio, one is to decrease your sodium intake and the smarter way would be to increase your potassium intake. Some of the foods that include potassium are banana, avocados, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, prunes, dates, raisins, peanuts, cantaloupe, etc.
Calcium: Calcium deficiency can also be a reason for development of high blood pressure. You can increase your calcium intake by including foods rich in it like cheese, yogurt, soymilk, cereal, etc.
Magnesium: Magnesium works well in maintaining a proper circulation system. It increases the elasticity of the blood vessels and thus creating enough space for the blood to flow and therefore lowering your blood pressure level. Some foods rich in magnesium content are tofu, black beans, halibut, spinach, pumpkin seeds, oysters, etc.
B Vitamins: Vitamins B6, B12 and B9, also known as folic acid prevent your blood vessels from occurrence of arteriosclerosis. It helps in flexibility of arteries. Fortified cereals and whole grain breads contain large doses of B Vitamins. Pork, beef, tomato juice and seafood are some of the foods that contain enough of these vitamins.
Vitamin C and E: Vitamin C is known to calm down the nervous system and thus help in reducing stress. 95 mg of this vitamin in a day would be enough to maintain proper stress management. Citrus fruits, juices, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, kale, etc. are some of the foods that contain good amount of Vitamin C. Both vitamin C and E are antioxidants and work together to reduce the risk of heart attack. Wheat germ, kiwi, mangoes, turnip greens, raspberries, sunflower seeds, etc. are some of the foods that contain enough amount of Vitamin E.
Herbs: Certain herbs are also helpful in maintenance of proper heart health. Ginger root maintains proper blood circulation and garlic prevents formation of platelets in the blood as it narrows the artery walls.