Hypertension or high blood pressure is the most common risk factor for heart disease. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (top number) of 130 mm Hg or more, diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) of more than 80 mm Hg, or both. Currently, more than 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure.
Medications are usually used to reduce blood pressure levels. However, lifestyle changes, including dietary modifications, can also help lower blood pressure levels to the optimal range. Following a heart-healthy, nutritious diet is recommended for all people with high blood pressure, including those who are already taking blood pressure-lowering drugs. This diet needs to be followed by consuming vegetables in adequate quantities.
In addition to increasing fiber consumption, increasing the number of vegetables in your diet helps you get the specific nutrients found in certain vegetables. Hopefully, the nutrients contained in vegetables can help lower blood pressure. Furthermore, here are some good foods to keep your blood pressure regular:
- Carrots
Carrots are rich in phenolic compounds, such as chlorogenic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids, which can help relax blood vessels and reduce inflammation, which can help lower blood pressure levels.
Consuming raw carrots is considered more beneficial for lowering high blood pressure. Research conducted by Chan, et al and published in the Journal of Human Hypertension states that consuming raw carrots is significantly associated with lower blood pressure.
- Celery
Celery contains phthalides compounds that can help relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure levels. Still based on the same study, consuming cooked celery actually had a more significant effect on lowering blood pressure.
- Tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in many nutrients, including potassium and the carotenoid pigment lycopene. Lycopene can have significant beneficial effects on heart health. So, eating foods high in lycopene, such as tomatoes, can help reduce risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure.
In a study conducted by Borgi, et al in Hypertension, consumption of tomatoes and tomato products is said can help lower blood pressure and can help reduce the risk of heart disease and heart disease-related death.
- Broccoli
Broccoli contains flavonoid antioxidants, which can help lower blood pressure by improving blood vessel function and increasing nitric oxide levels in your body.
Still based on the same study, people who eat 4 or more servings of broccoli per week have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure than those who eat broccoli once a month or less.
- Spinach
Spinach contains nitrates, antioxidants, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, so it is an excellent choice for people with high blood pressure. In a study conducted by Jovanoski, et al and published in Clinical Nutrition Research in 2015, consumption of 16.9 ounces (500 mL) of spinach soup for 7 days was able to provide a decrease in blood pressure. Spinach soup also reduces arterial stiffness, resulting in reduced blood pressure and improved heart health.
How about you Ladies, are you used to adding these vegetables into your daily eating habits? If you are not, let's add these vegetables little by little. Even though you may not have hypertension, prevention is always better than getting sick.
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Borgi, L., Muraki, I., Satija, A., Willett, W. C., Rimm, E. B., & Forman, J. P. (2016). Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and the Incidence of Hypertension in Three Prospective Cohort Studies. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 67(2), 288–293.
Chan, Q., Stamler, J., Brown, I. J., Daviglus, M. L., Van Horn, L., Dyer, A. R., Oude Griep, L. M., Miura, K., Ueshima, H., Zhao, L., Nicholson, J. K., Holmes, E., Elliott, P., & INTERMAP Research Group (2014). Relation of raw and cooked vegetable consumption to blood pressure: the INTERMAP Study. Journal of human hypertension, 28(6), 353–359.
Jovanovski, E., Bosco, L., Khan, K., Au-Yeung, F., Ho, H., Zurbau, A., Jenkins, A. L., & Vuksan, V. (2015). Effect of Spinach, a High Dietary Nitrate Source, on Arterial Stiffness and Related Hemodynamic Measures: A Randomized, Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults. Clinical nutrition research, 4(3), 160–167.