What Is the Best Food to Control High Blood Pressure?

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What Is High Blood Pressure?

It is a condition featuring an elevated force of blood pushing against the blood vessel walls in your body. Technically, high blood pressure is a condition of the heart since the heart is responsible for pumping blood to the rest of your body through the blood vessels. When you have high blood pressure, the heart is working harder than it should pump blood to the rest of your body. The harder the heart works, the higher the pressure and the hardening of the arteries. The consequences of high blood pressure are severe and rather life-threatening.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Before you begin high blood pressure treatment in Germantown, you should at least understand the causing factors of the condition. The doctors at Germantown Primary HealthCare have not yet known the primary causes of high blood pressure. In fact, as Dr. Lakhvinder Wadhwa will tell you, about 95% of high blood pressure cases in the U.S. alone cannot be identified for their underlying causes. Therefore, primary care physicians in Germantown have come up with several risk factors that can contribute to high blood pressure, including the following:

1. Genetics and family history of high blood pressure
2. Being older than 35 years
3. Smoking
4. Being overweight or obese
5. Lack of physical activity
6. Too much salt intake in your meals
7. Too much alcohol consumption – typically drinking more than 1 to 2 drinks per day
8. Stress, anxiety, and depression
9. Chronic kidney disease
10. Sleep apnea
11. Women who take birth control pills

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

Unfortunately, health experts consider hypertension a highly dangerous disease because it is a silent killer. Many people suffer from hypertension for many years without any signs or symptoms until it is too late. However, you may notice a few symptoms of hypertension, typically when the blood pressure is severely high and often life-threatening. They include:

1. Shortness of breath
2. Headaches
3. Dizziness
4. Nosebleeds

How Do You Treat Hypertension?

According to primary care physicians in 20874, there is no one treatment for hypertension. The goal is always to manage the pressure levels, which is a lifetime endeavor for every patient. The main treatment protocol for maintaining healthy blood pressure is taking antihypertensive medicines. If your blood pressure is only within normal levels when you take the medicine, you will need to take them for the rest of your life. The good news is that the medication works well in lowering blood pressure.

Can High Blood Pressure Be Prevented or Avoided?

Like any primary care physician near you will tell you, high blood pressure is a disease that can be prevented by making changes to your lifestyle. Some of the ways you can maintain a healthy blood pressure level are:

1. Lose weight – and work to maintain a healthy weight.
2. Quit smoking and other tobacco usage.
3. Significantly lower your consumption of alcohol.
4. Exercise
5. Eat healthily
6. Lower your intake of salt

Best Foods to Control Your Blood Pressure

Your diet plays a major role in the levels of your blood pressure. Some of the best foods for maintaining healthy blood pressure for a long time are:

1. Citrus fruits – like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. They contain vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds for maintaining a healthy heart.
2. Fatty fish like salmon – contain omega-3 fats that reduce inflammation and lower the levels of oxylipins, which are blood-vessel-constricting compounds in the body.
3. Beans and lentils – are rich in fiber, magnesium, and potassium, nutrients that can help regulate blood pressure.
4. Berries like blueberries, chokeberries, raspberries, cloudberries, and strawberries – contain antioxidants such as anthocyanins that reduce the production of blood-vessel-restricting molecules in the body.
5. Carrots – are an incredible vegetable source for daily meals, especially when eaten raw. They contain phenolic compounds known to reduce inflammation and help blood vessels relax.
6. Broccoli – is packed with flavonoid antioxidants that enhance blood vessel functions and improve the health of your circulatory system.
7. Spinach – is typically high in antioxidants, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and nitrates that are necessary for patients with hypertensive conditions.