ialty bread shops or try your hand at making your own!
Some may find that even after removing salt from their diet, their blood pressure remains the same. This is because some individuals are not salt-sensitive, meaning that they will not see a change in blood pressure even if their sodium intake varies. In cases such as this, it is still best to reduce your sodium intake where possible.
2. Rethink your drink
Studies show alcohol intake has a detrimental effect on blood pressure. A large study which included over 360,000 adults showed that men who averaged 1-2 drinks daily had an increased risk for hypertension compared to non-drinkers. Their risk increased as their alcohol intake increased. For women, hypertension risk began to increase at 3 or more drinks per day. Binge drinking has also been shown to be detrimental when it comes to high blood pressure too. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at almost 4,000 current drinkers without hypertension and found that alcohol increased their blood pressure by 1 mmHg for every 10 grams consumed per day. The good news is that the effects of alcohol and high blood pressure are considered “rapidly reversible”.
3. Have a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables
Consuming enough fresh fruit, vegetables and wholegrains is key for having a healthy blood pressure. Regularly having 4-5 serves of vegetables is linked to a lower risk of high blood pressure. This recommendation can be seen in the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet.16 The DASH diet emphasises the consumption of vegetables, fruits and whole grains while limiting foods high in saturated fat, sugar sweetened beverages and sweets.16 Dairy products, fish, poultry, beans and nuts are also emphasised.16 A major study which looked into the effects of the DASH diet compared to a diet high in sodium observed an 11.5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure for those with hypertension.16 All individuals with high blood pressure should increase their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables while reducing their sodium intake.1
In the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern, people who ate more vegetables and fruit compared to their regular diet (which was probably low in these natural superfoods) had lower blood pressure than those who didn’t.
4. Make friends with whole-grains
Despite many fad diets warning people to avoid eating them, regular consumption of wholegrains is linked with healthier hearts, and a lower risk of high blood pressure. Research shows that high intakes of wholegrains reduces your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 30%.
Choose wholegrain versions of your regular foods: such as wholegrain or sourdough bread wholegrain or buckwheat pasta. Other good quality wholegrains include brown rice, rolled oats and buckwheat, quinoa, barley, spelt, kamut and teff.
5. Include dietary nitrates
Nitrates are compounds found naturally in some foods. Root vegetables such as beetroot, and green leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, lettuce and kale are the best dietary source of nitrates by far. Nitrate is a substance that converts into nitric oxide in the body. One important benefit of nitric oxide is that it sends signals to the tiny muscle cells around the arteries, telling them to relax. When these cells relax, our blood vessels dilate and blood pressure goes down. A large scale study found that beetroot juice supplementation is associated with a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure. Research has found that foods high in nitrates, such as beetroot and beetroot juice can reduce blood pressure. Another study found that one glass of beetroot juice per day can lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
6. Include more omega-3 fatty acids
The evidence of the effects of omega-3 fats from fish oils on blood pressure is also generally consistent with at least five meta-analyses finding statistically significant reductions in blood pressure. One of these studies which included over 1,524 participants found a statistically significant reduc