01709 599 222

Five Summer Foods to Lower Blood Pressure

Published on 16th August 2018

Last week we wrote about how the summer sun affects your blood pressure, but what about seasonal food?

Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries

It’s a little late for Wimbledon strawberries and cream, but you may want to make an exception.
Berries are rich in flavonoid, which can improve blood flow as blood vessels relax.

Avocado

The Instagram lovers favourite is packed with potassium, an important mineral for helping your kidneys filter fluids from the blood, which in turn lowers blood pressure.

Celery

Famously (and incorrectly) known for containing fewer calories than it takes to digest, celery isn’t the go-to food of choice for most.

Celery does, however, contain NBP (phthalates) which can also relax artery walls and boost blood flow.
A study found a -1.9 mmHg drop when eating 92 grams of celery a day for those aged 40-59.

Coriander

Josh Axe, a clinical nutritionist, says eating this herb will cut your blood pressure reading.

As well as having a positive role in modulating gut activity, but its diuretic effect on the body can be very helpful to those with high blood pressure.

Leafy greens

34 studies have shown eating 240-960mg of magnesium a day lowered blood pressure after 3 months.

The problem here though is that you’ll need 1.5kg of greens to get that amount of magnesium. So, it may be an idea to add other sources of magnesium such as nuts, dark chocolate and supplements.

Lifestyle

That said, there are other aspects to consider.

Being more active day to day, overall diet and other lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking etc.) all have an effect on blood pressure and the health of your heart.

The terrifying fact of the sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is it can strike even the healthiest and otherwise healthy explorers without warning.
Without a defibrillator minutes away, your chances of surviving SCA is virtually none.

You wouldn’t work in a building without a fire extinguisher, so why spend 1/3 of your day without a defibrillator on hand?