Alkaline Diet

Alkaline Foods That Can Reduce Your Blood Pressure

What you consume can have a major impact on your overall health.  Eating a more alkaline-based diet can provide numerous benefits to your body 1 Schwalfenberg, Gerry. (2012). The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health?. Journal of environmental and public health. 2012. 727630. 10.1155/2012/727630. , which includes protecting you from diseases, improving your cardiovascular health and lowering your high blood pressure.

The following are 10 alkaline foods to include in your diet in order to reduce your blood pressure:

1.   Watermelon

Watermelons are loaded with magnesium and potassium which can play a significant role in lowering your blood pressure.  Potassium acts as a vasodilator, promoting the dilatation of blood vessels which helps in releasing the tension from arteries and blood vessels.  This stimulates high blood flow and reduces the stress on your cardiovascular system. 

Carotenoids, yellow, orange, and red organic pigments which give the characteristic color to fruits and vegatables such as pumpkins, carrots, corn and tomatoes, are also present in watermelon, which prevents the artery veins and walls from hardening, thus, reducing blood pressure.

2.   Plum Tomatoes

Eating one plum tomato every day decreases the risk of high blood pressure.  This is primarily due to the amount of potassium in plum tomatoes which helps in reducing tension in the arteries and vessels, which, in turn, help increase circulation and lowers the stress and pressure placed on your heart.

3.   Walnuts

Studies have proven that eating walnuts can lower bad cholesterol and enhances the good cholesterol level 2 Banel DK, Hu FB. Effects of walnut consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(1):56–63. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27457 .  Consuming around 25 grams of walnuts daily is sufficient enough to offer about 90% of the daily recommended amount of essential fatty acids.  As a result, it reduces the chances of heart diseases and high blood pressure.

4.   Rye

Rye is known as a heart-healthy food 3 Lu Wang, J Michael Gaziano, Simin Liu, JoAnn E Manson, Julie E Buring, Howard D Sesso, Whole- and refined-grain intakes and the risk of hypertension in women, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 86, Issue 2, August 2007, Pages 472–479, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.2.472 as it contains magnesium which helps control blood pressure and optimize heart health.  Its high levels of soluble fibre can also reduce cholesterol.  It is recommended that you include rye in your everyday diet as it offers a number of essential nutrients needed for your body, including a good amount of mineral and fibre content.

5.   Dandelion Greens

One of the most effective means of reducing blood pressure is by urination 4 Shah SU, Anjum S, Littler WA Use of diuretics in cardiovascular disease: (2) hypertension Postgraduate Medical Journal 2004;80:271-276. .  The majority of modern blood pressure medications are based on this fact.  Dandelion juice is diuretic in nature, which enhances urination in both frequency and quantity.  Thus, it assists in lowering high blood pressure.

6.   Strawberries

Strawberries are also loaded with magnesium and potassium content; both of which can help to reduce blood pressure 5 Feresin, R.G.; Johnson, S.A.; Pourafshar, S.; Campbell, J.C.; Jaime, S.J.; Navaei, N.; Elam, M.L.; Akhavan, N.S.; Alvarez-Alvarado, S.; Tenenbaum, G.; et al. Impact of daily strawberry consumption on blood pressure and arterial stiffness in pre- and stage 1-hypertensive postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial. Food Funct. 2017, 8, 4139–4149. , which is caused due to inorganic sodium and other risk factors.  This fruit also lowers the rigidity of blood vessels and arteries, which also lowers blood pressure.

7.   Burdock Tea

An unknown fact of burdock tea is its ability to lower blood pressure 6 Lee YJ, Choi DH, Cho GH, Kim JS, Kang DG, Lee HS. Arctium lappa ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in rats fed with high fat/cholesterol diets. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:116. Published 2012 Aug 6. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-116 .  This plant is high in potassium, which relieves tension from the cardiovascular system and relaxes arteries and blood vessels.  As a result, it helps to prevent strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries.

8.   Prickly Pears

Prickly pears are good for your heart 7 Igho, J., Onakpoya, M.D., Jack, O.S., Carl, J.H. 2015. The effect of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors: A systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Nutrition. 31, 640–646. .  They also hold a high amount of potassium that can reduce high blood pressure by lowering stress on your cardiovascular system and relaxing your blood vessels.

9.   Tomatillos

Tomatillos consist of a good ratio of sodium and potassium, which can lower your blood pressure.  Potassium helps to relax your blood vessels, decreases the pressure on your cardiovascular system, and also enhances the oxygenation and circulation in your body.

Increased blood pressure can be a major stressor to your body, while also inducing the release of cortisol and other stress organs, which can be harmful to your health.  It is helpful that you include these alkaline foods in your daily diet to help you reduce your blood pressure and maintain overall good health.