9 Foods That Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally—No Meds Needed
From beet juice to potatoes, these foods and drinks reduce your BP up to 13 points
You already know that keeping a lid on your blood pressure is a great way to improve your heart health. After all, doing so has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by 60 percent. And one of the easiest ways to do so is by enjoying delicious, nutrient-dense foods that lower your blood pressure.
Why reducing high blood pressure is important
Your blood pressure is measured in two numbers: systolic (top number), which measures the force of your blood pushing against artery walls when your heart beats, and diastolic (bottom number), which measures that force when your heart is at rest. A heart-healthy BP reading is considered anything under 120/80 mmHg.
When your blood pressure is in that range your risk of kidney and liver diseases drop and your life expectancy can increase by up to 16 years, suggests a study in Cardiology Research and Practice. But when you have elevated blood pressure or hypertension (a reading above 130/80 mmHg), it can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke, heart failure, kidney problems and even dementia.
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9 foods and drinks that lower blood pressure naturally
Good news: Reducing your blood pressure is easier than you may think. While regular exercise, getting enough sleep and finding ways to de-stress are all important, there are certain foods you can eat that lower your blood pressure with every delicious bite. Here, the top foods and drinks to work into a balanced eating plan:
1. Beet juice
Sipping a cup of beet juice or stirring 1 tsp. of beetroot powder into a morning smoothie lowers your diastolic blood pressure by 10 points in as little as 24 hours, according to research in the journal Hypertension. Beets are packed with nitrate, a compound that’s quickly converted into pressure-easing nitric oxide in the digestive tract.
Tip: Not a fan of beet juice? Try tossing raw leafy greens like baby spinach into your smoothie instead. You won’t even taste them, but the veggies are also packed with BP-lowering nitrates.
2. Orange juice
Drink a cup of OJ at breakfast, then enjoy another glass at lunch or dinner time, too. Research in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people who drank two cups of orange juice daily trimmed six points off their systolic blood pressure in 12 weeks. Credit goes to hesperidin, a plant compound in oranges and their juice that thwarts the cell-damaging inflammation that can cause blood pressure to climb.
3. Berries
It goes without saying that fruits and vegetables are part of a heart-smart diet. But one of the most delicious foods that lowers your blood pressure is berries. And enjoying two half-cup servings of juicy strawberries, raspberries or blueberries daily is all it takes.
Research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that adding berries, berry puree or cold-pressed berry juice to your daily diet lowers your systolic blood pressure by up to nine points and your diastolic blood pressure by up to five points in eight weeks (even if you don’t make any other changes to your diet or fitness routine). The reason: Berries are packed with polyphenols that boost the production of blood vessel-widening nitric oxide.
4. Hibiscus tea
Cozying up with a cup of sweet-tart hibiscus tea (hot or iced) tames hypertension. Tufts University researchers found that subjects who drank a cup of hibiscus tea every day for four weeks lowered their systolic BP by up to 13 points and their diastolic BP by up to six points.
Those are results as good as some pressure-lowering ACE inhibitors. Hibiscus acts as a diuretic to flush excess salt, open arteries for better blood flow and slow the release of hormones that constrict blood vessels.
5. Green tea
You might have heard that drinking green tea daily also lowers your BP. But University of California Irvine scientists found a smart hack for boosting the benefit. After brewing your tea, add an ice cube to cool it slightly before sipping. Researchers found tea that’s warm but not steaming (around 95 degrees Fahrenheit) improves the ability of beneficial flavonoids in the brew to help blood vessels relax.
6. Garlic
You know it as a pungent spice, but garlic is also potent medicine for your cardiovascular system. A study in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine found that taking 1,200 mg. of garlic capsules daily worked as effectively as commonly-used blood pressure medications.
It lowered systolic blood pressure by more than eight points and diastolic blood pressure by nearly six points in 12 weeks. Garlic contains a compound called allicin that relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow. Eating garlic provides your body with a dose of allicin too, but capsules offer a far more concentrated dose. One to try: Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract.
7. Amaranth
Amaranth, an ancient grain from Mexico, has a mild nutty taste and packs a powerful BP-lowering punch. It’s particularly high in magnesium—one cooked cup provides 160 mg, or 50 percent of your daily magnesium needs. And research in Nutrition Journal shows that for every 100 mg increase of dietary magnesium a day, your risk of hypertension decreases by five percent.
8. Potatoes
A Purdue University study found that eating baked or boiled potatoes daily lowers your systolic blood pressure by six points in 16 days—that’s better than taking a potassium supplement. Researchers credit the unique combination of potassium and other nutrients in the spud with helping the body excrete 33 percent more pressure-spiking sodium than a supplement alone.
9. Red wine
Go ahead and watch the sunset with a glass of red wine or sangria. A study in Hypertension found that drinking two to three glasses of red wine a week lowers systolic blood pressure by up to three points and diastolic BP by up to two points, thanks to flavonoids that widen blood vessels.
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