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Foods that Lower blood pressure

mochapierre
mochapierre Posts: 4 Member
I'm trying to avoid pharmaceuticals and their horrible side affects and wanting to lower my blood pressure the natural way. Does anybody know what foods are good for lowering one's blood pressure? Thanks!

Replies

  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    Avoid added sodium! It's in all foods, question is did nature put it there or some food clown?

    I gave up all packaged foods. Only ate ingredients, like carrots and chicken. I didn't eat anything that someone made taste better. No soups other than what I make. No sauces other than mine. Real cooking with spices for flavor.

    For me it was the sodium that raised mine along with the 50 pounds I needed to lose.

    A buddy of mine, who's morbidly obese, claimed garlic helped him get off meds. I have no firsthand experience with this idea. I can tell you that guy thought garlic cured all.

    Congratulations on trying to go without meds. I didn't and wish I had. I was hospitalized twice when the meds messed up. Can't tell you how many terrible experiences I had because of the meds. The idiot that put me on started me on a beta blocker, yuch. Sure it kept my heartrate low*, just take one a little late and see what happens(I always felt like my head was going to explode!).

    *Sure stayed low too. Until it almost stopped at 30 bpm while in the ER. Funny I just thought I was dizzy.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    AFAIK, there aren't any that specifically lower BP. There are foods and drinks that have vitamins/minerals in them that can balance out sodium, potassium for one and I think magnesium as well. If you don't want meds (meaning your BP can be controlled without them; I'm not subscribing to avoiding prescribed meds), your best bets are losing weight (if you're overweight/obese), getting exercise (recommended is 30 minutes a day of walking), and/or changing your diet (more fruits and veg, less "processed" foods high in sodium).

    When I got diagnosed with HBP, my GP told me to "lose weight and follow DASH diet". http://dashdiet.org/what_is_the_dash_diet.asp

    Talk to your doctor before doing anything. You might not be able to stay away from meds. I do fine since I watch my sodium, exercise, and have lost weight, but my husband is on meds for good.