High blood pressure, aka hypertension, is a chronic medical condition that is treatable. If left untreated, hypertension could increase your risk of life-threatening events, such as stroke, heart attack, and even kidney failure.
However, fortunately, there are a few effective ways to lower your blood pressure if you have been diagnosed with hypertension. And of course, one of the easiest and drug-free ways is through your diet, especially including potassium-rich food.
Why potassium? That’s because potassium helps lower your blood pressure as it eases the effects of sodium.
The American Heart Association says, “The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine. Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which helps further lower blood pressure.”
Even the Nation Health Service (NHS) England advises hypertensive people to include fruits and nuts loaded with potassium.
There are plenty of foods that are rich in potassium, which you can include in your daily diet. Bananas are one of the great sources of potassium, while others include apricots, avocado, blackcurrants, rhubarb, and fresh fruit juices.
Almost all types of nuts have higher potassium levels. Potatoes are rich in potassium. In addition, there are certain vegetables with a good amount of potassium. Sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, beans, kidney beans, cereals, and lentils are also some of the potassium-rich foods.
Other sources include fruit cakes, fig rolls, chocolate, muesli bars, and fudge, but these contain sugar, which is not advisable for hypertensive patients who also have diabetes.
One of the healthier ways of controlling your high blood pressure is consuming milk and other dairy products.
However, it is important to note that you must be on your antihypertensive medicines as advised by your doctor and take them until your doctor recommends otherwise. The article appeared on News Concerns.
