What to eat when you have high blood pressure and low blood pressure

In today’s time, there are very few people who are not affected with blood pressure
issues. Be it low or high, any kind of blood pressure can become dangerous for your
life. Low blood pressure, which is known as ‘Hypotension’ in medical terms, is a
condition in which you might feel dizziness and fainting.

While high blood pressure is medically known as ‘Hypertension’, which is more

serious of the two and can result in heart diseases, strokes. In this condition,
the blood pressure in arteries persistently increases. High blood pressure is known
as a silent killer as the symptoms generally go unnoticed. Both these types of
blood pressure are chronic medical conditions in which your lifestyle matters a
lot.

Blood pressure is indicated by two measurements, systolic and diastolic. These are
the maximum and minimum pressures of the arteries. A normal pressure may sit
between 100-130 mmHg systolic and between 60-80 mmHg diastolic. If the measurements
are high or low compared to the above number then your blood pressure is not
normal.
Diet and Blood Pressure

Diet and lifestyle play an important role in balancing our blood pressure. Below
are the types of food that one should eat when you have high blood pressure.

Leafy Greens: If you are suffering from high blood pressure, eating leafy greens is
very healthy for you. The potassium in leafy greens helps your kidneys to remove
sodium from the body in the form of urine which helps to lower the BP.

Berries: Berries help to prevent hypertension and lower blood pressure because of
the flavonoids in them.

Beetroot: Beets are a rich source of nitric oxide that helps to open the blood
vessels and lower down your high BP. In fact, according to research beetroot juice
helps to lower down BP in just 24 hours.

Dairy foods: Skim milk and low-fat yoghurt are an excellent source of calcium.
Research shows that consumption of either of the two is very helpful in lowering
down blood pressure.

Oats: Oats are a very healthy way of lowering down your blood pressure as it
contains high fibre content, low fat and low sodium which improves BP problems
efficiently.

Garlic: Eating garlic helps in reducing blood pressure by Vasodilation. It’s a

process where nitric oxide increases in the body after consumption of certain food
items, which helps to widen the arteries promoting better blood flow and normal
blood pressure.

Foods to normalise low blood pressure

1. Staying hydrated is the key for patients with low blood pressure problem.
Dehydration decreases blood volume eventually leading to low blood pressure.

2. One should totally avoid carbohydrate-rich food. Carbohydrate-rich food is

digested very quickly by the system which makes BP low.

3. Vitamin B-12 rich food is very healthy for people with hypotension. Consumption
of Vitamin B 12 daily in the right amount helps by preventing anaemia which can
cause low BP. Folate-rich foods too help in lowering down BP.

4. Salt is very essential in maintaining your BP. An adequate amount of sodium

intake helps to raise BP which can be beneficial for people with Hypotension.

5. Consumption of food and drinks rich in caffeine instantly pumps up low blood
pressure by stimulating the cardiovascular system and increasing heart rate.

6. Consumption of Tulsi leaves daily in the morning helps to keep the body and
maintains the BP level. The high content of potassium, vitamin C and magnesium
regulates blood flow in the entire body. Tulsi is also loaded with antioxidants
that primarily help to maintain BP.

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Almonds are a great between-meal snack that both fills you up and provides a
nutritional punch. One handful of nutrient-dense almonds gives you not only 6 grams
of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber, and 75 mg of calcium, but also 13 grams of
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are the heart-healthy fats
that may help lower total cholesterol and LDL (monounsaturated fats help raise HDL
levels too), which can decrease the risk of heart disease.

A serving of almonds has 162 calories, 14 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat,

and 6 grams of protein, and when snacking on almonds, portion control is key. One
serving of almonds is 23 almonds, which equals 1 ounce, ¼ cup or about 1 handful.
One portion should fit into a small spice bottle or baby food jar or – if you're
snacking at the office – should cover the surface of one 3"x3" sticky note. Use the
photo above to help you remember, or put old baby food jars or spice bottles to new
use as almond snack-containers.
source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2013/04/how-many-
almonds-in-a-serving