Simple Tips for Better Health
If you’ve been looking for natural ways to lower your blood pressure, you’re in the right place! High blood pressure can be a concern, but there are simple diet and lifestyle changes that can help you manage it without relying on medications or strict salt restrictions. To be safe, make sure you consult with a medical professional before considering reducing or eliminating medications or changing any salt restrictions. In this blog post, we’ll explore some easy and effective strategies to naturally reduce your blood pressure. These can be useful even if you are on medications or need to restrict salt intakes.
Choose Whole Foods over Refined Carbs and Sugar
Start by cutting back on refined carbohydrates and sugary treats. Instead, opt for whole-food sources like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fruits. These healthier options won’t cause a spike in your blood sugar, making it easier to manage your blood pressure. These whole food sources also contain minerals that also contribute to a balanced blood pressure. We cover that more in the section below.
Boost Your Mineral Intake
Minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium play a vital role in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Focus on adding potassium-rich foods like bananas and tomatoes to your diet. Get your calcium from dairy products, nuts, and leafy greens. For magnesium, enjoy pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark leafy greens, and even a little dark chocolate!
Consider Grass-Fed Dairy
If you can tolerate dairy, go for grass-fed options. Grass-fed dairy contains vitamin K2, which can be beneficial for your cardiovascular health. Look for foods like butter, ghee, hard cheeses, and fermented soy (natto) to get some K2 in your diet.
Include Fatty Fish
Omega-3 fats found in fatty fish are excellent for reducing the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Aim to eat at least one pound of fatty fish per week, including options like salmon, sardines, halibut, and tuna. These healthy fats are safer when consumed from fish rather than fish oil supplements.
Sip on Tea
Certain types of tea have been linked to lower blood pressure. Consider drinking hibiscus, hawthorn, gotu kola, oolong, or green tea. Two to three cups a day (a mix of these teas) can be beneficial for managing blood pressure.
Embrace Beets
Beets are rich in nitrate, which can turn into nitric oxide, promoting better blood flow and lower blood pressure. You can also find nitrates in other vegetables like celeriac, cabbage, and spinach. Studies have shown that beet juice can be especially helpful in reducing blood pressure.
Get Some Sunlight
A little sunshine can be good for your blood pressure too! Spending 20 to 30 minutes a day in the sun can help your body produce nitric oxide, which aids in lowering blood pressure. Just remember to protect your skin when you’ve had enough sunlight. Depending on your skin tone the general strategy is to spend half the time it takes to get your skin pink from sun exposure. After that you’ll want to employ strategies to keep yourself from getting sun burns and sun damage.
Reduce Stress
Chronic stress is known to raise blood pressure levels. To combat stress, try mindful meditation, walks in nature, and/or deep breathing exercises daily. They are simple yet effective techniques to help you feel more relaxed. Sleep is a really important aspect to stress management. We cover that topic more below.
Prioritize Sleep
Make sure you’re getting enough good-quality sleep each night. Seven to nine hours of sleep is ideal. Poor sleep and sleep apnea can contribute to higher blood pressure, so take care of your sleep habits. In general, make sure your sleeping area is free from blue light emissions and is cool enough of a space to help you fall asleep. Correcting any night time breathing problems can also greatly improve your sleep. If you snore at night, work on correcting your sleeping breathing strategy.
Get Moving
Regular exercise is a great way to keep your blood pressure in check. Whether it’s walking, cycling, strength training, or simply standing more throughout the day, staying active is essential for your overall health. As a result, a good goal to shoot for is somewhere near 10,000 steps a day.
Get Acupuncture
The Acupuncture Evidence Project lists acupuncture as a “potentially positive effective” treatment for hypertension (high blood pressure). This makes sense when you consider that acupuncture can help with vasodilation (open blood vessels). This is a similar mechanism that we saw with beet juice above. We do need more research to really confirm the possible potential benefits and we also know that high blood pressure is a complex issue. This is why its good to use several natural strategies and not just one.
Lowering your blood pressure naturally doesn’t have to be complicated. By making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, like choosing whole foods, getting enough minerals, enjoying fatty fish, and embracing stress-reducing techniques, you can take control of your blood pressure and improve your overall well-being. Remember, always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your health routine. Take care of yourself and enjoy a healthier, happier life!
