When you want to lower your blood pressure, think beyond slashing salt, calories, and fat - and also consider what you can add to your diet. More vegetables, fruits, and lean protein, says the Institute of Medicine from a February 2010 report to help prevent and control high blood pressure. Plus, recent research points to three beverages that also may help to lower blood pressure. They are: Low or Nonfat Milk, Hibiscus Tea, and Cranberry Juice to consider drinking more.

 

Low or Nonfat Milk - Both supply potassium and calcium, two nutrients that are associated with healthy blood pressure, and are fortified with vitamin D (a vitamin that new research suggests promotes healthy blood pressure).

 

Hibiscus Tea - Drinking hibiscus tea can significantly lower blood pressure, particularly when it is slightly elevated, according to a study in the Jounal of Nutrition. The study believes that anthocyanins and other antioxidants in hibiscus tea may work together to keep blood vessels resistant to damage that causes them to narrow. Many herbal tea blends contain hibiscus, which brews up bright red and delivers a tart flavor.

 

Cranberry Juice - At your next celebration, raise a glass of cranberry juice instead of a glass of red wine which turns out that cranberry juice has the same blood pressure lowering effects as red wine. Both cranberry juice and red wine, as well as, apple juice and cocoa, boast antioxidants call proanthocyanidins, which inhibit synthesis of a coumpound called ET-1 that plays a role in constricting blood vessels.

 

By: Caroline H. Gottesman

Article from: Eating Well - June 2010 edition

Find recipes for a healthier blood pressure at: www.eatingwell.com/go/bloodpressure