High blood pressure or hypertension has been the most common illness among seniors for years globally. Blood pressure may normally rise and fall during the day because of physical exertion and other reasons but when it is consistently above the normal BP for an extended period, it must be hypertension. The normal BP of those over 65 years old is 120/80 mm/Hg.
While your risk of hypertension becomes greater as you age, looking for ways to manage and alleviate high blood pressure should be a top priority. Referred as the ‘silent killer’ because there are no symptoms makes having high blood more dangerous than other illnesses. It is wrong to ignore your BP if you do not feel any symptoms like sweating, shortness of breath, facial flushing, or nervousness. Because there are no signs that may alert you if you have hypertension, you need monitoring of your blood pressure regularly even if you feel nothing unusual.
The good news about having high blood pressure is that you can manage and alleviate your condition. And one way to do it is through the food that you take. Here are 11 foods that will help alleviate your high blood pressure:
Green Leafy Vegetables
Potassium is an important mineral that may help in lowering your blood pressure as it helps in the excretion of sodium through your urine. Certain plant foods like green leafy vegetables that include romaine lettuce, arugula, kale, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach, beet greens, and Swiss chard are rich in potassium. If you cannot avail of fresh ones, you can go for frozen ones as the potassium content will still be there. What you should avoid are canned vegetables because they are usually preserved in too much salt.
Berries
A study showed that consuming berries, especially blueberries can prevent hypertension and may lower blood pressure. This must be because of their rich flavonoid content. There are many ways to enjoy berries that seniors will surely love.
Red Beets
Red beets can be juiced and can be cooked in several exciting ways. This gives seniors with hypertension many options to take this blood pressure-decreasing crop. With its rich content of nitric acid, your blood pressure can go down as this compound can dilate your blood vessels and reduce the pressure.
Oatmeal
A breakfast of oatmeal can give you your daily dose of fiber. It is low in fats and sodium which makes it perfect for seniors with high blood pressure. Pre-soaked oats in milk with toppings of berries can be the best breakfast option for a hypertensive senior.
Fish Rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Salmon and mackerel are rich in omega 3 fatty acids which can lower blood pressure. Moreover, it also contains vitamin D. This vitamin is known also for its blood pressure-lowering ability. Baking your salmon and mackerel can be the best option as most of their nutrients will remain intact.
Bananas
Just like the green leafy vegetables mentioned previously, bananas are rich sources of potassium. The advantage of bananas is that they are ready to eat anytime you want to.
Skim Milk and Yogurt
Like other milk, skim milk is rich in calcium. But unlike other milk, it is low in fats. This makes skim milk ideal for those with hypertension. Yogurt has the same characteristics, so if you don’t love milk at all, you may opt for yogurt. Just be careful when buying yogurt because you may be taking home a brand that has high sugar content.
Garlic
Garlic is an herb used to spice up our meals. You should use it often with other herbs as they are rich in nitric acid. They are powerful in lowering your BP as they are vasodilators.
Olive Oil
Most of the time, we need cooking oil to cook our food. If you are a senior with hypertension, shift from other types of cooking oil and use only olive oil. They are healthy fats which help aggravate your condition.
Dark Chocolate
If you love chocolates, you need not avoid all of them if you have high blood pressure. Chocolates usually have high sugar content which is not good for hypertensive people. But with dark chocolates, the sugar content is diminished with more cocoa solids. A study showed that consuming dark chocolate can lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Seeds
Sunflower, pumpkin, and squash seeds are enjoyable to munch on during our free time. But do you know that they can help lower your blood pressure? Just make sure that they are not salted so you get to benefit from their potassium and magnesium content fully. These minerals are known to help regulate blood pressure.
For a hypertensive senior, having high blood pressure may take some of your peace of mind away. Your family may not also stop worrying about you. But knowing some proven ways to manage high blood pressure can lessen some worries.