Top 10 Foods that Lower Blood Pressure

Top 10 foods that lower blood pressure list (actually the list is 12 and number 12 is the fastest) is provided here because the water cures protocol will not lower blood pressure for everyone. Many of these top 10 foods are either rich in salt, minerals or even laden with water as is watermelon.

When certain health conditions are present, the water cures may increase blood pressure in the short term until the body acclimates and attains balance or homeostasis. In some cases, users of the water cures may note increased blood pressure. When this happens, Dr. Batmanghelidj recommends just drinking water at first. In the mean time, there are foods that can help lower blood pressure. Ironically, water and sometimes salt in the foods that lower blood pressure.

In addition to unprocessed salt and filtered water, these are the top 10 foods that lower blood pressure. Please note that these foods for high blood pressure may not work for everyone, depending on the underlying cause of high blood pressure. Studies have also shown that foods may or may not work based on ethnicity.

Here is how much to eat of the foods that lower blood pressure for adults.

For Best Results make sure and read the last word at the bottom. This will not only help you have the best results, it will be the most affordable way to lower your blood pressure using foods in the long run.

Foods that Lower Blood Pressure: The List

1) Celery Celery is considered the number one of the foods that lower blood pressure. In addition to a lot of water, celery has magnesium, potassium, calcium and 3-n-butyl phthalide or chemicals that help keep our circulatory system healthy. Additionally, celery seeds have anti-inflammatory properties in addition to being rich in iron and vitamins.

Note: Celery Seeds may cause stomach upset for some people.

How Much? The father of a medical student who first studied this found that by eating 1/4 pound of celery (about 1/4 of the stalk) a day, even with out changing the way he ate other foods, his blood pressure came back to normal inside a week.

Turns out celery contains a chemical that relaxes the smooth muscles of blood vessels. This helps make them wider and lowers blood pressure.

Best eaten raw. Add a stalk to your fruit smoothie to balance the sugar with the salt in the celery.

2) Hibiscus or Jamaica (hu-my-ca) ice tea. Research has proven what ancient health care practicioners have known for years. This tea effectively lowers blood pressure.

Using dried hibiscus petals, either pour hot water on them or let soak for a few days with cool water to make the tea. Hispanic food stores carry them or you can get them online. (Please note: we do not sell them nor do we have any recommendations as to where to get them.)

3) Raisins The Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center study found that eating raisins three times a day could keep high blood pressure away among those with prehypertension.

How Much? About a hand full.

4) Garlic can lower blood pressure. Best if eaten raw, the potential is best realized when it is chewed. It is the chewing process that releases the maximum benefit. If it is too strong for you, then on cutting it, mash it so that the maximum benefit is realized.

How Much? Whole garlic: 2 - 4 cloves per day of fresh, minced garlic.

5) Bananas known for being rich in potassium can help lower blood pressure. If the water cures protocol does not bring your BP down, it may be you need to balance the sodium with the potassium.

How Much? Eat about one to two bananas. Add to a smoothie, add some ice and it will be nice. Have a problem with the extra sugar? Add 1/4 tsp of Ceylon cinnamon.

6) Blueberries Getting the blues can help lower your BP.

How much: one serving a week. Since they are expensive and often more than one serving comes in a box, enjoy then for a few days then wait at least 5 days before getting more. Use other foods in-between.

7) Blueberries have naturally occurring compounds that protect us against hypertension. Raspberries can be included in the mix as well according to the a British and American study of over 150,000 men and women published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Strawberries were on this list but....do not eat them unless you grow them yourself. The spinach and kale are second and third on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen, the list of the fruits and vegetables loaded with the most pesticide. At the top of the is strawberries, nectarines and apples.

How Much? Eat about 1/2 to 1 cup.

NOT: Some research promotes low fat milk for lowering blood pressure. Although you may be thinking berries on cereal with a bit of milk, there is a dark side. Low fat milk causes your body to become more acidic, increasing inflammation and more importantly, causing your body to rob the bones of calcium to protect you from the acidity produced by the low fat food. Never drink low fat milk. Better yet, never drink milk. Get your calcium from the same place all animals that make milk get their calcium, from the raw foods we eat.

8) Dark Chocolate Your mom told you to eat your veggies, right? Chocolate comes from a legume. A legume or a bean is a vegetable. Chocolate is there for a vegetable. Chocolate has polyphenols or chemicals that help protect our heart, arteries and veins. There is a down side though. The more refined sugar in the cacao, the greater the risk of inflammation. Those with cancer should not eat it at all as the sugar super food for cancer.

9) Watermelon Watermelon lowers blood pressure according to the food scientists at Florida State University study. Potassium along with an amino acid work together to lower blood pressure.

10) Beets can do some incredible things. But to get the maximum benefits, they have to be eaten raw and they have to be eaten within a few days of preparing.

Check out the recipe to the right. In our testing, we have found it works beyond lowering blood pressure. It has a number of other benefits.

How Much? One large raw beet or 3 small raw beets a week. Eat it over 1-3 days and then do not eat them for the next 3-4 days. Generally eating them once a week will work.

I know this is supposed to be a top 10 list but here are a couple of bonus foods we also found. Here is number 11 of the foods that lower blood pressure.

(11) Hawthorne Berries are considered effective by traditional medical practitioners and modern medicine scientists (you will find studies on Pub Med about hawthorne berries). The pressure lowering ability of this tonic is considered safe, even if you are on blood pressure medications (according to one study on Pub Med). Please note: we do not sell any products on this site. If you want to get hawthorne berries, go to a Chinese food store or go online and look for Hawthorne extract supplements.

(12) Cayenne Pepper

How Much? If you have a hard time with the heat, 3 capsules, three times a day will lower your blood pressure. One of several problems, they will give you more energy. Do not take past 5PM if you go to sleep by 10PM or they may disrupt your sleep. Also, while everyone knows they burn going in, some experience the same when they come out. The sensation only lasts about 2-3 minutes.

For Overall Best Results

Loading If you are just starting, you can eat the same foods for a short period of time, say one to two weeks. However, for best results, do not eat the same foods day in and day out for longer than the first two weeks. With the exception of when we are first loading, our bodies will start to reject some of the essential things it is taking in when it has enough. Unfortunately, something good may also be rejected as well.

Maintenance To get optimal benefit of the foods that lower blood pressure, only eat them for a few days and then don't eat them for the next 5 days.

Consider the wisdom of this. Berries, which are even more expensive out of season, could be quite costly to consume every day. Further, once we have maxed our bodies of the benefits, we may start loosing the benefits. Yet most can afford to treat themselves to a serving or three of berries once a week.

With celery, you may end up eating the stalk over four days. Then take a break till the next time you get groceries.

This is one of the most basic things we teach for those who have food allergies to prevent further food allergies. We found that it is the optimal way for getting the maximum nutrition from the foods we eat.

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