What to eat on high and low BP:
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Apr 1, 2019
- 2 min read
What to eat when you have high blood pressure and low blood pressure
Both low and high blood pressure can be dangerous for your health.
Low blood pressure or Hypotension 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.
High blood pressure is known as silent killer due to unoticed symptoms. Both condtions are critical to your health and need to be managed.
Blood pressure is indicated by two indicators the systolic and diastolic. 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 are both important for regulating blood pressure and in case of high blood pressure you need to include these food:
Leafy Greens: They are rich in potassium which helps the kidney to remove excess sodium and then lower BP.
Berries: Due to their flavenoids, berries lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension.
Beetroot: They are rich in nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels and lower blood pressure. 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: Garlic improves vasodilation due to the nitric oxide which is responsible in dilating blood vessels and then lowering blood pressure.
Foods to normalise low blood pressure
1. Staying hydrated: Dehydration decreases blood flow and eventually blood pressure so it is important to stay hydrated.
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: 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: An adequate amount of salt is important to raise blood pressure in 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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