Juices & Foods that Help Lower Blood Pressure

Lower Blood Pressure With These Juices & Foods

About 75 million American adults (29%) have high blood pressure, which is 1 in every 3 American adults. Anyone, including children, can develop high blood pressure. It greatly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. Simply taking medication is not the long-term answer. There are side effects such as a dry cough, dizziness or an upset stomach. The answer is getting to the root of the problem, which is usually stress and anxiety. Using natural remedies with no side effects can be very helpful.

Ashawaghanda

As an “adaptogenic” herb, ashwagandha works in a variety non-specific ways. Specifically, ashwagandha helps to reduce the impact of stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety raise your blood pressure in short order. Ashwagandha helps! Studies show that people who take ashwagandha have decreases in both blood pressure and pulse rate. One study published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine shows that it greatly reduces stress, anxiety, and “serum cortisol levels.” Another study found that taking ashwangadha improved people’s anxiety, well-being, and overall health improved over 90 days.1 When you calm your mind, your body will follow! Ashawaghanda juice is in our Garden’s Best Superfoods Juice Powder.

Beet Juice

A cup of beetroot juice a day may help reduce your blood pressure, according to a small study in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. People with high blood pressure who drank about 8 ounces of beetroot juice experienced a decrease in blood pressure of about 10 mm Hg.2 Beetroot contains high levels of dietary nitrate (NO3), which the body converts into biologically active nitrite (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO). In the human body, NO relaxes and dilates blood vessels. Other leafy vegetables such as lettuce, watercress and cabbage also have high levels of the compound, which they take up from the soil through their roots.3

Watercress

Watercress, like beet juice, has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure. It contains similar high levels of the same nutrients found in beets. Beet juice was shown to lower blood pressure in three hours when people drank an 8.5 ounce glass of beet juice. With the watercress study, participants lowered their diastolic blood pressure by an average of 3.7 mm Hg in just three days. In other words, rats who ate watercress had lower blood pressure levels than the rats using medication to treat high blood pressure. Watercress juice is in our Garden’s Best Superfoods Juice Powder

Notes
1 https://www.dailynutra.com/blog/ashwagandha-blood-pressure/
2 http://newsroom.heart.org/news/drinking-cup-of-beetroot-juice-daily-may-help-lower-blood-pressure
3 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288229.php

Today’s Recipe

Watercress Lemonade

• 1 handful watercress
• 1 apple
• 1/2 lemon, peeled if not organic

Juice all ingredients, stir, and enjoy!