High Blood Pressure Diet: Foods & Tips for a Healthier You

Are you one of the millions of people unknowingly living with high blood pressure? You’re not alone. Nearly half of American adults are dealing with this condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of them try a high blood pressure diet to protect themselves.

The good news is that a high blood pressure diagnosis doesn’t mean you’re destined for a life of prescription medications. It’s possible to naturally lower blood pressure, especially by following a high blood pressure diet with the right type of foods.

If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure or you’re just hoping to prevent it in the future, a high blood pressure diet is one of the most important things to implement. A healthy diet is the key natural remedy for high blood pressure, as it’s completely safe, simple, and works quickly to improve your overall health beyond just your blood pressure.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

What exactly is high blood pressure, and how do the foods you eat affect it? High blood pressure is a condition that results from an increased force of blood moving through your arteries from your heart. This force pushes against the walls of the arteries and, over time, can cause various problems.

Every time your heart beats, it pumps out blood, and the rate at which it does determines your blood pressure. It’s normal to have higher blood pressure at certain times, such as when you’re stressed or exercising. However, chronic high blood pressure can start to damage arteries and increase the risk of conditions like coronary heart disease, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, or kidney damage.

High blood pressure (considered anything above the normal level of 120/80 mmHg) is caused by a number of factors. These include low nutrient intake, a poor diet high in sodium, obesity or being overweight, smoking, lack of physical activity/sedentary lifestyle, high amounts of chronic stress, other compounding medical problems, and a family history of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure symptoms aren’t always obvious and can be difficult to notice. Regular checkups are the best way to ensure you’re within a healthy range. Controlling your blood pressure has numerous anti-aging and protective benefits, such as reducing the risk of peripheral artery diseases, protecting against cardiac arrest, lowering the risk of a blood vessel bursting and having a stroke, protecting vision, and reducing the risk of kidney damage.

Research shows that about 50 percent of people with high blood pressure fail to control their condition. This may be because they aren’t aware of the problem or they haven’t made lifestyle changes that promote overall heart health.

It might seem daunting to overhaul your entire life to control your high blood pressure — for example, by taking prescriptions, eating differently, managing stress, and exercising. But you’ll be glad to know that it’s usually surprisingly easy for many people to help tackle high blood pressure simply by making some simple changes, such as following a high blood pressure diet.

What Is a High Blood Pressure Diet?

Eating a nutrient-dense, low-processed diet can help bring your blood pressure closer to normal or even within a completely healthy range. You’ll usually start to see a difference within a few short months, but consistency and ongoing effort are key.

Foods such as fresh vegetables and fruit, lean proteins, and certain healthy fats can help reduce inflammation and prevent nutrient deficiencies, which are two of the main causes of high blood pressure. A healthy high blood pressure diet is even more effective when combined with other lifestyle changes, like better stress management, regular exercise, quitting smoking, and getting good sleep.

For example, people following a high blood pressure diet like the DASH diet over time have been able to lower their systolic blood pressure by seven to 12 points. This is a significant amount that can make a big difference. This can be achieved in stages through very approachable steps, such as eating more fresh produce and cooking more often.

The DASH diet (which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension) is the go-to eating plan for many doctors when it comes to lowering high blood pressure naturally. The DASH diet was first created by researchers sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The agency wanted to help people control their weight and blood pressure through diet.

This high blood pressure diet includes eating a variety of easy-to-find healthy foods while reducing intake of empty calories, high-sodium foods, added sugar, refined grains, and unhealthy fats.

In addition to lowering high blood pressure, the DASH diet also helps with weight loss, lowers cholesterol, and prevents or controls diabetes. Moreover, new research published in 2023 determined that following the DASH diet during mid-life can also help prevent cognitive decline in women.

The goal of the DASH eating plan is to increase the public’s intake of nutrients like potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and protein. All of these are important for maintaining general heart health and fighting various signs of aging.

Best Foods for High Blood Pressure

Some of the best foods that lower blood pressure naturally to include in a high blood pressure diet are:

1. Vegetables

Eating a variety of vegetables is a staple of basically every diet out there. This is because veggies are high-antioxidant foods packed with protective nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and various electrolytes, yet they have very few calories. A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who ate a mostly plant-based diet reported lower blood pressure readings than meat eaters who likely consumed less fresh produce.

Aim for at least four to five servings of different veggies every day. Ideally, include a variety to get a range of nutrients (hence the saying “eat the rainbow”). Leafy greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens are potassium-rich foods and among the healthiest foods on Earth, and they hardly add any calories to your diet.

2. Fresh Fruit

Consuming fresh fruit (rather than juices or sweetened, canned fruits) is a great way to increase your intake of fiber, electrolytes like potassium and magnesium, and antioxidants like flavonoids and resveratrol. Two to four servings is a good amount for most people, especially fruits like berries, citrus, kiwi, apples, and melon.

3. Lean Proteins

Protein can help lower hypertension. This can include foods such as wild-caught seafood (especially anti-inflammatory omega-3 foods like salmon, sardines, and halibut), cage-free eggs, and grass-fed/pasture-raised meats. Aim to get about 20 percent to 30 percent of your total calories from “lean and clean” proteins.

This type of protein is important for maintaining your energy levels. These foods also make you feel full, balance your blood sugar, and help maintain muscle strength.

4. Beans and Legumes

Beans and legumes — lentils, chickpeas, black beans, and adzuki beans — are great sources to increase your intake of fiber, protein, B vitamins, and certain antioxidants. In fact, a 2023 study demonstrated that three servings of legumes per week are associated with significantly better blood pressure control.

They’re suitable for people who don’t consume meat or animal products, are low in calories, and almost completely free of sodium (when made from scratch or rinsed well for canned kinds).

A helpful tip for making beans even healthier and more digestible is to soak them overnight before cooking. This helps release antinutrients that block mineral absorption and interfere with digestive processes. Try to consume beans/legumes several times per week as a good meat alternative.

5. Healthy Fats

Nuts and seeds are a potent source of healthy fats, and they also add some protein and fiber to your diet. Aside from seeds and nuts, other beneficial anti-inflammatory foods that are packed with healthy fats include avocados, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil. These fats help stabilize blood sugar levels, which keeps you feeling full and less likely to overeat.

Most people should get about 25 percent to 35 percent of their daily calories from healthy fats. If you have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, try to lower your intake of saturated fats from animal foods and butter and oils like canola oil to prevent cardiovascular complications. However, in moderation, these can still be healthy for most people.

6. 100 Percent Whole Grains (Ideally Sprouted)

Whole grains are emphasized in the DASH diet and other high blood pressure diet plans because they are a good source of fiber and certain minerals known to lower blood pressure, especially compared to refined carbohydrates.

Examples of whole grains to eat in moderation (some of which are called “ancient grains” and are actually more like seeds than grains) include brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, barley, farro, wheat berries, teff, and millet. When you do eat grains, focus mostly on gluten-free, sprouted whole grains.

7. Organic, Unsweetened Dairy Products

Studies indicate that low-fat dairy consumption can help lower blood pressure. While the DASH diet includes low-fat or fat-free dairy products like milk and yogurt, it’s important to focus on the quality of the dairy you consume. Choosing organic, unsweetened, and ideally raw dairy is the best option for most people, especially the kinds that come from goats or A2 cows.

Dairy foods like unsweetened, organic yogurt and kefir are good sources of various nutrients, like calcium, protein, and important probiotics. This is why they’re among the top choices of many nutritionists.

8. Select Spices Like Cardamom

A study published in the Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics evaluated 20 newly diagnosed individuals with primary stage 1 hypertension and the effect of giving them three grams of cardamom powder daily in two divided doses for 12 weeks.

The results showed that not only did cardamom help decrease systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, but it also increased total antioxidant status by 90 percent at the end of three months.

Other studies have demonstrated that spices can help reduce high blood pressure.

Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure

Over the years, research has revealed several habits and lifestyle changes that can greatly increase your chances of preventing high blood pressure and maintaining a healthy blood pressure range. These include:

1. Cook More at Home

Cooking at home is an important part of lowering your blood pressure, which is why the creators of the DASH diet recommend it. This means keeping your diet as unprocessed as possible — consuming less packaged foods, avoiding takeout/restaurant food, and really limiting fast food.

Making your own homemade meals from fresh, nutrient-dense food helps you lower your sodium and sugar intake while boosting your intake of powerful blood pressure-lowering nutrients, like potassium, antioxidants, and fiber.

2. Increase Fiber Consumption

Consuming plenty of fiber has been shown to help prevent hypertension. Additionally, it can manage your appetite and avoid the blood sugar roller-coaster that leads to cravings, fatigue, poor digestion, and various health problems.

Fiber is found in nearly all unprocessed plant foods, so eating fresh vegetables not only helps you adopt a high-fiber diet but also aids in lowering your blood pressure. High-fiber foods also reduce your risk of diabetes, high triglyceride levels, high cholesterol, digestive problems, and weight gain.

3. Lower Your Sodium Intake

A low-sodium diet is the recommended approach to controlling high blood pressure because high amounts of sodium, found in basically all processed and packaged foods, are known to worsen high blood pressure by affecting fluid retention and how arteries dilate.

Sodium is a type of electrolyte that is balanced by other beneficial electrolytes like potassium and magnesium to keep blood pressure within a healthy range. The problem is that most people on a “Standard American Diet” consume far too much sodium and far too little potassium and magnesium, leading to electrolyte imbalances.

4. Get More Potassium

A low-potassium, high-sodium diet contributes to high blood pressure, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Potassium — found in foods like green veggies, bananas, sweet potatoes, organic dairy products, beans, and avocados — is the third most abundant mineral in the body and is needed to interact with sodium to perform various important functions, including helping to lower blood pressure.

Potassium naturally increases sodium excretion and is found within all cells. It plays a role in regulating heartbeat rhythms, nerve impulses, muscle contractions, and digestive health. Low potassium can raise fluid retention and elevate blood pressure by interfering with heart palpitations, narrowing the arteries, and resulting in poor circulation.

5. Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water every day is important for preventing dehydration, balancing fluids, beating cravings, and preventing fatigue. Consume more fresh water instead of things like juice, soda, sweetened coffee, and tea. Make sure to have about eight eight-ounce glasses or more daily.

6. Practice Portion Control

There’s no need to be overwhelmed and fear that you’ll never be able to enjoy your favorite foods again. Focus on filling up on the healthy things first, so you’re less likely to crave the unhealthy stuff. Watch your portion sizes and practice mindful eating to ensure you give your body what it needs to feel good without overindulging.

Final Thoughts

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every two American adults deals with high blood pressure. Research shows that about 50 percent of people with high blood pressure fail to control their condition either because they aren’t aware of the problem or they haven’t made lifestyle changes that promote overall heart health.
• Foods to include in a high blood pressure diet are vegetables, fresh fruit, lean proteins, beans and legumes, healthy fats, 100 percent whole grains that are preferably sprouted, and organic, unsweetened dairy products.
• The DASH diet is an excellent high blood pressure diet. In addition to lowering high blood pressure, the DASH diet also helps with weight loss, lowers cholesterol, and prevents or controls diabetes.
• You can lower blood pressure by cooking more at home, increasing fiber consumption, reducing sodium intake, getting more potassium, staying hydrated, and practicing portion control.