High blood pressure is a condition that can cause the arteries to harden and thicken and increase the risk of serious, and even life-threatening health problems, such as heart attack and stroke. The exact cause of high blood pressure is not clear, but eating a high amount of salt in your food has been known to raise the risk. So to prevent high blood pressure, or to reduce it, it’s important to eat healthily.
Studies have shown how eating kale can reduce high blood pressure
You should cut down on the amount of salt in your food and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.
But more specifically, studies have shown how eating kale can reduce high blood pressure.
Kale is just one of many leafy green vegetables, which are rich in nitrates and have been proven to help manage blood pressure.
Some research has suggested eating one to two servings of nitrate-rich vegetables every day can reduce high blood pressure for up to 24 hours.
Other examples of leafy green vegetables include:
- Cabbage
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Swiss chard
Alongside eating a healthy diet, Bupa recommends the following lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure:
- Lose excess weight, especially fat stored round your waist.
- Do more activity, particularly aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping. But get medical advice first – things like weightlifting and weight training can make high blood pressure worse.
- Cut down on alcohol – stick to recommended guidelines (men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis) and try to have at least two alcohol-free days a week. If your hypertension is mainly linked to drinking too much alcohol, it may disappear after a couple of weeks of complete abstinence.
- Drink less coffee and other caffeinated drinks like cola.
High blood pressure doesn’t usually have any symptoms, so the best way to find out if you have it is to get your blood pressure checked.
The NHS advises: “Healthy adults aged over 40 should have their blood pressure checked at least once every five years.
“If you’re at an increased risk of high blood pressure, you should have your blood pressure checked more often – ideally once a year.
“Having this done is easy and could save your life.”
Some experts recommend supplements to help lower high blood pressure.
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