What Fruits Are Best for Lowering Blood Pressure?
According to studies, the best types of fruits for naturally lowering blood pressure contain high potassium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene levels.
One study focused on feeding test subjects with fruits and vegetables showed an inverse relationship between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and hypertension. The test subjects were all hypertensive individuals that are medicating for the condition.
For this reason, medically-recommended diets for hypertension like the DASH Diet make use of large servings of not just vegetables but also fruits. The DASH Diet encourages patients to bring down their sodium intake to a minimum while greatly increasing their consumption of whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables.
Currently, the modern DASH Diet recommends eating six to eight servings of whole grains per day, four to five servings of green and leafy veggies (and other veggies, too), four to five servings of different fruits, two to three servings of different types of dairy products, and eating only lean cuts of poultry and meats. People on the DASH Diet can also eat wholesome legumes and nuts to boost their intake of healthy fats and plant-based proteins.
What Nutrients Help Lower Blood Pressure?
There are three key nutrients found in fruits that are titans for naturally controlling blood pressure. These nutrients are beta-carotene, vitamin C, and potassium. Why are these nutrients are so effective in combatting hypertension?
Potassium
In the United States, the average adult American diet provides too much sodium and too little potassium. This becomes a problem as potassium is one of the main keys to lowering blood pressure in adults. Dietary imbalances that emphasize too much sodium intake can and will cause heart problems in the long term.
Several established studies have already shown that people who barely get enough potassium from their meals are more likely to experience cardiac anomalies and stroke than those who consume lots of fruits like avocados. Furthermore, there is also a big link between low potassium intake and high blood pressure. The signs are clear on this one – if you don’t get the right level of potassium daily, your heart will suffer – a lot.
This brings to question the average diet – why aren’t people eating more fruits and vegetables to better care of their hearts? This needs to be solved in the coming years as we continue to deal with generations’ worth of poor eating in the US and other countries.
Vitamin C
A study from the John Hopkins University showed that getting frequent, large doses of vitamin C can indeed lower blood pressure in adults. According to John Hopkins, there are moderate gains in boosting a person’s diet with vitamin C, and vitamin C can be recommended as a supplement to help manage hypertension in adults. The RDA for vitamin C in healthy adults is only 90 milligrams. The study recommended at least 500 mg to help sustain the effort of lowering blood pressure.
Beta-carotene
Surprisingly, beta-carotene is a naturally-occurring pigment in many fruits and vegetables, so there’s always plenty of it when you consume lots of whole food at home. Despite being ‘simply’ a plant pigment, beta-carotene is associated with lowering systolic blood pressure, especially if it is paired with other vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin D. Vitamins that also serve as natural antioxidants have a strong likelihood of working on your blood pressure, to keep it naturally low, and to keep your healthier.
Fruits for Lowering Blood Pressure
Generally speaking, all citrus fruits are good for people with hypertension, as these fruits contain large helpings of ascorbic acid or vitamin C. Additionally, all fruits contain plant-based nutrients and flavonoids that not only help people with blood pressure – these nutrients are also good for all kinds of conditions, and especially for keeping the body generally healthy, even if you don’t have an acute or chronic condition.
Below are cheat sheets for different kinds of fruits that can have positive, blood-pressure-lowering effects on adults. Use these lists to help you determine the best path in your diet to reduce the impact of hypertension and manage it properly in the coming years. Remember – health does often begin in the stomach, and what you eat has a big impact on how healthy you truly will be.
Fruits Rich in Vitamin C
| Watermelon | Strawberries | Raspberries |
| Blueberries | Cranberries | Pineapple |
| Papaya | Mango | Kiwi |
| Orange | Grapefruit | Cantaloupe |
| Kakadu plums | Acerola cherries | Guavas |
| Blackcurrants | Lemons | Lychees |
Fruits Rich in Potassium
| Artichokes | Avocados | Bananas |
| Beets | Beet greens | Cantaloupe |
| Dates | Nectarines | Orange |
| Prunes | Tomatoes | Cucumber |
Fruits Rich in Beta-carotene
| Strawberries | Red cherries | Apples |
| Tomatoes | Watermelon | Pomegranate |
| Apricots | Raspberries | Cranberries |
| Prickly pear | Red grapes | Plums |
Additional Steps for Naturally Lowering Blood Pressure
Managing your blood pressure can be easier if you know the basic steps in lowering it. For one, you need to start eating a healthier diet. A healthier diet emphasizes proper portions of all the major food groups and avoiding too much sugar, artificial flavorings, sodium, artificial sweeteners, and fat. The second step is getting more exercise because everyone needs more exercise nowadays. Start with five or ten minutes of added physical activity per day, and build up your strength as your body adjusts to exercise more each day. You must take things gradually because you wouldn’t want to shock your organs and cause even more problems. Slow and steady is fine, especially for old males and females who are only beginning to change their lifestyle to have a much better health outcome in a few months.
You can boost all the nutrients that can be gotten from fruits and vegetables, but it’s important to control your sodium intake. Sodium affects potassium in the body, so the more sodium you have in your diet, the more potassium you need to counter its effects.
