9 Foods That Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

One of the powerful foods that lower blood pressure naturally is the potato. Baked potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, magnesium, vitamins B6 and C. They also contain some calcium, copper and niacin.

The meat of a large potato contains approximately 600 - 700 milligrams of potassium but that amount more than doubles if you eat the skin providing a power punch of over 1600 milligrams when eating both meat and skin.

Beets are another excellent source of potassium and whether they are steamed, boiled, or pickled they still pack a powerful punch when it comes to lowering blood pressure naturally.

Carrots aren't simply good for your eyes. They work wonders upon your cardiovascular system as well. Loaded with vitamins and minerals carrots are an excellent source of potassium. Whether you eat them raw or cook them, they are one of the foods that lower blood prssure naturally.

By making a "Russian" style potato salad you can combine all three super tubers and create a delicious, mouth watering treat with foods that lower blood pressure naturally.

Milk is packed with nutrients and 4 (8 ounce) glasses of low fat 2% milk per day will help you achieve 1700 milligrams of Potassium and a whole days supply of Calcuim. Since it is difficult to ingest the recommended 4700 milligrams of potassium each day unless you eat certain foods rich in the mineral you now know why your momma told you to drink your milk.

Beans, peas and lentils are rich sources of Potassium, B vitamins, Calcium and Magnesium.

Lentils are especially rich in Folate and Potassium.

Another benefit of legumes is that they are also chalked full of fiber and protein. Ejoy a nice batch of home-made beans or lentil soup often and reap the benefits of lower blood pressure.

A mere 100 grams of spinich ( a tad more than 1/2 cup cooked) packs a whopping 676% of the daily Vitamin K , 241% of the Vitamin A, 18% of the Vitamin E, 10% of the Riboflavin, 15% of the Calcium, 11% of the Iron, 21% of the Magnesium, 9% (302 milligrams) of the Potassium, 36% of the Manganese, 8% of the Selenium and 30% of the Folate needed for good health. Spinach is a powerhouse, a super food vegetable.

Other "supper food" leafy greans include collard greens, mustard greens and chard. All are great sources of Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium. They also contain some vegetable protein, fiber and are a rich source of disease fighting anti-oxidants. Those who are on blood thinning medication should check with their physcian before consuming large amounts of these vegetables because they could have a negative impact on those who need to limit their Vitamin K intake to ruduce clotting.

Brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, radish, kale, bok choy, turnips, turnip greens, watercress and collard greens are cruciferous vegetables. And these babies are packed full of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. For example:

One cup of brussel sprouts contains 449 milligrams of potassium plus a nice amount of calcium and magnesium and a load of anti-oxidants. Cauliflower and broccoli are similar in nutrition power.

Wheat germ is rich in Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and B Complex vitamins and fiber.

Add some wheat germ to your morning oatmeal along with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses (also rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium) for taste, poor on the milk, enjoy with whole wheat toast and an apple.

Other whole grains include barley, rye and brown rice.

Avocado. Avocado is an absolute super fruit when it comes to lowering blood pressure. With almost 700 milligrams of Potassium and a nice showing of Vitamins C, A and B complex plus calcium, magnesium, selenium, omega 3 fatty acids and up to 9 grams of fiber in one California avocado this fruit is a super blood pressure lowing machine.

Bananas. 1 large banana will provide almost 500 milligrams of Potassium. They are also a very good source of the Vitamins B6, Folate, C and contain minerals such as magnesium, manganese, copper, calcium, phosphorus and selenium as well. The only drawback to bananas is that they contain high amounts of natural fruit sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose. Diabetics need to be cautious of eating bananas.

Kiwi. Kiwi fruit is jam packed with Vitamin's K, C, Folate and the minerals Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus. Kiwi also contains high amounts of natural fruit sugars.

Pomegranate. One Pomegranate supplies almost 700 milligrams of Potassium. Pomegrante is also high in Vitamin K, offers a good amount of Folate and is a good source of Magnesium, Copper, Manganese and Selenium. Like other fruits Pomegranate contains high amounts of natural fruit sugars.

Papaya. One cup of papaya delivers 360 milligrams of potassium, 144% of daily Vitamin C, and also serves up calcium and magnesium in decent quantities.

Oranges. Oranges, though not as power-packed as bananas, kiwi or pomegranate, are still a good source of minerals and vitamins. One orange contains 100% of the daily requirement for vitamin C. Like bananas oranges contain high amounts of natural fruit sugars.

Super fruits, like super vegetables also deliver a vast amount of phytonutrients to reduce LDL cholesterol oxidation, fight disease and improve your overall health.

Not all Salmon are created equal. Stay away from "farm raised" fish. Do the "wild thing." Most Salmon contain large amounts of healthy fish oil (great for artery health), large amounts of Potassium, Selenium, Magnesium, Calcium and the B vitamin complex. Other cold water, oily fish such as Mackeral and Sardines provide similar beneficial amounts.

Wild Salmon, almost any variety (Coho, Pink, Silver, Chinook, Atlantic), is a super food. Canned Salmon, Mackeral and Sardines contain ALL the benefits of fresh and wild with the added value of increased Calcium because you can eat the soft bones.

Don't like fish and have high blood pressure? I suggest you learn to like fish real fast because fish oil supplements, though very beneficial, do not provide the nutrients the whole food, wild fish, contains.

Garlic has been shown to significantly lower total cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure in at least one double blind study and several others show that both systolic and diastolic readings show marked improvement in those consuming liberal amounts of garlic.

Nobody seems to know the exact reasons why garlic lowers blood pressure, just that it does. Garlic also thins the blood so if you are on a medication to thin your blood such as aspirin, warafin, coumadin or pradaxa you should check with your health care provider (doctor) before you use garlic to lower your blood pressure naturally.

Fresh garlic offers a small amount of vitamins and minerals but that isn't where the power comes from. Garlic is full of sulfur (sulphur) from which it derives a lot of its antimicrobial properties but nobody seems to know where its power to lower blood pressure comes from. It works best fresh or in powdered capsule form. If you cook it cook it sparingly because the more you cook it the weaker it gets.

It isn't as easy as you may think to eat your way to health these days simply because it takes quality food and a lot of it in order to achieve the optimum levels of nutrients to lower blood pressure naturally.

If you're concerned with calories choose from the foods above that are richest in nutrients for the calories consumed. For example you can eat tons of vegetables without consuming a whole lot of calories. In any event ...

If you want to lower blood pressure naturally then start eating the 9 quality whole foods mentioned above.

Eliminate white bread (go wheat or whole grain instead), pasta, refined sugar, prepackaged food, trans-fats, white rice and all "refined," or quick, easy to prepare garbage found on store shelves and in the freezer sections.