High blood pressure is one of several ways that your body lets you know that serious problems lie ahead. Unfortunately, it alerts you not through symptoms but through tests, which measure your blood pressure. Blood pressure is recorded with two numbers systolic pressure and diastolic blood pressure.
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The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body.
Diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels.
Both are important, but, according to Blood Pressure UK, systolic blood pressure gives the best idea of your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
If it is determined that you have high blood pressure (a test can be conducted at your GP surgery, pharmacies or at home), you must take steps to lower your reading.
Diet offers a hard and fast means of reducing high blood pressure.
Cutting down on your salt intake is essential and packing your diet full of fruit and veg is also key to curbing high blood pressure, according to the NHS.
When choosing specific ingredients, research recommends adding spinach to your shopping list.
One study in 27 people found that eating spinach effectively lowered blood pressure levels.
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Several other studies observed similar effects, indicating that spinach boosts heart health.
Getting to the heart of the matter
Spinach’s blood pressure-lowering prowess is attributed to the high amounts of nitrates found in the leafy green vegetable.
Research shows that nitrates, compounds that occur naturally in the human body and some foods, help moderate blood pressure levels and decrease your risk of heart disease.
Nitrates can also be found in the following foods:
- Beets. Beets are rich in dietary nitrates, which your body can convert to nitric oxide
- Garlic
- Meat
- Dark Chocolate
- Leafy Greens
- Citrus Fruits
- Pomegranate
- Nuts and Seeds
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What’s more, spinach is a rich source of potassium, which also boasts blood-pressure lowering properties.
As the American Heart Association (AHA) explains, sodium raises your blood pressure but the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine.
“Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which helps further lower blood pressure,” says the AHA.
Other tips to reverse high blood pressure
Doing moderate-intensity exercise regularly also offers a robust method for reducing high blood pressure.
As the NHS points out, exercise lowers your reading on two fronts.
Firstly, it aids weight loss.
“Being overweight forces your heart to work harder to pump blood around your body, which can raise your blood pressure,” explains the NHS.
Secondly, and perhaps more directly, it keeps your heart and blood vessels in good condition, notes the health body.
It recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes (two hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
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