5 vegetarian foods that can help reduce blood pressure and keep the heart healthy

5 vegetarian foods that can help reduce blood pressure and keep the heart healthy

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the key factors that determine the risk of heart diseases like attacks, strokes and heart failure. A vegetarian diet promises to help lower the blood pressure.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

1. A pumping heart keeps the blood flowing through out your body using the blood vessels like a pipeline
2. The pumping action uses blood pressure to keep up the flow but BP can exert pressure on the walls of the blood vessels and be a risk factor for heart diseases like heart attacks
3. A vegetarian diet can help reduce blood pressure and keep it under control

New Delhi: Heart diseases are one of the leading causes of death, all around the world. While cancer recently took over heart problems as the major killer in rich countries, heart diseases may still be a close second there. Heart diseases like a heart attack, failure, or cardiac arrest have one condition in common – hypertension or high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a disease or a condition in itself, and can also be a contributing risk factor for many heart diseases.

Blood pressure is the pressure or force that the blood exerts on the blood vessels when it is trying to flow through the pipeline-like network of arteries, veins and capillaries inside our body. If you have healthy blood vessels, your blood pressure with be normal, while if you do not, it may be too low or too high. High blood pressure does not have a specific cause, but certain factors play an important role in increasing your risk of the condition. These are age, ethnicity, diet, being overweight or obese, unhealthy lifestyle, among others.

Diet plays a very important role in determining your risk of high blood pressure. According to a report, red meat is linked with poor cardiovascular health, and a plant-based, vegetarian diet is considered healthier for the heart. A study had also found that it is not the particular diets that help keep the heart-healthy, but it is just healthy food, no matter which diet type it is a part of. Here are 5 vegetarian foods that you should add to your diet for better heart health, and reduced controlled blood pressure.

Green, leafy vegetables

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Getty Green and leafy vegetables contain potassium which is healthy for your bone and teeth health. Potassium also helps wash out sodium accumulated in the blood vessels through the urine, which helps reduce blood pressure. Leafy green vegetables like Romanian lettuce, kale, spinach, etc are great vegetarian foods to add to your diet.

Beetroot

Picture credits: Getty Available during the winters in India, beetroot is an extremely nutritious and healthy vegetable to add to your diet to reduce blood pressure. A research found that beetroot juice reduced blood pressure in just 24 hours, and the nitrates in the vegetable were given the credit for it.

Bananas

Picture credits: Getty Apart from leafy green vegetables, the fruit which contains potassium and helps keep the heart healthy is bananas. Bananas contain potassium and help lowering blood pressure in the same way as leafy vegetables do. Including bananas in your diet is easy, and they also help in better digestion, and bone health.

Seeds

Picture credits: Getty A lot of seeds are a great snack for a healthy heart diet as they contain minerals like potassium, and magnesium, which help in lowering blood pressure. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and others can help in reducing blood pressure and can be a great mid-day, or in-between-meals snack.

Berries

Picture credits: Getty Berries are one of the healthiest fruits for the body. They help in keeping the heart healthy by reducing blood pressure, lower risk of cancer, reduce risk of other diseases. Berries like strawberries, blueberries and others are a great snack and can be added to yoghurt to make a filling, healthy meal.