Source: pinkvilla.com
High blood pressure aka hypertension is one of the common ailments in the world and unfortunately, the number is only rising. If left untreated, one can suffer other health issues such as stroke, heart, eyes, brain and kidney-related disorders. So if you see any symptoms of high blood pressure, then get your BP levels checked by your GP or pharmacist. Aside from medications, one should also bring in simple lifestyle changes for better and safe BP levels. Reducing the amount of salt, eating veggies, fruits, exercising are some of the common recommendations. Some food items help to bring down BP levels safely as they have a key ingredient called potassium. This particular nutrient negates the effects of sodium.
For the unversed, our kidneys control BP by controlling the amount of fluid we have in our body. The more fluid, higher will be the BP. Kidneys filter our blood and suck out the extra fluid and in the same gets out from our body in the form of urine. And if the sodium is more than the water retention will be more too and potassium helps to bring in the right balance.
Bananas, oranges, prunes, raisins, and dates, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and low-fat dairy are some of the best sources of potassium. Today we are talking about coconut water, this particular fruit water has more potassium than bananas and the same has a positive effect on BP. For the unversed, 240 ml of coconut water has 600 mg of potassium. As per a study,71 percent of participants who drank coconut water showed improved in their systolic blood pressure.
As per another study, coconut water leads to an anti-thrombotic activity and the same prevents the formation of blood clots. Apart from coconut juice, tomato juice is also a great inexpensive way to treat high BP naturally.
Exercising is also important for hypertension patients
Aside from a healthy diet, being active and management of weight is of utmost importance as obesity is one of the causes of high blood pressure. Regular exercising keeps both heart and blood vessels in good condition and ultimately reduce weight as well.
Ideally, adults should at least indulge in any form of physical activity for 150 minutes per week. Brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming and cycling among others are some of the best moderate-intensity workouts one can do.