21 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfasts to Help Lower High Blood Pressure
Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD
Chronic inflammation can come with some pesky symptoms affecting your blood pressure, immune system and mental health. These breakfast recipes were made with anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy foods like avocado, leafy greens and berries to not only help you fight inflammation but also help lower high blood pressure. Plus, you'll find that these breakfasts are potassium-packed and meet our heart-healthy nutrition parameters, so they're great for those following a hypertension-friendly diet. Recipes like our Summer Skillet Vegetable & Egg Scramble and Pineapple Green Smoothie are nutritious and delicious ways to start your day.
Baked Eggs with Roasted Vegetables
With 11 grams of protein in each serving, this recipe is great for breakfast. Start preparation the day before and chill overnight for minimal work in the morning.
Pineapple Green Smoothie
Use ripe bananas for this creamy Greek yogurt, spinach and pineapple smoothie. Chia seeds add healthy omega-3 fats, fiber and a little protein for an extra nutritional boost.
Apple-Cinnamon Quinoa Bowl
Move over, oatmeal! Get a satisfying serving of healthy whole grains in the morning with this breakfast quinoa bowl.
Banana Oatmeal
This banana oatmeal will fuel you up for the day. Mashed bananas add sweetness, and the warm spices and maple syrup complete this quick and comforting breakfast.
Summer Skillet Vegetable & Egg Scramble
Don't toss out those almost-past-their-prime vegetables and fresh herbs. Toss them into this skillet egg scramble for a quick vegetarian meal. Nearly any vegetable will work in this easy skillet recipe, so choose your favorites or use what you have on hand.
Berry Chia Pudding
Chia seeds are a good source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, plus they have fiber, iron and calcium. Here they're mixed with a fruity base and refrigerated until the chia seeds expand to form a thick, creamy texture similar to tapioca. Pudding for breakfast? We're in.
Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Wild Rice Hash
Cooking this hash in cast iron ensures you'll get crusty bits, but any nonstick skillet will work fine. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.
Spinach-Avocado Smoothie
This healthy green smoothie gets super creamy from the frozen banana and avocado. Make ahead (up to 1 day) and store it in the fridge until you need a veggie boost.
Overnight Matcha Oats with Berries
Blueberries and raspberries top these matcha overnight oats for a quick, meal-prep-friendly breakfast.
Sriracha, Egg & Avocado Overnight Oats
If you love avocado toast, give this savory overnight oats recipe a try. The oats soak overnight for easy "cooking." In the morning, just top with a fried egg, avocado and Sriracha for a satisfying healthy breakfast.
Good Green Tea Smoothie
This green smoothie is packed with grapes, spinach, green tea and avocado. A touch of honey adds sweetness.
English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives
This pizza-inspired English muffin topped with tomato, cheese, olives and oregano does triple duty—it's great as a snack or as part of a delicious breakfast or lunch.
Overnight Quinoa Pudding
This quick and easy recipe blends quinoa and chia seeds for a protein-packed dessert or grab-and-go breakfast. This recipe uses kefir rather than milk for a probiotic boost and instead of refined sugar, this pudding relies on maple syrup for its sweetness. Prep time is minimal--just leave the mixture in the refrigerator overnight to firm up.
Anti-Inflammatory Cherry-Spinach Smoothie
This healthy smoothie is not only delicious--it also boosts your daily dose of anti-inflammatory foods. It starts with a base of creamy gut-friendly kefir and includes cherries, which can lower the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Heart-healthy fats in avocado, almond butter and chia seeds deliver additional anti-inflammatory compounds to the body, while spinach offers a mix of antioxidants that sweep up harmful free radicals. Fresh ginger adds zing, plus a compound called gingerol, which preliminary studies suggest may improve inflammatory markers of heart disease if consumed daily.
Acai Bowl
This homemade acai bowl recipe makes for a delicious breakfast any day of the week. Acai can be very tart, so blending it with banana, coconut water and mixed berries adds sweetness to help balance the flavors. Feel free to switch up the toppings depending on your preferences.
Tuna & Avocado Sweet Potato Toast
Skip the bread and eat more vegetables! This healthy sweet potato toast recipe has a bit of Asian inspiration with pickled ginger, nori and sesame seeds. Enjoy with a cup of matcha green tea.
Buckwheat Pancakes
These gluten-free buckwheat pancakes have an earthy, nutty flavor. Grapefruit adds a nice amount of fruity sweetness in addition to applesauce, which helps to sweeten the pancakes while keeping sugar in check. Top with Greek yogurt and more maple syrup if desired.
Gluten-Free Almond-Flour Banana Pancakes
These gluten-free almond-flour banana pancakes have a lovely nutty flavor that complements the sweet bananas. Vanilla and nutmeg tie everything together.
Vegan Smoothie Bowl
Eat this thick and creamy smoothie bowl with a spoon! Banana and frozen berries whip together with a little nut milk for a toppable vegan breakfast. We use fruit, nuts and seeds for topping, but feel free to experiment with whatever you like.
Grape Smoothie
Calling all grape lovers! This grape smoothie features plenty of frozen sweet red grapes that combine with banana and vanilla Greek-style yogurt, which both add creaminess, while berries add color and fruity flavor to complement the grapes.
Cinnamon-Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
This hearty quinoa breakfast bowl is topped with sliced almonds, bananas and almond butter, but you can easily mix and match toppings. For a drizzled look, warm the almond butter slightly in the microwave before topping each bowl.
Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, July 2023
