Eating This Type of Food May Help Lower Your Blood Pressure
Recent research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests eating the right kind of vegetables may help lower blood pressure.
When participants consumed nitrate-rich vegetables such as bok choy, radish greens, lettuce, spinach, and arugula every day at lunch for a week, it lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Due to genetics, some people may have an increased risk for high blood pressure. But for those who don’t, exercise, such as cycling, can drop your numbers to some degree. But recent research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests there’s another way to keep them trending downward: Eat the right kind of vegetables.
Researchers in the Netherlands recruited 15 healthy young men and women, with an average age of 25, and had them eat nitrate-rich vegetables such as bok choy, radish, lettuce, spinach, and arugula, every day at lunch for a week.
After a week “off” from eating leafy greens, participants then consumed beetroot juice daily, which is often used to supplement when dietary nitrate levels are low, according to lead researcher Cindy van der Avoort, Ph.D.(c) in the Institute of Sport and Exercise Studies at HAN University of Applied Sciences.
Both eating nitrate-rich veggies and drinking beetroot juice achieved the same effect of lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure when measured about two hours after lunch. Participants’ levels also stayed lower throughout the study period.
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The key is the nitrate, she told Runner’s World. Dietary nitrate increases the amount of that substance in the body’s plasma supply, and in turn, boosts conversion into nitrate and eventually nitric oxide—a powerful vasodilator. That means it helps the muscles in the walls of your blood vessels open more, and that reduced constriction allows blood to flow more easily and lowers the pressure.
The study has obvious limitations, including a small number of participants and short timeframe. Also, this was done on healthy young people, not those with diagnosed hypertension.
Despite those caveats, it’s tough to find a drawback to including more dark leafy greens in your diet, especially considering the wealth of other research that’s connected these vegetables with other health benefits—including lowering cholesterol and reducing risk of cancer.
Also, van der Avoort added, you have plenty of choices when it comes to what to eat. Beetroot has a high nitrate amount, but the real standout is arugula, followed by pak choi and radish greens. You can also get a robust amount from endive, fennel, and kohlrabi. Even dried cranberries and nuts can contribute some nitrate to a meal.
So, if you’re wondering what to have for lunch, try a salad with mixed greens, dried fruit, and nuts. This may be one more reason to go for it—it’ll do your cardiovascular system a favor.
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