Breakfast Tips to Help Lower Blood Pressure

Breakfast Tips to Help Lower Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a commonly seen health disorder these days. It means that the force of blood against the artery walls is very high. Blood pressure is measured by the rate at which the heart pumps blood into the arteries and the resistance that the arteries cause to the blood flow. The blood pressure is high when the number of times the heart pumps blood is high and the resistance for the blood flow is high in the arteries. Chronic high blood pressure will result in several known medical problems such as heart diseases and stroke. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be controlled with a healthy lifestyle.

Diet is the primary aspect of controlling high blood pressure. A healthy diet automatically takes care of many health issues. Breakfast is the primary meal of the day. A regular, healthy, and planned breakfast will go a long way in managing high blood pressure. A healthy breakfast diet assumes paramount importance.

Some of the diet tips that can form part of your breakfast to aid lower your high blood pressure are as follows:

  • Eating breakfast on time is generally a prerequisite to good health. Breakfast breaks the overnight fasting. Ideally, eat your breakfast within two hours of you waking up. Early breakfast helps metabolism. If you are a foodie, get most of your diet during breakfast as the body can digest well early in the day.
  • Breakfast should supply your body with sufficient glucose and replenish other vital nutrients required by you to keep your energy levels up. It should be loaded with fruits like apples, bananas, papaya, pears, strawberries, grapes, and pomegranate. They are both tasty and nutritious.
  • Breakfast should be ideally loaded with potassium and magnesium which will help in dealing with blood pressure. Fat-free yogurt with sliced bananas, apples, or berries could be a great breakfast meal as it provides the required potassium, magnesium, and calcium. You could add nuts like almonds and cashews which are nutritious and also make the meal delicious. Other nuts like pistachios, figs, raisins, and apricots are a rich source of magnesium too. They can be consumed as they are. When they are added to a bowl of yogurt or oatmeal, they add to the flavor of the meal. Oats are a rich source of magnesium, iron, and vitamin B. It is also rich in fiber which will allow you to stay cholesterol-free. A bowl of oatmeal in the morning loaded with fruits and nuts can be a wholesome diet and is the perfect way to start the day.
  • Salt may be restricted to individuals who have high blood pressure. Sodium should be restricted in the diet as it increases salt in the bloodstream, thereby increasing the fluid level causing pressure on the blood vessels. Potassium is known to lower the blood pressure as it counteracts the effects of sodium.
  • Calcium and iron are also essential to manage blood pressure. Calcium-rich foods, which include milk, butter, and yogurt, are ideal meals for breakfast. You can make omelets with eggs and spinach as it is an excellent source of iron and magnesium.