What you eat plays a powerful role in your blood pressure and heart health overall. Incorporating the number-one food to lower blood pressure into your diet on a regular basis is one of the simplest things you can do to lower blood pressure naturally.
Meet the experts: Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA; Kevin Kheder, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute in Newport Beach, CA.
“There isn’t a single ‘magic’ food that will lower your blood pressure overnight,” says Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. “Instead, long-term control comes from building a balanced, heart-healthy eating pattern. Focus on filling your plate with plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.” Adopting an eating plan like the Mediterranean diet or the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a smart strategy for keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level.
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Still, some foods certainly help support healthy blood pressure better than others. “If I had to choose one food, I’d recommend legumes—black beans, lentils, or chickpeas,” says Kevin Kheder, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute in Newport Beach, CA. “They are rich in potassium, magnesium, and fiber, which helps support healthy blood pressure. Potassium helps counterbalance the effects of sodium, while fiber has been associated with better heart health overall.”
A meta-analysis published earlier this year in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health found that legume consumption is linked to a lower risk of high blood pressure. More specifically, those who ate a cup of cooked beans, peas, or lentils daily had a 30% lower risk of developing hypertension than those who didn’t eat these foods regularly; those who ate half a cup had a 14% lower risk.
In addition to incorporating beans and lentils into your diet, Dr. Chen says that it’s just as important to limit your intake of foods that have been proven to hurt your heart health. “Diets high in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats, especially from heavily processed foods, can raise blood pressure and increase cardiovascular risk,” he says. Focusing on nutrient-rich plant foods instead can go far towards keeping your blood pressure healthy and strengthening your heart.
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