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Can a person really reduce their numbers with foods that lower blood pressure? From foodsthatheal.com

Yes. High blood pressure is a condition that often responds to what you eat. Organizations such as the Mayo Clinic and the Harvard School of Public Health point out that diet changes can definitely reduce blood pressure.

What are the foods that lower blood pressure? A wide variety of vegetables, fruits, garlic, oils and even dark chocolate have been shown by science to reduce blood pressure. Read on to see a complete rundown of foods that lower blood pressure. 

Pomegranate Juice

A 2004 study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition illustrated the effectiveness of pomegranate juice in lowering blood pressure. In this research project, patients with severe cartoid artery blockages drank an ounce of pomegranate juice daily for a year and experienced a 20 percent drop in their blood pressure readings. They also had a 30 percent decrease in the amount of plaque in their arteries.

Blood pressure reducers - foods that contain potassium

Numerous studies in the 1990s and 2000s have shown that consuming potassium through foods and/or supplements will lower blood pressure. One large study involving 30,000 male health professionals found that individuals who ate less than 2.4 grams of potassium a day had a 50 percent higher risk for high blood pressure than those who ingested at least 3.6 grams of potassium a day.

Research presented in November 2008 at the American Society of Nephrology meeting concluded that low potassium levels are directly linked to higher blood pressure. Some 3,300 participants in a Dallas Heart Study provided urine samples during the project and researchers discovered the lower the potassium level in the urine, the higher the blood pressure. In January 2009, the Archives of Internal Medicine found that the most effective way to battle high blood pressure is to boost potassium intake while limiting sodium intake. This multiple-year research project tracked almost 3,000 participants, who completed questionnaires and provided urine samples. The researchers found that participants with the highest sodium and lowest potassium levels were 50 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than participants with lower sodium and higher potassium readings.

If you're looking for a natural way to lower blood pressure, add potassium-rich foods to your diet, and minimize processed and canned foods, which contain large amounts of sodium. Some experts say you should rinse off canned foods with water to eliminate much of the sodium used in canning.

Foods that lower blood pressure

Potassium-rich fruits: The top 10

• Papaya (medium size) - 781 milligrams (mg) of potassium
• Guava (1 cup) - 688 mg

• Fresh figs (8 oz) - 526 mg
• Cantaloupe (1 cup) - 494 mg
• Banana (1 medium) - 422 mg
• Prunes (1/4 cup) - 316 mg
• Kiwi (1 fruit) - 252 mg
• Strawberries (1 cup) - 239
• Orange (1 medium) - 237 mg
• Raspberries (1 cup) - 187 mg

Vegetables that contain significant potassium

• Swiss chard (1 cup, boiled) - 960 mg of potassium
• Lima beans (1 cup, cooked) - 955
• Yam (1 cup, cooked) - 911
• Winter squash (1 cup, baked) - 895 mg
• Avocado (1 cup, sliced) - 874 mg

• Spinach (1 cup, boiled) - 838 mg
• Pinto beans (1 cup, cooked) - 800 mg
• Lentils (1 cup, cooked) - 730 mg
• Kidney beans (1 cup, cooked) - 713 mg
• Beets (1 cup, boiled) - 518 mg
• Baked potato (with skin) - 510 mg
• Broccoli (1 cup, steamed ) - 505 mg
• Green peas (1 cup, boiled) - 433 mg
• Tomato (1 cup, raw) - 399 mg
• Carrots (1 cup, raw) - 394 mg
• Green beans (1 cup, boiled) - 373 mg

Protein sources of potassium

• Halibut (4 oz. baked/broiled) - 653 mg of potassium
• Snapper (4 oz. baked/broiled) - 592 mg
• Cod (4 oz. baked/broiled) - 586 mg
• Yogurt (1 cup, lowfat) - 572 mg
• Cow's milk (1 cup, 2%) - 376 mg
• Goat's milk (1 cup) - 498 mg

On this page, we've outlined foods that lower blood pressure. Visit our page on cholesterol-lowering foods.

More foods that lower blood pressure

Spinach - This leafy vegetable contains a number of compounds that lower blood pressure: magnesium, potassium (which helps the body get rid of excess sodium) and nitrates. A study published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine detailed a research project in which 17 healthy adults were given a nitrate supplement equivalent to the nitrate found in 5 to 8 ounces of spinach for three days. After 3 days, the participants' diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) dropped 3.7mm Hg. Other foods that contain nitrates are beets, cabbage, broccoli and carrots.

An animal study found when rats that were bred to have high blood pressure were given a spinach compound called peptides, their blood pressure dropped within 2 to 4 hours. The rats were given a human equivalent of a entree-sized spinach salad of a serving of steamed spinach.

Garlic - In 2008, researchers from Australia released findings from their study showing that garlic supplements reduced high blood pressure as much as prescriptions called beta blockers. In this study, participants were provided garlic supplements ranging from 600mg to 900mg daily for 12 to 23 weeks. Individuals who started the study with high blood pressure experienced significant reductions: on average their systolic (top) number dropped 8.4mm Hg and their diastolic (bottom) reading fell by 7.3mm Hg. The amount of supplement provided to study participants is similar to one clove of garlic.

One highly effective supplement with garlic and potassium has received rave reviews from users, who report their blood pressure readings dropped in a matter of weeks.

Dark Chocolate - Of all the items on this list of foods that lower blood pressure, one little square of dark chocolate is probably the easiest food to work into your routine. There have been several studies linking dark chocolate to lower blood pressure. In 2007, a German study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that eating a small amount of dark chocolate (about the size of a chocolate kiss) daily lowered the systolic (top) number by 2.9mm Hg and the diastolic (bottom) number by 1.9mm Hg. The key to dark chocolate's effect is flavanols that naturally exist in the cocoa bean. Milk chocolate or white chocolate does not create a blood pressure-lowering effect. If you are going to try the dark chocolate method, look for 60 to 70 percent cocoa content.

One extremely healthy organic dark chocolate is available from natural health expert, Dr. Mercola, and comes in 3 flavors.

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Additional foods that lower blood pressure

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Greek researchers in 2004 released a report that found the regular use of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet is largely responsible for the diet's ability to reduce blood pressure. In addition, a 2000 article in the Archives of Internal Medicine outlined an Italian study that discovered people on high blood pressure medicine could reduce their prescription dose by about half if they consumed 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil daily.

One method I use to boost my intake of olive oil is to put the oil in a container in the refrigerator, where it will harden and have a consistency similar to margarine. I can then substitute olive oil when I would normally use butter or margarine.

Besides being on our list of foods that lower blood pressure, olive oil is also an arthritis fighting food.

Omega 3 fatty acids - According to the Harvard School of Public Health, omega 3 fats lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function. A study reported in Circulation examined 31 clinical trials and found that fish oil reduced blood pressure readings by 3.0mm Hg for systolic pressure (top number) and 1.5mm Hg for diastolic pressure (bottom number). Goods sources of omega 3 fats are wild-caught salmon, halibut, snapper, cod, shrimp and scallops. An excellent plant source of omega 3 fatty acids is ground flax seeds.

Omega 3 fatty acids are not only on this list of foods that lower blood pressure, they also have been shown to lower cholesterol.

Apples, onions, foods with quercetin - A small 2007 study from the University of Utah found that individuals with high blood pressure experienced significant reductions in their blood pressure readings after receiving a 730 mg quercetin supplement for 28 days. On average, their systolic (top) number dropped 7mm Hg and their diastolic (bottom) number fell 5mm HG. Foods that are high in the flavanoid quercetin include apples, onions, red grapes, berries and broccoli.

Celery - Last but not least in our review of foods that lower blood pressure is celery. This vegetable has been used by traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and science is showing celery does indeed lower blood pressure. Celery contains phthalides, which can help relax muscles around the arteries. When researchers injected a phthalide derived from celery into rats with hypertension, they found the animals' blood pressure readings dropped 12 to 14 percent.