8 foods to lower blood pressure naturally

High blood pressure is one of the most common lifestyle diseases. More than one billion people around the world suffer from hypertension, which is the biggest risk for various heart diseases.

But the good news is one can control and keep their blood pressure in check by eating healthy and incorporating simple lifestyle changes.

When a person's systolic blood pressure (top number) is more than 130 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure is more than 80 mm Hg, the person is said to have high blood pressure.

Here are the top 8 foods to keep your blood pressure in check:

Citrus fruits are not just great for our immunity but also have powerful blood-pressure-lowering effects. These are loaded with minerals, vitamins and various pant compounds that help in keeping your heart healthy and reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

A study conducted on Japanese women found that daily lemon juice intake when paired with walking resulted in the reduction of systolic blood pressure.

Bananas are rich in potassium, a mineral that plays a major role in controlling hypertension. Potassium reduces the effects of sodium and reduces the tension in the walls of the blood vessels.

Fatty fish is densely rich in omega 3 fatty acid, which is great for our heart health. These fats help in reducing blood pressure by reducing inflammation and oxylipins, the blood vessel constricting compounds.

Studies have linked high intake of omega 3 fatty acid with lower blood pressure levels.

Pumpkin seeds are power-packed with nutrients that help in controlling blood pressure. It has magnesium, potassium and arginine all of which are essential for blood pressure relaxation and thus reduction.

You can include pumpkin seeds or pumpkin oil in your daily diet to lower your blood pressure.

Beans and lentils are rich in fibre, potassium and magnesium, which helps in lowering blood pressure. Various studies have shown that including beans and lentils in your diet is helpful in reducing blood pressure levels.

A review of 8 studies found that beans and lentils when exchanged for other foods lowered systolic blood pressure significantly in people suffering from hypertension.

Berries are often termed as a superfood because of the various health benefits they offer. They are abundantly rich in antioxidants, which gives berries their vibrant colour.

The anthocyanins antioxidants in berries increase the nitric oxide level in the blood and reduce the production of blood-vessel restricting molecules, which helps in reducing the blood pressure levels.

Blueberries, raspberries, chokeberries and strawberries are some of the berries which have been associated with blood pressure lowering effects.

Like other nuts, pistachios are not much talked about. But pistachios consumption has been linked to healthy blood pressure levels. Pistachios are high in various nutrients including potassium that helps in lowering blood pressure.

A review of 21 studies has found that pistachios intake has the strongest effect on reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Carrots are high in phenolic compounds like chlorogenic, p-coumaric and caffeic acids that help relax the blood vessels and reduce inflammation, which in turn helps lower blood pressure.

You can include carrot in your salad, have it in the form of soup or mix it with another vegetable to make curries or subzi.