Blood Pressure-Friendly Foods

The "Tossed Salad Smoothie"

Here's a synopsis.

First subject is vegetable juices that make it possible for your body to generate some nitrous oxide and bring down your blood pressure if it's too high.

Pomegranate juice ranks high on the list of foods that lower blood pressure. In fact, most of the dark red and purple vegetables and also the dark green, leafy ones.

Turning these types of vegetables into juice in a blender--in effect, a "tossed salad smoothie"--is great for reducing hypertension--but not always so appealing to the tastebuds. The article suggests adding about a tablespoon of flavoring cocoa powder. You can also add a banana if you'd like.

Another possibility: a handful of almonds, a tablespoon of sesame or flax seeds and make a smoothie .

The article says you should avoid sugar or artificial sweeteners in concoction.

Other blood-pressure-friendly foods foods include raw whole buckwheat groats, raw celery, and beet juice. raw spinach, kale, and parsley with some dark green romaine lettuce.

And here's one I'll bet you didn't think of...

A dessert of dark red and purple vegetables and fruits blended with blueberries, cherries, and raspberries.

Carrot juice adds a third dimension to balance the green and red vegetables (it'sbeen previously noted on this blog that starting your day with a raw carrot is also helpful in bringing down LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels).

Tomatoes are also good for lowering blood pressure, but there's some evidence they're not so good if you have arthritis. If you have arthritis, you might skip the tomatoes and opt for red and/or orange vegetables. The lycopene in tomatoes doesn't lower blood pressure, but when you make the kind of "liquid tossed salad" from the foods described above, you'll be doing your blood pressure--and yourself--a huge favor.