Surprising Foods That Lower Blood Pressure

We've spent a lot of electrons on this website telling you about foods that lower blood pressure. You probably heard about a lot of them the last few years because there's been plenty of news coverage on about lowering blood pressure.

There are several foods that help bring down BP that may surprise you, however. This article is about them. And keep in mind, no one is saying you should overdo any of the foods mentioned below. In moderation, they'll help lower your blood pressure. But too much of any of them will not be a good thing.

Dark chocolate - This is probably the biggest surprise of all. When you think chocolate, you think "Candy! Sugar!" But...dark chocolate is different. Recent research shows that dark chocolate contains good stuff that actually brings your blood pressure down. Half an ounce of dark chocolate each day means lower blood pressure without higher weight.

Apricots - A lot of people eat bananas because they known the potassium in them helps lower high blood pressure. Potassium helps to reduce blood pressure by maintaining the correct sodium levels in the blood. But apricots blow the doors off--or is that, blows the peels off -- bananas in the potassium department. Apricots are at the top of the list for foods that lower blood pressure.

Baked potato - Yeah, I know, this one makes anti-carb advocates apoplectic. However, the facts are the facts: potatoes are rich in potassium, It's better to bake them: a lot of the potassium is in the skins, which are left out of mashed potatoes and (usually) french fries. Boiling the potatoes with the skin on is not so great either because potassium gets lost in the water.

Skim milk - Some people are down on dairy these days, but keep in mind milk contains both calcium and vitamin D. These help lower blood pressure.

Spinach - Lots of magnesium in this one, which helps lower and maintain the proper level of pressure. Lots of potassium too. Sneak it into your salads in raw form. Popeye will be proud--and your doctor will be pleased. No, I haven't forgotten about bananas...the will be a subject for a separate post.