High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a risk factor for stroke, heart disease and other dangerous conditions, but it offers no early warning signs. That's why it's so important to have your pressure checked regularly.
You can take preventive steps to keep it in line by getting regular exercise and by adding foods that support a healthy blood pressure to your diet.
If you've already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, follow your doctor's orders on medication, but know that a better diet is essential to help those medications work—it might even reduce the number of drugs you need.
Healthy diets, like DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), focus on lowering salt and boosting the minerals calcium and potassium through food. Vegetarians and vegans, in particular, tend to have significantly lower blood pressure and lower odds of hypertension than non-vegetarians, in part from all the extra vegetables and fruits (and their fiber) they eat. These are healthful foods everyone can enjoy more of.
What other foods can help? Make sure you're getting between 1,000 and 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium every day from foods like milk and yogurt. A report in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that 1,500 mg was even more effective.
The omega-3 fatty acids in flax seeds seem to be particularly good for blood pressure. Buy whole brown or golden seeds and store them in the fridge for freshness. Grind them up in a coffee bean or spice grinder as you need them and sprinkle on yogurt and cereal, mix into batters and use as a coating instead of flour or breadcrumbs. Aim for one to two tablespoons a day. Note: Your body can't extract the nutrients from whole seeds so you must grind them before eating.
Garlic has many health benefits, so use it liberally in cooking.
And if you enjoy sipping herbal tea to unwind, reach for hibiscus tea, which was found to help adults with pre- and mild high blood pressure, according to a study published recently in The Journal of Nutrition.
高血压是中风、心脏病和其他危险疾病的危险因素，但它没有提供早期预警信号。这就是为什么定期检查你的压力是如此重要。
你可以采取预防措施，通过有规律的锻炼和在饮食中添加支持健康血压的食物来保持健康。
如果你已经被诊断出患有高血压，那就按照医生的医嘱服药，但要知道，更好的饮食是帮助这些药物发挥作用的关键--它甚至可能减少你需要的药物数量。
健康的饮食，比如DASH(控制高血压的饮食方法)，注重通过降低食物中盐的含量、增加矿物质钙和钾的含量控制血压。尤其是素食者和纯素食者，他们患高血压的几率比非素食者要低得多，部分原因是他们多吃蔬菜和水果(以及它们的纤维)。这些都是健康的食物，每个人都可以享受更多。
还有什么食物可以帮助你？确保你每天从牛奶和酸奶等食物中摄取1000到1300毫克的钙。科克伦系统评论数据库(Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)的一份报告发现，1500毫克的维生素D更有效。
亚麻籽中的omega-3脂肪酸似乎对血压特别有好处。购买整粒棕色或金色的种子，并把它们储存在冰箱里保鲜。在你需要的时候，用咖啡豆或香料磨碎机把它们磨碎，撒在酸奶和麦片上，拌入搅拌器中，用作一层涂料，而不是面粉或面包屑。每天喝一到两汤匙。注意：你的身体不能从整个种子中提取营养，所以你必须在吃之前把它们磨碎。
大蒜对健康有很多好处，所以在烹饪中要大量使用。
如果你喜欢喝花草茶放松一下，那就喝芙蓉茶。《营养学杂志》(Journal of Nutrition)最近发表的一项研究发现，芙蓉茶可以帮助患有高血压前期和轻度高血压的成年人。
参考文献：
Everyday foods for better blood pressure
