You are not alone if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
High blood pressure affects approximately 1.13 billion people worldwide, and high cholesterol is linked to approximately 2.6 million deaths. These are some frightening statistics for two conditions that frequently go unnoticed. When your doctor tells you that you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, you know it’s time to seek treatment.
High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Risks
Before we get into the superfoods that can help lower these dangerous conditions, let’s talk about why high blood pressure and cholesterol are so dangerous in the first place. Both of these conditions are referred to as “silent killers” because they rarely have obvious side effects. They can, however, be fatal or cause very serious medical conditions.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels have been linked to:
- Cardiovascular disease
- A heart attack
- Strokes
- Kidney failure
- Sexual impotence
- Visual impairment
- Atherosclerosis of the arteries
- Angina
What You Can Do To Help?
Luckily, there are ways to both treat and prevent high blood pressure and cholesterol.
This includes eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and taking medications as prescribed. Following a healthy diet is really important, which begins with superfoods.
Here are some superfoods to include in your diet if you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Avocados
Avocados are an excellent superfood to start with if you have high blood pressure or bad cholesterol. Avocados are high in vitamins and minerals and are therefore very healthy. Avocados are high in potassium, protein, and fiber, among other nutrients. These are high in fat and calories, but they are good fats! These are classified as a heart-healthy food.
Avocado Applications
It is extremely simple to incorporate more avocados into your diet. Here are a few different approaches to this:
- Mash avocado in place of mayonnaise in dishes like egg salad or tuna salad.
- Instead of butter, spread mashed avocado on your toast.
- Guacamole goes well with baked tortilla chips or raw vegetables.
- Avocado slices can be added to a sandwich or burger.
Spinach
You can’t go wrong with spinach when it comes to leafy greens. Everyone can benefit from eating more spinach because it contains a variety of essential nutrients. Spinach contains a lot of folate, also known as folic acid, which can help with high blood pressure. It is also high in magnesium and potassium, both of which help with cholesterol levels. Spinach is also a low-fat food, making it simple to incorporate into your diet even if you are trying to lose weight.
How to Consume More Spinach
If you are new to eating spinach, you may be unsure of how to incorporate it into your meals. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- To mask the taste, make a smoothie with spinach and a variety of fruits.
- Get a juicer and start juicing fruits and vegetables with herbs, including a handful of spinach.
- Prepare a garden salad with spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce.
- Add some spinach to your casserole or stir-fry to help it break down.
Oatmeal
If you’re looking for a healthier breakfast option that includes superfoods while also lowering your cholesterol, oatmeal is a great choice. Oatmeal can help lower your LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol you want to keep as low as possible. This is because oatmeal contains fiber. It also contains protein and potassium, two essential nutrients. When you eat oatmeal on a regular basis, you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
3 Different Ways to Eat Oatmeal
Here are three ways to enjoy oatmeal for a healthy breakfast in the morning:
- Make overnight oats with bananas and peanut butter the night before for fruit and healthy fats.
- If you need a quick breakfast, add oats to your morning smoothie.
- Make steel-cut oats with fresh fruit and a drizzle of raw honey on top.
Almonds
Many nuts are good for you as long as you get the unsalted variety and don’t eat too many of them. Almonds are a superfood nut that is beneficial for high blood pressure and cholesterol. Almonds are heart-healthy snacks that are high in fiber and unsaturated fats, which help with good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.
Add Almonds to These Recipes
Almonds are ideal for topping various foods and snacks, allowing you to use a single serving amount while still getting a nice crunch. Here are some ideas for using almonds as a garnish:
- Slivered almonds can be sprinkled on top of your favorite salad.
- Almonds can be sprinkled on top of soups and chili.
- Get seasoned almonds in flavors like chili to sprinkle on top of your quinoa or whole grain rice.
- Top your smoothies or smoothie bowls with slivered almonds.
Oranges
Oranges and orange juice are both beneficial to your health. These superfoods are high in vitamin C, which naturally lowers cholesterol. Other nutrients found in oranges that are beneficial to your health include folate, antioxidants, and flavonoids.
Remember that if you prefer regular oranges, they are low in fat and calories. Orange juice frequently contains added sugar, so choose bottled orange juice with caution. It is far superior to making your own.
5 Uses for Orange Juice
If you’d rather drink your oranges than eat them, there are several options.
Here are five ways to consume orange juice on a daily basis:
- To make fruit-infused water, combine orange juice and orange slices in a pitcher of water.
- Replace water or other liquids in a fruit smoothie with orange juice.
- Make cranberry sauce with cranberries and orange juice for the holidays.
- Juice oranges with other fruits that complement them, such as blueberries and apples.
- For a fun and tangy twist, squeeze orange juice over your fish or chicken.
Garlic
There are numerous herbs, seasonings, and spices that can be classified as superfoods. Garlic is one of them that can help with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Garlic contains sulfur, which can help reduce inflammation in your body, which is often what happens to your arteries when you don’t treat your high blood pressure.
Garlic is also high in other nutrients, making it beneficial to your overall health. It also tastes great!
Foods That Go Well With Garlic
Here are some examples of foods that will taste even better with garlic:
- Other poultry, such as chicken
- Red meat, such as beef and pork, before grilling or broiling.
- Vegetables roasted
- Mash potatoes or cauliflower mash.
- Brown rice or whole grain rice
Bananas
When you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, you are often advised to change your diet. This frequently entails including more fruit in your diet. Bananas are a superfood fruit that you should consider eating on a daily basis. Bananas are high in potassium, which can help reduce your risk of stroke and naturally lower your blood pressure. They have a low sodium content and a moderate sugar content.
How to Eat More Bananas
If you don’t usually eat bananas, here are some ideas for how to add them to your daily diet:
- Eat at least one banana per day, even if only as a snack.
- Add honey, peanut butter, or almond butter to make it more flavorful.
- Mix banana slices into your cold cereal or hot oatmeal.
- Bananas can be frozen and used in smoothies.
- Make chocolate-covered bananas by freezing them and then coating them in dark chocolate with sea salt.
- Place banana slices on top of your toast.
- Make low-carb banana pancakes.
- Using bananas, you can make dairy-free ‘nice cream.’
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
As you already know, healthy fats are beneficial to your health and should be included in your diet as much as possible. Olive oil is a good source of healthy fat that should be used instead of less healthy options such as vegetable oil or canola oil. It can also be used to replace butter and lard in your diet.
Olive oil is high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. This all helps with your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Increase Your Olive Oil Consumption in 4 Ways
If you’re used to other types of oil, you might be surprised at what you can do with olive oil. Here are four alternatives:
- Make a light salad dressing with olive oil and vinegar.
- Cook vegetables, chicken, or fish in olive oil.
- Instead of butter, fry your eggs in olive oil.
- Before roasting the vegetables, drizzle them with olive oil and garlic.
Green Tea
Some superfoods for high blood pressure and cholesterol are beverages rather than foods. Green tea is one of them. Green tea contains compounds that can help prevent bad cholesterol from forming in your body. It also has vitamins B and C, folic acid, beta-carotene, and amino acids. Drinking 3-5 cups of green tea per day significantly reduces your risk of having a stroke.
Green Tea Flavoring Ideas
If you don’t like the flavor of plain green tea, there are many ways to add flavor and make it enjoyable to drink. Here are some possibilities:
- Green tea can be steeped with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches.
- To add some sweetness to your tea, add lemon wedges.
- Drizzle a little honey over the tea.
- Add sugar in small amounts.
Salmon
Finally, let us discuss salmon. This is a cold-water fatty fish high in omega-3 fatty acids. This makes it a healthy fat and one of the best foods available. It reduces inflammation, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and is low in fat as an added benefit. It is recommended that you eat two to three servings of salmon or other fatty fish every week.
You don’t like salmon? Don’t worry, it’s simple to incorporate it into your diet while still enjoying delicious meals. You can prepare a salmon filet with your favorite vegetables and lots of garlic, or grill the salmon and add it to salads.
If you want to learn more about foods, read the following articles: Natural Ways to Reduce Your High Blood Pressure, Healthy Foods For Anxiety
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