These Foods Could Help Lower Your Senior’s Blood Pressure
Home Care Services in Warren County VA: Keeping your Senior Healthy.
Although high blood pressure often has no symptoms, it is still a dangerous condition. High blood pressure can damage the heart, arteries, brain, and kidneys. When a person has uncontrolled high blood pressure, they are at a much higher risk for having a stroke – four to six times higher! If your senior has high blood pressure, getting it under control is imperative. One way you and your loved-one’s care provider can help them to lower their blood pressure is by preparing meals that include foods to actually help in lowering blood pressure. Here are seven foods to add to your senior’s diet to help lower their blood pressure.
#1 Yogurt
Research indicates that eating yogurt at least five servings of yogurt each week lowered their risk of high blood pressure by 20 percent. A cup of plain, fat-free yogurt contains calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Foods with at least two of these nutrients have been shown to help lower blood pressure. If your senior doesn’t like the taste of plain yogurt, ask your elder care provider to use it in preparing sauces and salad dressings as they cook meals for them.
#2 Fatty Fish
Fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, contain lots omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce blood pressure. Fish like trout, that are high in vitamin D can also lower blood pressure. Fish has the added benefit of being quick and easy to cook, so it’s a food that your senior may be able to prepare without the help of their elder care provider.
#3 Flax Seeds
Flax seeds can have a profound effect on your loved-one’s blood pressure. In one study, people who ate three tablespoons of flax seeds each day for six months significantly lowered the top number of their blood pressure. Flax seeds can be used in baked goods, like muffins, or sprinkled on top of cereals.
#4 Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are high in potassium, which helps the body to eliminate sodium through the urine. Leafy greens include kale, arugula, beet greens, romaine lettuce, and spinach. Greens can be cooked or used in salads.
#5 Berries
Berries, in particular, blueberries, contain flavonoids which prevent and reduce high blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels. Your senior’s elder care provider can add them to cereal or yogurt, or just offer them as a snack.
#6 Dark Chocolate
Like berries, dark chocolate is also high in flavonoids. The more cocoa the chocolate contains, the better, so look for chocolate that contains at least 70 percent cocoa.
#7 Bananas
Bananas are a potassium rich food. They make a great addition to breakfast, sliced on cereal or as a side. They’re also a convenient snack food that can be tossed in a bag and taken on outings.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care services in Warren County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care.
Call Us Today at (703) 634-9991. Serving Northern Virginia, The Valley, and Surrounding Communities.
Sources:
http://www.healthline.com/health/foods-good-for-high-blood-pressure#foods-to-try2
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045868
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-high-blood-pressure-stroke#1
http://www.prevention.com/food/13-power-foods-that-lower-blood-pressure-naturally
http://www.aarp.org/health/medical-research/info-04-2011/6-foods-fight-high-blood-pressure.html#slide6
http://www.aarp.org/health/medical-research/info-04-2011/6-foods-fight-high-blood-pressure.html#slide1
http://www.aarp.org/health/medical-research/info-04-2011/6-foods-fight-high-blood-pressure.html#slide8
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