Healthy Recipes to Fight High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is considered one of the most common issues and challenges among seniors. Before going through anything else, let’s learn a little about the meaning of blood pressure and the definition of high blood pressure!
Blood pressure is the average pressure against the body’s arteries caused by blood movements. Some factors like overusing salts and saturated fats or unhealthy high cholesterol diets cause high blood pressure. The pressure is not normal and more than the capacity of the arteries. High blood pressure causes heart diseases and raises the risk of different heart issues in the long term.
However, despite being the most common health issue among seniors, it’s also the most preventable one!
Healthy Recipes to Fight High Blood Pressure
As we mentioned before, the main reason for high blood pressure is an unhealthy diet. So the easiest way to prevent or control high blood pressure is to choose a healthy diet. A healthy diet to fight high blood pressure or control it is mainly salt and saturated fat-free. But is it possible to have a healthy and enjoyable diet without these two factors? The answer is yes. If you don’t know how to start, here is the list of the most delicious recipes for people with high blood pressure. The following recipes are high in fibre and essential nutrients and low in salt and cholesterol. All you need to do is provide the ingredients and follow the directions. Bon Appetit!
Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing
Nutrients amount in each serve:
Calories: 472
Protein: 21.1g
Carbohydrates: 85.3g
Fibre: 22.1g
Sugars: 19.9g
Sodium: 489.1mg
Saturated fat: 1.2g
Ingredients for one plate:
One large scrubbed sweet potato, chopped kale (3/4 cup), rinsed canned black beans (1 cup), hummus (1/4 cup), water (2 tablespoons)
Direction:
Make various pores all over the potato with a fork and then put it in the microwave for about 7 to 10 minutes until well cooked. Drain and wash each kale leaf correctly, but don’t let it dry. Put the kale leaves in a pan and cook them over medium heat. Don’t forget to stir them a couple of times. Next, add the beans to the pan. Add the two tablespoons of water to the combination, and stir it until perfectly cooked. At the final level, open up the sweet potato and fill it with the mixture of bean and kale leaves. Merge the hummus with the required amount of water and stir well. Now it’s time to drizzle the sauce to the stuffed sweet potato. The dinner is ready!
Bean & Pumpkin Chili
Nutrients amount in each serve:
Calories: 276
Protein: 13.9g
Carbohydrates: 49.4g
Fibre: 16.5g
Sugars: 10.1g
Sodium: 508.8mg
Saturated fat: 0.4g
Ingredients for 8 cups:
Chopped onion (3 cups), chopped carrot (1/5 cups), extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon), water (2 tablespoons), minced garlic (3 large cloves), vegetable broth (4 cups), diced pumpkin (3 cups), crushed tomatoes (1 can), low sodium rinsed beans (4 cans), chilli powder (3 tablespoons), ground cumin (2 teaspoons), ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon), salt (3/4 teaspoon), pepper (1/4 teaspoon), diced onion and sliced jalapeños for garnish
Direction:
Cook onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until it turns brown. Lower the heat, add the carrots and continue the cooking process for another 5 minutes until the carrots get soft. Now it’s time to add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the vegetable broth to the mixture and boil over high heat. Bring the pumpkin, tomatoes, beans, chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to the scene and let the mixture boils again. After that, reduce the heat and let it gently cook for about 30 minutes. Serve the food in different cups and garnish it with onions and jalapeños.
Chicken and Carrot Salad
Nutrients amount in each serve:
Calories: 347
Protein: 32.9g
Carbohydrates: 35.7g
Fibre: 7.1g
Sugars: 18.7g
Sodium: 549.7mg
Saturated fat:1.8g
Ingredients for four plates:
Thick-sliced carrots (2 pounds), trimmed boneless and skinless chicken breasts (1/25 pounds), extra virgin olive oil (4 teaspoons), grounded pepper (1/2 teaspoon), kosher salt (1 teaspoon), chicken broth (1/2 cup), apricot preserves (1/4 cup), lemon juice (2 tablespoons), fresh rosemary (3 sprigs), minced garlic (1 clove), baby spinach (8 cups)
Direction:
Cook the carrots with two teaspoons of olive oil,1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper for about 10 to 12 minutes till they get soft. Meanwhile, put the chicken with the two teaspoons olive oil and the remaining salt and pepper in a medium skillet and place it over medium heat. Let each side cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the carrots and the chickens to the baking sheet and let the mixture roast for about 10 to 15 minutes. Blend the chicken broth, lemon juice, apricot preserves, garlic, and rosemary in another skillet and reduce the heat to cook gently. Add spinach after a couple of minutes. Everything is ready to serve. Just cut the chickens in pieces and remove the rosemary from the sauce before serving.
Winter Kale & Quinoa Salad
Nutrients amount in each serve:
Calories: 439
Protein: 14.6g
Carbohydrates: 54.4g
Fibre: 13.8g
Sugars: 4.6g
Sodium: 252.6mg
Saturated fat:2.8g
Ingredients for two plates:
One small peeled and cubed sweet potato, olive oil (2/5 teaspoons), avocado (1/2), lemon juice (1 tablespoon), peeled garlic (1 clove), ground cumin (1/2 teaspoon), salt (1/8 teaspoon), pepper (1/8 teaspoon), water (2 tablespoons), cooked quinoa (1 cup), rinsed and canned black beans (3/4 cup), chopped baby kale (1/5 cups), chopped scallion (1), pepitas (2 tablespoons)
Direction:
Put the potatoes with one teaspoon of olive oil on the large rimmed baking sheet, put the sheet in the preheated oven (400 degrees F), and let it roast for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice, avocado, garlic, the remaining olive oil, and spices with a food blender until they get smooth and liquidy. At the final step, toss the potatoes, kale, and black beans into a bowl and drizzle with the avocado sauce you’ve provided in the previous level; done and done!
Chicken Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Calories: 257
Protein: 21.7g
Carbohydrates: 29.5g
Fibre: 5.3g
Sugars: 10.8g
Sodium: 240.1mg
Saturated fat:0.7g
Ingredients for four servings:
Four medium sweet potatoes, curry sauce (1/2 cup), chopped and cooked cauliflower (1/5 cups), warmed, chopped and cooked chicken (8 ounces), fresh and chopped cilantro (4 teaspoons)
Direction:
Make various pores all over the potato with a fork, and then put it in the microwave for about 20 minutes until it’s well done. Bring it out and let it cool. Open up the potatoes by their length, but avoid cutting them in half. Use your hands to expose their flesh. Fill the potatoes with cooked chickens, curry sauce, cauliflower, and cilantro.
Conclusion
There are so many diet and health tips for different health conditions. You can browse them on the internet or consult with your doctor to catch more about the foods and nutrients you are allowed to use in your diet. The critical matter is to boost your information about the nutrients found in each meal to know whether they’re safe for your particular health condition or not.
Do you suffer from high blood pressure too? If yes, we would appreciate it if you shared your diet tips and unique recipes with other readers and us.
Read more:
To everyone struggling with high blood pressure: Consider drinking rooibos tea. It is excellent for lowering blood pressure.
With all due respect, I hate rooibos tea! Whenever I smell or the tea comes into contact with my body, I notice itching, discomfort in my stomach, difficulty breathing, trouble swallowing and swelling.
I am 65 years old, and I suffer from high blood pressure. I want to know what the best breakfast for high blood pressure is? I usually eat boiled eggs for breakfast. I have heard that boiled eggs can help improve my cholesterol but does it help me improve my blood pressure? I am a very active person, and I usually walk for an hour every day, so I think my blood pressure results from my diet.
Dear Lily, consider eating oats. The fibre in oats helps to lower blood pressure. Perhaps you know that people with high blood pressure should limit their sodium intake. Oats are low in sodium, making them a great option for lowering blood pressure.
Hi, Lily. You don’t have to worry about eggs increasing your blood pressure. In fact, they have a peptide that lowers blood pressure, and it can be as strong as high blood-pressure drugs.
However, there are also many other delicious meals you can have for breakfast. My favourite is yogurt with fruits. Yogurt has been proven to be suitable for high blood pressure. You can add some fruits like berries to make it more delicious and nutritious.
I am not a big fan of oats, but they are high in fibre which is good at dealing with high blood pressure.
My grandma has been dealing with unstably high blood pressure for a long time. Due to her age and heart conditions, she needs to keep her blood pressure under control. For this reason, she drinks pomegranate juice. Pomegranates are loaded with vitamin C, folate, and other nutrients. They also have anti-inflammatory effects and are excellent for heart health. Her doctor says that drinking pomegranate juice can help reduce both her diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Another option is berry juice. Just like pomegranates, it is filled with antioxidants. However, it isn’t as beneficial as pomegranates for the heart.
I suggest people with high blood pressure drink hibiscus tea. A few months back, I was diagnosed with exceedingly high blood pressure. However, after eating and drinking with care for a while, I am happy to say that my blood pressure is healthy.
If you’re like me and are dealing with high blood pressure, you should try hibiscus tea. It’s great for lowering blood pressure, and it tastes good too! I used to drink three cups of hibiscus tea per day. You can have it both cold and hot. Also, if you don’t like oats, I recommend trying groats.
To anyone dealing with high blood pressure, consider consuming less sodium, fat, and alcohol. By reducing the potassium to sodium ratio, you can lower your blood pressure. So, try increasing your potassium intake too. Leafy greens such as kale, arugula, romaine lettuce, collard greens, turnip greens, and spinach are excellent potassium-filled options.
Avoid buying and consuming canned vegetables, for they usually have added sodium. Instead, consider eating fresh veggies or freezing them. Another food that helped me lower my blood pressure was beet juice. If you don’t like the juice, you can bake it or have it in your salad.
While no one likes having high blood pressure, for me, it has been an effective way to push myself into eating healthy. I started limiting my sugar intake (including sugary drinks), red meat, sodium, and anything high in cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fat.
This circumstance leaves you with a great selection of fruits, low-fat dairy foods, and vegetables. Plus, consuming more fish and poultry due to cutting red meat would be a wise decision even if you do not have high blood pressure. Whole-grain foods and nuts are also healthy options that are more filling than many other foods.
I drink orange juice to fight high blood pressure. I love to eat oranges because of their natural sweetness, which I like the most, the many different types of oranges available everywhere, and the diversity of uses in foods and cakes. For instance, I can consume them in juices or use them to add a tasteful flavour to my cakes and desserts. You can even have it in marmalades. I also exercise once a week, which helps me fight high blood pressure.