Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls. Blood pressure rises and falls, but when blood pressure remains elevated over time, it is characterized as high blood pressure or hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Diet affects your chances of getting high blood pressure. Fruits can lower high blood pressure levels and reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure.
Understanding Blood Pressure
A blood pressure reading is the combination of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure measures the rate at which your heart squeezes blood out. Diastolic blood pressure is the measure of arterial pressure when the heart is being filled with blood between heartbeats.
Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80 or lower. High blood pressure is 140 over 90 or higher. When blood pressure is between 120 over 80 and 140 over 90, it is referred to as “prehypertension.”
Fruits that Lower High Blood Pressure
To lower blood pressure you can consume fruits in various forms. If they are fresh, eat at least one medium-sized fruit, or one-half cup. If dried, one-quarter cup. Frozen? One-half cup. If canned, one-half cup, or as a juice, 6 ounces. Eat four to five servings of fruit a day.
High fiber fruits help reduce blood pressure. The highest fiber-containing fruits are apples with the skin, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, guava, kiwi, oranges, pears, prunes, and dried fruits of figs, raisins, apricots and dates.
Potassium is an electrolyte that helps lower blood pressure by regulating fluid balance and sodium. Potassium rich fruits, or those containing 225 milligrams of potassium per each half-cup serving, include apricots (fresh instead of canned), bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, oranges and orange juice and prunes. Fruits with moderate levels of potassium, 125 to 225 milligrams per serving, include apple juice, blackberries, cherries, grapefruit, peach, pears, pineapple, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangerine and watermelon.