Healthy Food Choices for Hypertension

Courtesy of Dr. Emina Jasarevic, ND 

The most useful foods for individuals with hypertension include:

• Celery
• Garlic and onions
• Nuts and seeds, or their oils for their (essential fatty acid) EFA content
• Cold-water fish (e.g., wild salmon, mackerel)
• Green leafy vegetables for their rich source of calcium and magnesium
• Whole grains and legumes for their fibre
• Foods rich in Vitamin C like Broccoli and citrus fruits.

Celery is an interesting recommendation for hypertension. Celery contains 3-n-butyl pthalide – which has been shown to lower blood pressure. In animal research, a small amount if this compound reduced blood pressure by 12-14% and reduced cholesterol by about 7%. The equivalent dose in humans is 4-6 ribs of celery a day. This research was prompted by a father of one of the researchers, who, after eating a quarter pound of celery daily for a week, noticed his blood pressure drop from 158/96 to 118/82.

 I always recommend organic celery because conventional celery is part of the “dirty dozen” of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables. So enjoy the flavor and health benefits of organic celery and avoid all those pesticides.

 For more information on Dr. Emina Jasarevic, visit The Core Centre of Health website.