Breakfast For High Blood Pressure: Healthy Options To Lower Hypertension

The problem of Hypertension is quite common these days. This is mainly due to poor lifestyle habits which include the lack of physical exercise, too much fast food and no diet control.

Studies predict that by 2025, there will be approximately 1.56 billion people living with hypertension worldwide. Hypertension, aka high blood pressure, is very aptly also called the ‘Silent Killer’. This is because it does not produce or show any early symptoms and brings out serious problems in the long-term. As a result, Hypertension can go unnoticed and therefore untreated for years if you don’t go for regular medical check-ups.

Although Hypertension does not show any early symptoms, it leads to issues like narrowing of blood vessels in the long-term. This is a serious health problem that causes damage to the blood vessels and leads to heart and kidney problems, among others.

Some of the factors responsible for the growing problem of hypertension are physical inactivity, salt-rich diets, eating fatty foods and consumption of alcohol and tobacco and other chronic lifestyle diseases. Skipping breakfast is another reason which contributes significantly towards high blood pressure and also obesity. It has been found that people who skip breakfast are more prone to heart-related issues.

Now that we know what hypertension does, its root causes and its long-term effects, let’s focus on the prevention methods. A few ways are –

1. Workout or exercise regularly
2. Avoid fast foods or salt-rich foods
3. Always have a healthy breakfast

Now the question is what are the best breakfast foods we can have to prevent hypertension? Here is a list of the best morning meals that you can choose from, to have a healthy heart.

1. Yoghurt

Yoghurt supplies your daily need of calcium, magnesium and potassium all of which are required for a healthy heart. A proper amount of magnesium and potassium is necessary for the healthy functioning of the heart. Choose a plain, fat-free yoghurt in the morning or add extra ingredients like sliced apples, banana or berries to make it healthier and refreshing. You can also add nuts like almonds or cashew nuts.

2. Fruits and Nuts

Now we already discussed adding nuts to your yoghurt. Nuts are rich in magnesium and they can be added to many morning dishes like oats, fruit bowl, etc.

3. Oatmeal

Oats are a rich source of fibre and help in keeping cholesterol under control. It is the perfect morning breakfast if you want to keep your heart healthy and in good shape. Oatmeal has many other benefits like iron, vitamin B and magnesium that are essential for your body. A bowl of oatmeal in the morning makes sure your body is charged up for the day and helps in lowering blood pressure. Avoid adding too much sugar to your oatmeal, rather add some honey or fresh fruits to sweeten it up.

4. Soya Milk

Soya milk is a great breakfast accompaniment. Add it to your cereal bowl for added benefits. Soya milk and skim milk can reduce blood pressure and thus, reduce hypertension.

5. Bananas and Berries

Bananas are a great source of potassium. They are also rich in antioxidants and are sodium free. They are recommended for breakfast as they help in keeping your heart healthy and in lowering blood pressure. You can add a banana in your meal in any form. Cut the slices and add it to your dishes or take a banana shake. Berries are also rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins that help in keeping the heart healthy and strong. You can add a glass of juice to your morning table.

6. Egg Whites

Eggs are rich in protein and contain a group of amino acids which may lower blood pressure. They form the ideal healthy breakfast meal. Egg whites don’t have fat and that is why they are good for the heart. Adding vegetables to the scrambled white eggs makes it more tasty and nutritious. Tomato contributes towards adding potassium to the diet and green vegetables supply magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Breakfast acts as a fuel to your body and thus should be carefully chosen. So don’t skip the first and most important meal of the day. Head over to our blog on nutrition and health to browse topics like drinks for high BP and ayurvedic remedies for hypertension