One of the biggest risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke is high blood pressure.

But fortunately, it’s also a risk factor that can be controlled through simple lifestyle changes like getting more exercise, shedding a few pounds and managing your stress.

And while the medical establishment is known for pushing prescriptions, even your doctor will tell you that changing what you eat is one of the first steps to lowering your blood pressure.

In fact, the go-to recommendation for high blood pressure, known as the DASH diet, recommends upping your intake of fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds and of course, vegetables.

But the question is…

Are all vegetables created equal when it comes to bettering your blood pressure?

It turns out, the answer is no.

Eat these to lower blood pressure and heart attack and stroke risk

According to research by a team of scientists at Edith Cowan University, the best vegetables for reducing blood pressure are the ones in the cruciferous family.

This includes veggies like broccoli, cabbage, kale and cauliflower, as well as Brussels sprouts, daikon, collard greens and more.

And in a head-to-head competition, they were shown to be capable of moving the needle when it came to blood pressure health.

In their study, the scientists pit cruciferous vegetables against root and squash vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin over a six-week period.

Participants ate cruciferous vegetable soups for two weeks, took a break and then ate root vegetable and squash-based soups for two more weeks. Their blood pressure was measured continuously for 24 hours before and after both 2-week intervention periods.

And there was no doubt that going the cruciferous route was much better for the heart and blood vessels.

According to the researchers, eating cruciferous vegetables resulted in a 2.5 mmHg reduction in blood pressure reduction compared to root and squash vegetables.

While that may not sound like much, it translated to a 5 percent lower risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke from that single change!

“Cruciferous vegetables are the lowest consumed group of vegetables. If people can increase their intake of this group of vegetables, they will receive more bang for their buck in terms of in lowering blood pressure and reducing the subsequent risk of developing heart disease later in life,” said Dr. Lauren Blekkenhorst.

Keeping your blood pressure in check

So how often do you need to add these veggies to your diet?

According to Dr. Blekkenhorst, you should ideally eat them most days of the week. This will help you maintain their benefits.

And if you want to really work on your blood pressure, other dietary changes can help, like:

• More fiber. A study from researchers at Monash University found that not eating enough prebiotic fiber causes high blood pressure in mice. Rich sources of this fiber can be found in onions, leeks, asparagus, flaxseed and Jerusalem artichokes.
• Adding beets to your diet. High blood pressure patients who drank 250ml of beetroot juice a day were found to have blood pressure levels back in the ‘normal’ range by the end of a study at Queen Mary University of London.
• Enjoying tomatoes. Scientists in Spain found eating the equivalent of one large 4-ounce tomato each day could slash the risk of high blood pressure by as much as 36 percent.

So don’t wait! Start eating right today for better blood pressure tomorrow.

Sources:

Broccoli and kale top the shopping list for lowering blood pressure — EurekAlert!

The most important nutrient for lower blood pressure — Easy Health Options

The vegetable that lowered blood pressure 36 percent — Easy Health Options

Eat this dairy daily to lower blood pressure by almost 7 points — Easy Health Options