• It’s a Cookbook
    It’s a Philosophy
    It’s a Resource
logologologologo
  • FoodTrients 101 –
  • News –
      • Age Gracefully with Grace O
      • Ginger Hultin, Nutrition
      • Mark Rosenberg, MD
      • Robert Tostado, MD
      • Anti-Aging –
      • Beauty –
      • Food –
      • Health –
      • Exercise –
      • Celiac –
      • Life Extension
      • Books We Love –
      • FoodTrients Guides –
      • Newsletter –
      • capsule full of good foodAre Supplements Safe for You?
      • woman doing yogaSecrets of the Lymphatic System
      • woman fanning herselfWomen, Food, and Hormones: A Plan
      • "collagen" written on a chalkboardSave Your Eyes with Collagen
  • Recipes –
    • SEARCH BY:

      • Category:

      • Starters –
      • Soups –
      • Salads –
      • Main Dishes –
      • Sides –
      • Desserts –
      • Drinks –
      • Extras –
      • Spice Mixes –
      • All Recipes –
      • Or Search By:

      • Anti-inflammatory –
      • Antioxidant –
      • Beauty –
      • Detox –
      • Disease Prevention –
      • Gut Health –
      • Immunity Booster –
      • Mind –
      • Strength –
      • exotic fruit and granolaExotic Fruit Salad with Granola
      • chocolate mousseDark Chocolate Mousse
      • Green Tea NoodlesGreen Tea Noodles with Edamame
      • buffalo meat slidersTry Buffalo Sliders with Sweetened Cranberries
  • Resources –
  • About –
  • Shop –
  • Media –
  • Home Page
  • News
    • Age Gracefully
    • Anti-Aging
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO
    • Health
    • Newsletter
  • Recipes
    • Starters
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Extras
    • Spice Mixes
  • Resources
    • Anti-Aging Resources
    • Health
    • Eating Well
    • Books We Love
  • About
    • About Grace O
    • Experts and Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest
  • Shop
  • Media
    • In the Media
    • Press Releases
    • Videos
            No results See all results
            ✕
                      No results See all results

                      Supermarket Produce Can Help Lower Blood Pressure

                      Published by Dr. Mark Rosenberg

                      Woman shopping for apples at a grocery store

                      Elevated blood pressures are often a concern for my over-40 age patients.  Some of them need to take prescription medications to keep blood pressures normal and decrease the risk of stroke.  However, one thing I tell my patients with elevated blood pressures is that there are some natural remedies that can help lower blood pressure.  They’re often surprised to learn that some of these include common produce from your supermarket!  In fact, several of my patients who have tried these foods have either been able to go off their prescription medications or lower their dosage.  Read on to learn about the two common produce foods that can lower blood pressure.

                      Supermarket Produce Lowers Blood Pressure

                      Fruits and vegetables are foods that not only taste great but they have amazing medicinal properties to them as well. Mother Nature certainly knew what she was doing in creating these colorful foods that are full of health-protecting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

                      In addition, many types of produce contain certain chemical compounds, in just the right balance, that work as well as many prescription medicines do in controlling blood pressure.  Two of these common produce foods are celery and watermelon.  Let’s look at celery first.

                      Celery

                      Fresh sliced celery in a white bowl

                      The Greeks first started using celery to control nervousness, which may contribute to high blood pressure.  The Chinese have also been using ground celery powder for centuries to control blood pressure.  However, the same effect can be achieved eating the raw produce itself.  Celery contains vitamins K, B6, C, and minerals potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium and iron, in addition to the chemicals apigenin, pthalide and coumarin.

                      First, celery has the perfect sodium to potassium ratio making it an excellent, natural potassium-sparing diuretic.  Many people who take prescription blood pressure medications take a potassium-sparing diuretic that both lowers their blood pressure and doesn’t deplete potassium stores.

                      Second, the three chemicals that celery contains, apigenin, phtalide and coumarin, all work to lower blood pressure by both reducing the stress hormones, cortisol, catecholamine and adrenaline, and relaxing smooth vascular muscles. Celery has been tested in recent research out of Vietnam and found to have significant blood pressure lowering properties. Apigenin is also thought to have anti-cancer, HIV, and anti-viral properties as well.

                      Watermelon

                      Watermelon slices on the wooden table

                      Another summer favorite produce food, watermelon, has also been proven in recent research out of Florida State University to lower blood pressure.  The study was the first of its kind to use humans in its clinical trials.  It involved giving 6 units of compounds extracted from watermelon – L.citrulline/L.arginine, to study participants daily for 6 weeks.

                      At the end of that time, the participants had improved arterial function and lower arterial blood pressures in all nine prehypertensive study participants. The researchers concluded that watermelon was a functional food’ that had vasodilatory effects and capable of preventing prehypertension progressing to full blown hypertension.  Approximately 60% of Americans have prehypertension.

                      In addition, researchers offered that supplementing with watermelon could allow for lowered prescription blood pressure medication to control blood pressure.  The beneficial dose would be 4-6 grams a day of L.citrulline in supplement or natural (whole watermelon) type.

                      Watermelon is also noted to be a well-tolerated, rich source of L.citrulline.  In the body, L.citrulline converts to L.arginine, which creates nitric oxide necessary to control vascular tone and blood pressure.  Watermelon is also an excellent diuretic and a rich source of the carotenoids lutein (eyes) and lycopene (prostate, cardiovascular disease).

                      As I advise my patients, adding celery and watermelon to your diet can certainly help lower blood pressure and, perhaps, allow you to reduce or eliminate blood pressure medications.  Celery and watermelon are also available in capsule-form supplements.  However, as both of them are very low in calories, chock full of vitamins, minerals and fiber, and taste great, I recommend eating the whole produce instead.

                      Celery and watermelon are definitely two of Mother Nature’s incredible creations that you can’t go wrong with eating. They not only help you lower your blood pressure but provide you with incredible nutrients to further protect your health.

                       

                      Share
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg received his doctorate from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1988 and has been involved with drug research since 1991. With numerous certifications in several different fields of medicine, psychology, healthy aging and fitness, Dr. Rosenberg has a wide breadth of experience in both the public and private sector with particular expertise in both the mechanism of cancer treatment failure and in treating obesity. He currently is researching new compounds to treat cancer and obesity, including receiving approval status for an investigational new drug that works with chemotherapy and a patent pending for an oral appetite suppressant. He is currently President of the Institute for Healthy Aging, Program Director of the Integrative Cancer Fellowship, and Chief Medical Officer of Rose Pharmaceuticals. His work has been published in various trade and academic journals. In addition to his many medical certifications, he also personally committed to physical fitness and is a certified physical fitness trainer.

                      Sign Up to get our
                      NEWSLETTER FREE

                      Select list(s) to subscribe to


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: FoodTrients, 14011 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423, http://www.foodtrients.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      Latest Articles

                      • buffalo meat sliders0
                        Try Buffalo Sliders with Sweetened Cranberries
                        January 30, 2023
                      • 0
                        We’re Just Wild About Saffron
                        January 30, 2023
                      • Baobab squares
                        Baobab Butter Squares
                        January 30, 2023
                      • It’s Citrus Season and the Squeeze Is On!
                        January 30, 2023
                      • 5 Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress & Tension
                        January 30, 2023

                      SEE MORE

                      ABOUT

                      • Grace O
                      • Our Experts
                      • FoodTrients
                      • Board of Advisors
                      • FAQs

                      EXPLORE

                      • Age Gracefully by Grace O
                      • News
                      • Recipes
                      • Our Guides
                      • Resources
                      • Shop
                      • Media

                      CONNECT

                      • Contact Us
                      • Subscribe
                      • Facebook
                      • Pinterest
                      • Instagram
                      • Twitter
                      • YouTube

                      SIGN UP for our NEWSLETTER

                      Nourish your week! Get the latest wellness news and delicious recipes to help you age better.

                      Select list(s) to subscribe to


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: FoodTrients, 14011 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423, http://www.foodtrients.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      FoodTrients Trademark™ and copyright © 2011-2022 Triple G Enterprises. I Terms and Conditions I Privacy

                      This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. FoodTrients – A Recipe for Aging Beautifully Grace O, author and creator of FoodTrients® -- a philosophy, a cookbook and a resource -- has a new cookbook dedicated to age-defying and delicious recipes, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, which provides one hundred-plus recipes that promote health and well-being. The recipes are built on foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from around the world. Since the publication of her first anti-aging book, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, Grace O has identified eight categories of FoodTrients benefits (Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Disease Prevention, Beauty, Strength, Mind, and Weight Loss) that are essential to fighting aging, which show how specific foods, herbs, and spices in the recipes help keep skin looking younger, prevent the diseases of aging, and increase energy and vitality. Grace O combines more exotic ingredients that add age-fighting benefits to familiar recipe favorites.

                                No results See all results