It’s tasty, healthy, and has a cheerful color: banana and its positive effect on blood pressure

People suffering from hypertension are looking for a variety of ways to cope with their illness.

Experienced patients not only take medications, but also try to consume healthy foods that have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and have a hypotensive effect.

From many hypertensive patients you can hear a lot of positive feedback about blood pressure and bananas. This delicious fruit is believed to have therapeutic properties and help lower blood pressure.

Composition and beneficial properties

Sweet and ripe bananas are one of the most favorite fruits for most adults and children.
In addition to their pleasant taste, these bright yellow fruits have many beneficial properties. But what’s interesting is that bananas increase or decrease blood pressure? They contain a large number of substances valuable for the body.

Fruits are rich in plant fiber, vitamins A, B, C, E, PP, phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, sodium, magnesium, manganese, etc. And potassium lowers blood pressure.

In addition, bananas contain a lot of potassium (376 milligrams in 100 grams of banana pulp, or about 500 milligrams in one medium-sized fruit). Studies have shown that just two fruits eaten can meet a person's daily potassium requirement.

When consumed regularly, the substances contained in bananas have the following effects on the body:

• strengthen the heart muscle;
• normalize heart rhythms;
• make the walls of blood vessels stronger and more elastic;
• help lower blood pressure;
• accelerate blood circulation;
• reduce the risk of varicose veins;
• reduce swelling;
• remove toxins;
• accelerate metabolism;
• prevent the development of atherosclerosis, various diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• reduce the amount of cholesterol in the body;
• increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood;
• improve food digestibility;
• stimulate the functioning of the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract;
• help cope with attacks of heartburn and nausea;
• improve the condition of the gastric mucosa in case of ulcers and gastritis;
• eliminate muscle pain;
• strengthen bone tissue;
• prevent the development of arthritis and osteoporosis;
• boost immunity;
• reduce excessive sweating;
• improve memory;
• stabilize brain function;
• prevent dehydration of the body;
• stimulate the production of serotonin and thereby improve mood;
• help fight nervous disorders, irritability, and causeless anxiety;
• increase stress resistance;
• relieve fatigue;
• have a positive effect on human performance;
• allow you to recover faster after intense physical and mental stress;
• eliminate sleep disorders.

Very often, doctors advise patients who have recently undergone surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation treatment to eat bananas.
This fruit will also be useful for athletes who regularly perform heavy physical exercise.

Bananas and banana puree can be eaten even by children under one year of age when complementary feeding is introduced; the tasty fruits, unlike many other fruits, are hypoallergenic and do not provoke the appearance of rashes, irritations, redness and other allergic reactions on the sensitive skin of infants.

100 grams of banana pulp contain 90 kilocalories; the tasty fruit perfectly satisfies hunger, gives a feeling of fullness for a long time and quickly replenishes the body’s energy supply.

How do bananas affect blood pressure?

Scientists have long proven that bananas reduce blood pressure.

In order to prevent the development of hypertensive syndrome, a person needs to receive a sufficient amount of potassium with food.

This substance, beneficial for the body, is found in abundance in ripe banana pulp. In addition to the fact that bananas lower blood pressure, they have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart, supply the brain with oxygen, and normalize the water balance in the body.

That is why doctors recommend their patients to consume them ripe every day. You can eat fruits fresh; you can also add delicious fruits to smoothies, milkshakes, cereals, yogurts, various desserts and other dishes.

It has been proven that if you eat two to three bananas a day, you can significantly reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Contraindications

Bananas bring great benefits to the human body. Despite this, some people have to limit their consumption of these delicious fruits. There is an opinion that banana increases blood pressure - this is a big misconception.

Those who suffer from low blood pressure, flatulence, and high stomach acidity will have to minimize the amount or completely abandon bananas.

Also, people with diabetes should not eat sweet fruits, because Bananas contain a large amount of sugar and contribute to a rapid increase in blood glucose levels.

Eating too many bananas daily (more than five or six bananas a day) contributes to weight gain. People who have increased body weight or are suffering from obesity need to follow moderation and not overuse delicious fruits.

To avoid possible stomach upset, it is necessary to eat only fully ripe bananas; in addition, nutritionists do not recommend eating such fruits on an empty stomach and do not recommend washing them down with water.

What is hypertension?

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the pressure of blood on the walls of blood vessels. Over time, high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and cause heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and other problems. Hypertension is often called the silent killer because many patients do not experience any symptoms and high blood pressure wreaks havoc on the body over many years. Therefore, preventive measures must be taken by all people, and not just those who know about their disease.

Our therapists at Diamed clinics have extensive experience in treating patients diagnosed with hypertension. Make an appointment with a therapist by calling 8 or using the online appointment form located immediately below the article. After a course of treatment for hypertension, your doctor will prescribe preventative measures to maintain your results, including through proper nutrition.

Many risk factors for hypertension in humans cannot be controlled. These include, for example, your age, gender, heredity. But there are factors that you can control, such as diet. Today we will talk about what products exist that reduce blood pressure.

Selection and storage

In order for bananas to give the expected therapeutic effect on blood pressure, they must be selected and stored correctly:

• when buying them in a store, it is best to give preference to bright yellow or golden fruits without dark spots, spots, or mold;
• those who are not going to eat fruits right away, but plan to store them at home for some time, need to choose slightly greenish fruits (such fruits will ripen to normal in a few days);
• if an unpeeled banana has too pronounced ribs, it means that it is not fully ripe (the skin of ripe fruit is smoother and more even);
• they must be stored in a dark and fairly cool place, but it is not recommended to put the fruits in the refrigerator;
• if a person has the opportunity, he can hang bananas on a rope in a well-ventilated room with a temperature of +12...+15 degrees;
• You should not separate purchased bananas from each other, because... The fruits are best preserved in bunches.

With normal storage, fruits will not lose their beneficial properties and pleasant taste.

Mode of application

To normalize blood pressure levels, bananas can be consumed in different ways - fresh (about 2 pieces / day) or in the form of a vitamin drink, kvass. Here are the best recipes from them:

1. Vitamin drink. The pulp of one fruit is taken, crushed to a mushy state, mixed with freshly squeezed juices of orange, grapefruit, pineapple (250 g each), honey (1 tsp), and the juice of half a lemon. The resulting mass is whipped until liquid. Drink 2-3 times a day, 1 glass.
2. Kvass. Banana peel is cut into small pieces, 3 cups are poured into a 3-liter jar, filled with warm boiled water, mixed with 1 cup of sugar. Separately take 1 tbsp. 15% sour cream, stir it with 50 ml of water, add to the banana mixture. Cover the neck of the jar with a gauze napkin. The container itself is removed for 2 weeks in a warm place. For the first 2-3 days, foam will appear that needs to be removed. After 2 weeks, 1/3 of the drink is poured. The jar is filled with warm water and 1/3 cup of sugar is added. 1 liter of finished kvass is placed in the refrigerator. It is taken 100 ml before each meal.

Other fruits and foods for hypertension

Besides bananas, there are many other foods that help lower blood pressure.

With hypertensive syndrome, patients can use:

• spinach;
• lentils;
• nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.);
• Dill seeds;
• milk;
• garlic;
• beans;
• baked potatoes;
• turmeric;
• ginger;
• olive oil;
• chilli;
• green tea and hibiscus tea;
• bitter chocolate;
• fish fat;
• low-fat fish;
• white poultry meat;
• cereals;
• coconut milk.

Any of the above products can be eaten only in the absence of allergic reactions. In addition, a hypertensive patient should not overeat or constantly eat only one product.

The diet of people suffering from high blood pressure should be complete, correct and varied (the attending physician should help the patient with choosing a diet and drawing up a daily menu).

Useful video

About the treatment of hypertension with folk remedies:

A tasty and sweet banana is not only an excellent product for a quick snack, but also a real healing agent that will help prevent the development of many serious diseases. Of course, for hypertension, bananas will not replace medications, but will enhance and complement the effect of prescribed medications. The most important thing when consuming this fruit is to observe moderation and not to overeat, otherwise a person may gain excess weight, which will negatively affect the condition of his heart and blood vessels.

Vegetables that lower blood pressure

We figured out which fruits help with blood pressure. Now let's get acquainted with vegetables that lower blood pressure. The desired results can be achieved by including in the menu:

• Carrot. It will be useful due to its high carotene content. A substance that has a beneficial effect on the condition of the myocardium and blood vessels.
• Beet. The vegetable should be eaten fresh, not heat-treated. It normalizes blood pressure levels throughout the day, practically bringing it to the physiological norm.
• Any fresh greens. A particularly effective remedy for normalizing high blood pressure.

Regular consumption of these vegetables reduces the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood and promotes the removal of toxins. A vegetable diet normalizes blood flow, improving the effect of drugs on the body when diagnosing essential hypertension.

You can reduce blood pressure with fresh garlic. You need to eat one clove daily. A stable decrease in blood pressure by approximately 5–10 points can be expected after 7–11 days. In case of a combined course of hypertension and angina pectoris, a person’s menu must include:

• cabbage – cauliflower and Brussels sprouts;
• tomatoes;
• celery (root);
• sweet bell pepper.

To cleanse blood vessels from cholesterol plaques that narrow the lumen of blood vessels, it is useful to eat pumpkin and cucumber seeds. Unpeeled boiled or baked potatoes provide good results.