The vegetable is rich in potassium, a mineral known to help lower blood pressure.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common condition , which is believed to affect about one in three adults.
This refers to the pressure of the blood in the arteries, the vessels that carry blood throughout the body. A certain amount of pressure is needed to keep the blood flowing, but if it's consistently high, it's a cause for concern.
This is because long-term high blood pressure puts extra pressure on the heart and other organs. It is a major risk factor in a number of medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes.
Some people are more likely to develop high blood pressure than others due to factors beyond their control, such as being older than 65 and having a family history of the condition.
However, there are certain lifestyle factors that can also lead to high blood pressure.
These include:
- Bad diet
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
Diet is one of the main contributors to high blood pressure, with too much salt being the main culprit.
The sodium in salt causes the body to retain water, which raises blood pressure. While reducing your salt intake will help solve this problem, there are also certain foods that can actively counteract the effects of salt.
“Potassium is a mineral known to do this. It helps the body excrete salt through the urine. It also relaxes the walls of blood vessels, helping to lower blood pressure. One food rich in potassium is sweet potatoes,” says the seed doctor. Tatyana Zakharova especially for Medikforum.
100 grams of sweet potato contains about 337 mg of potassium.
“Potassium is an important mineral that helps maintain normal blood pressure within a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.”
The DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), based on sound scientific research, has proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure.
Blood pressure control with the DASH diet includes a low-salt diet rich in fruits, vegetables , low-fat or fat-free dairy products and whole grains. This combination provides a diet rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium and fiber.
“Sweet potatoes, in addition to being a source of potassium, count as one serving of your five-day diet, and are high in fiber and very low in salt, so check many dietary boxes for controlling high blood pressure.”
Including foods that are a source of potassium and high in fiber, as well as a portion of vegetables such as sweet potatoes, you can help maintain normal blood pressure as part of a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Other Foods High in Potassium include:
- Dried apricots
- Prunes
- Bananas
- Pumpkin
- Orange juice.
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