Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan for Healthy Blood Pressure-
Enjoy a week of delicious anti-inflammatory foods tailored to improve blood pressure in this nutritious and flavorful 7-day meal plan.
The following written content by Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD via Eating Well
If you have high blood pressure, you’ve probably heard the guidance to cut back on salt. It’s a good idea, considering nearly 90% of Americans get more than the recommended max of 2,300 mg of sodium per day and heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. Most of the salt in our diets comes from processed foods and restaurant foods, not the salt shaker at home or added salt while cooking. While it’s a good idea to be cautious of how much salt you’re using in the kitchen, your best bet to lower sodium is to check the nutrition labels of processed and prepared foods and focus on more whole ingredients. But when it comes to lowering your blood pressure, cutting back on sodium isn’t the whole story. In this plan, we incorporate the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) with a special focus on anti-inflammatory foods. We mapped out a week of meals and snacks filled with nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fermented dairy, fish and healthy fats like nuts, seeds and olive oil while skipping red and processed meats, like sausage or deli meat, packaged foods and excess salt.
If you’re trying to lose weight, reducing inflammation and lowering calories both play a role. We set this plan at 1,500 calories per day, which is a level where most people will lose weight, plus included modifications for 1,200 and 2,000 calories a day, depending on your calorie needs.
Why is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Good for Blood Pressure?
Long-term inflammation is one of the driving forces of increased blood pressure and heart disease. Research suggests that chronic inflammation leads to excess plaque and damaged blood vessels, ultimately contributing to increased risk for heart disease and hypertension. Upping your intake of anti-inflammatory foods foods and incorporating inflammation-busting habits like getting quality sleep, stopping smoking and increasing exercise also play a role in improving health. Plus, eating more anti-inflammatory foods means seriously great things for our overall health. While we focused on heart health in this plan, the anti-inflammatory diet has been shown to reduce weight, improve blood sugars, prevent certain cancers and protect our brain and joints.
Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Healthy for Blood Pressure:
- Cherries
- Berries (blueberry, raspberries, blackberries)
- Pomegranate
- Banana
- Avocado
- Olive oil
- Beets
- Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard and more)
- Potato and sweet potato
- Tomatoes
- Beans and lentils
- Whole grains (such as oats, quinoa, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, bulgur, freekeh)
- Nuts and natural nut butters (especially walnuts, almonds and pistachios)
- Seeds (flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower)
- Edamame
- Fermented dairy, like yogurt and kefir
- Spices
- Fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, tuna, shrimp, sardines and anchovies. Read more from Eating Well.
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