Summer 'High Pressure' Danger: 10 Foods to Lower Blood Pressure

Summer is a season when high blood pressure is difficult to control, so special attention is needed. Today, I want to summarize the vegetables and fruits for lowering blood pressure in the summer, helping high blood pressure patients control their blood pressure more directly through diet. Come and learn a few tips.

1. Black Fungus

Black fungus is known as the "meat among vegetables." Its blood pressure-lowering effect is not direct but indirect, achieved by improving blood vessels. It is suitable for various types of hypertension, especially for patients with hypertension complicated by atherosclerosis or retinal hemorrhage. Additionally, black fungus contains a significant amount of biochemical substances that cleanse the blood and detoxify, which is beneficial to human health.

Moreover, the protein, fat, and carbohydrates in black fungus are not only essential nutrients for the human body but also the material basis for beauty. Its carotene is converted into vitamin A in the human body, which moisturizes the skin and hair. Lecithin in the body can make body fat liquid, which is conducive to the complete consumption of fat in the body, drives the movement of body fat, makes fat distribution reasonable, and keeps the body well-proportioned. Cellulose promotes intestinal peristalsis, promotes fat excretion, and is beneficial for weight loss.

West Lily and Black Fungus with Celery

2. Celery

Celery is rich in protein, carbohydrates, carotene, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, etc. At the same time, it has the effects of calming the liver and clearing heat, expelling wind and promoting moisture, relieving restlessness and reducing swelling, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, detoxifying and ventilating the lungs, strengthening the stomach and promoting blood circulation, clearing the intestines and promoting bowel movements, moistening the lungs and relieving cough, lowering blood pressure, and strengthening the brain and calming the nerves. Eating celery often, especially the leaves, is very beneficial for preventing hypertension, atherosclerosis, etc., and has an auxiliary therapeutic effect.

Celery can also whiten and protect the skin. Celery is a high-fiber food. It produces a substance called lignin or enterolactone through digestion in the intestines. This substance is an antioxidant. Eating celery often can effectively help the skin resist aging and achieve the effect of whitening and skin care.

Sautéed Sliced Mountain Celery with Spicy Tofu

3. Eggplant

Eggplant is sweet and cold in nature, entering the spleen, stomach, and large intestine meridians. It has the effects of clearing heat, activating blood to resolve stasis, promoting urination to reduce swelling, and relaxing the bowels. It treats intestinal wind bleeding, toxic sores, and skin ulcers. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica" that eggplant treats cold and heat, fatigue of the five organs, and warm diseases. According to the "Dictionary of Chinese Medicine," the main chemical components of eggplant are various alkaloids, such as trigonelline, stachydrine, choline, and solanine, and the skin contains pigments such as nasunin and shisonin.

Modern research shows that the purple skin is rich in vitamin E and vitamin P. Vitamin P has the effect of increasing capillary elasticity and improving microcirculation, and has a certain preventive effect on hypertension, atherosclerosis, and scurvy. The special substance contained in the fiber of eggplant has the effect of lowering cholesterol. Therefore, eggplant is a good dietary therapy for patients with hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Roasted Eggplant with Minced Garlic Pork

4. Mung Bean

In traditional Chinese medicine, mung beans are believed to reduce swelling and promote qi circulation, and clear heat and detoxify. Grinding raw mung beans into juice and taking it can treat erysipelas, irritability and urticaria, drug-induced reactions, and surging heat. It nourishes the intestines and stomach. It can be used as a pillow to brighten the eyes. It can treat colds and headaches, and relieve vomiting. Regular consumption replenishes vital energy, harmonizes the five organs, calms the mind, opens the twelve meridians, removes dandruff, moisturizes the skin, and the boiled juice can quench thirst and neutralize the poison of all herbal, cattle, horse, and metal medicines. Mung beans have a good dietary therapeutic effect on patients with hypertension. It not only helps to lower blood pressure and alleviate symptoms, but also eating mung beans often can prevent blood lipids from rising.

Lily and Mung Bean Soup

5. Apple

Apple is mild in nature and rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, and trace elements, including sugars, organic acids, pectin, protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. It also contains malic acid, tartaric acid, and carotene, making it the fruit and vegetable with the most perfect nutritional value.

As the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apples have so many benefits. They are not only very effective against cerebral infarction but also have effects such as moistening the intestines, stopping diarrhea, relieving summer heat, sobering up, promoting saliva production to quench thirst, moistening the lungs and relieving restlessness, strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach, and nourishing the heart and replenishing qi. However, it should be noted that cyanide has been found in apple cores. Eating a whole apple core will not be fatal, but it is definitely not good for your body. Of course, if you eat too many apple cores (chewing and swallowing them), there may be complications.

Roasted Apple Slices