Have you thought about adding health supplements to your diet to help you lower your blood pressure, but don’t know where to start? Well, You are not alone!
The supplement industry has skyrocketed in the last decade. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misunderstandings surrounding it.
I have put together a complete vitamin and nutritional supplement guide to help you navigate all the information out there and start filling the gaps in your diet so that you can lower your blood pressure and live a healthier life!
By the end of this, you will know how to figure out which vitamins and minerals you should be taking and how to find the best quality brands.
Let’s start with the most important thing…
SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A POOR DIET!
If you are trying to lower your blood pressure, It is still important for you to focus on eating lots of whole foods with the nutrients that your body needs to function properly. Supplements shouldn’t replace, but rather supplement!
It is best to get as many micronutrients from your food as possible. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats have enzymes that help your body digest the food and absorb the nutrients.
However, getting all of the vitamins and minerals from your diet can be a struggle. So, a supplement routine can help you fill in the gaps.
Harvard health experts suggest a daily magnesium intake of around 400mg for men and 310mg for women. A banana only has 32mg of magnesium.
So, you can see the gaps between what you can get from your diet and what you need. If you want to lower your blood pressure, you need to fill those gaps.
First off, you need to figure out which minerals and vitamins your body needs.
Micronutrients tests are easy and can help you figure out what your body needs. They are lots of easy, at-home tests that will tell you what is missing from your diet.
Every single body is different, which means that what you need is not going to be the same as what someone else needs. Even if you are eating a very similar diet to another person, your body might be processing and using the nutrients differently.
A test is going to give you the most personalized plan. But, you can start supplementing a number of vitamins and minerals based on common deficiencies that are hurting your blood pressure.
HOW TO START SUPPLEMENTING TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
You can start by following this supplements guide. Adding the following vitamins and minerals to your supplement routine will increase your health and decrease your blood pressure.
Start by just adding one of them into your diet for a week. The most important thing about this process is HOW YOU FEEL.
If you add 15 different supplements into your diet at once, you will probably feel better, but won’t know which one is working.
By slowly adding in one supplement at a time, you will be able to tell what your body is reacting to. You may feel a ton more energy and better digestion when adding magnesium to your supplement routine. Or, you may already be sufficient in magnesium and you can move on to try something else.
Now that you know how to get started, let’s dive into seven vitamins and minerals that will help lower your blood pressure.
Magnesium & Heart Health
Have you ever taken a hot bath with Epsom salt and woken up in the morning with your achy, sore muscles feeling all better? Well… That’s because of the magnesium!
It has relaxing properties and studies have shown that magnesium can lower blood pressure. It can also help improve digestion, regulate blood sugar, and more.
Since 50% of Americans are magnesium deficient, it is likely that you could benefit by adding magnesium to your supplement routine.
The easiest, and least expensive way to supplement magnesium is with Epsom salt. In addition to bathing in it, you can add a few teaspoons to your water. Just be careful, because in large quantities it acts as a laxative.
You can also pick up a magnesium supplement at the store or online from one of the high-quality brands that we will talk about at the end.
Vitamin D & Blood Pressure
Vitamin D has become a hot topic in the past year, and for good reason!
It is important in keeping your bones, muscles, and heart strong and healthy. Getting more Vitamin D can boost your mood, energy, and strength. If you are deficient, then supplementing has been proven to help lower blood pressure.
Yes, one little vitamin can do all of that!
What’s the best way to get more Vitamin D? Get some sunlight! Your body absorbs it from the sun through your skin. Knowing that kind of makes me feel like a photosynthesizing plant!
So, get outside for a walk every day if you can. You’ll get some Vitamin D and lots of other benefits from the exercise.
Unless you are spending all day outdoors, you will likely need to supplement Vitamin D. Even more so during the winter months when the sun isn’t around as much.
You can pick up some capsules at your local grocery store or order them online and start feeling the amazing differences today!
Calcium – More Than Strong Bones
I promise this is not your average GOT MILK? ad. Those ads were focused on selling milk, not supporting your health. That being said, calcium is important.
As you probably know, calcium is important in maintaining strong bones. Well, a number of studies have shown that it also decreases blood pressure!
Despite what years of ads have tried to convince you, dairy is not the best source of calcium. Our bodies don’t absorb it very well and a large majority of people lack the enzymes to digest lactose. Milk is also very high in fat and sugar.
You can get calcium from a wide range of foods, such as almonds, spinach, and kale. However, it is likely that you are not getting enough calcium.
Supplementing calcium tablets is a good idea to help lower your blood pressure and prevent osteoporosis.
Potassium the Antidote to Hypertension
According to Harvard Health, Potassium helps lower blood pressure by relaxing the walls of your blood vessels.
You can check out my article, “Top 10 foods that lower blood pressure,” to learn more about foods high in potassium and some delicious recipes!
If you are taking blood pressure medications, they may actually be causing you to lose potassium through excessive urination. So, it is especially important to be supplementing it.
Beetroot Lowers Blood Pressure Fast
Beetroot has been popularized in the past few years by athletes using it for recovery and performance enhancement.
This superfood is also a great way to help lower blood pressure! It has been proven to relax and widen blood vessels.
You can order it in capsule or powder form online. The powder is great to add to smoothies if that is part of your regular routine!
Krill Oil & Omega 3’s
Krill oil is like the commonly known Fish oil. They both contain Omega- 3, which is a long-time favorite for cellular health. The newly emerging Krill Oil gives the same benefits, but it is more easily absorbed by the body.
Made from an arctic crustation, Krill oil can help increase brain function, reduce inflammation, and enhance cardiovascular health.
Krill oil is easily taken in capsule form and is great to add to your supplement routine to help lower your blood pressure.
L-Arginine Widens Blood Vessels
L-arginine is an amino acid that is found in most protein-dense foods, such as fish, poultry, red meat, whole grains, and beans.
Recent studies have shown that it widens blood vessels and helps lower blood pressure.
In addition to getting it from all the foods listed above, you can get it in capsule or tablet form to add to your supplement routine!
Finding Quality Brands
Now that you know how to get started with supplements, and which ones you should be taking, we have to talk about finding high-quality sources.
The biggest issue with the supplement industry is that much of what you see on the shelves at your local grocery store is completely useless.
Even if you are taking the supplements that your body needs on a regular basis, your body may not be absorbing them if they are made with low-quality ingredients.
If you want to see the benefits of taking these vitamins and minerals, then you’ll need to make sure that you are buying the right brands. Though often more expensive, it is important for your health.
One of the best ways to know if a brand’s products actually work is by checking if they outsource their clinical trials. Any company that is truly committed to helping you find better health through their products will have unbiased studies done on all their products so that they can improve them if needed.
Be careful just looking online for which companies are best, because many of those articles are sponsored by the companies featured in them.
Two of my favorite brands are Onnit and Garden of Life. I have personally looked into these brands and have found great success with them.
There are plenty of other great brands out there, but you should always do your research before you buy.
TIME TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE!
You are now ready to go take control of your health and lower your blood pressure with a whole box full of new tools!
As always, listen to your body and do what feels right for you.