I have no medical qualifications so I cannot endorse any particular food or supplement that I highlight here. This is simply a record of the things I am trying to do to improve my blood pressure, if not my overall health.
Indeed, I am not even in a position to be able to state with any degree of certainty that any particular dietary change is having a positive effect because I have changed many things at once so some of them are presumably working but it is difficult without extensive trials and research to tell which they are.
Salt. I used to add table salt to almost every meal by habit. I have 100% stopped doing this and I don't miss it at all. I also used to add salt to the water in a pan that was going to be used for boiling vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, beans etc. I've stopped doing that too.
Cakes and Pastries. I love pastries and cakes and whilst I recognise that they are not good for arterial health (they lead to a build up of fatty plaques on the inside of artery walls), I still indulge but my intake is now more like once or twice a week, rather than every day.
Chocolate. Milk chocolate and the majority of mass produced chocolate (I started my IT career working at Fry's chocolate factory) is a problem for high blood pressure. However dark chocolate (with 70% cacao or more) is actually good for arteries (in moderation). I try and restrict myself to two squares of 70% dark chocolate each evening as a treat.
Caffeine. It seems like the jury is out on this one. Some recommendations suggest that caffeine can be good for blood pressure, others like this one suggest otherwise: "Acute Effects: Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and acts as a vasoconstrictor, causing blood vessels to tighten temporarily, which can increase blood pressure by about 5-10 points". Source - The Mayo Clinic.
As I am aiming to get my readings below a certain level, it seems wise to me to restrict my caffeine intake to a minimum. I thought as a self-confessed coffee addict that this would be really hard for me to do but having made the switch to decaf tea and coffee I don't really notice the difference, except that I don't get that buzz that I used to get from my first cup of coffee in the day. I used to try and justify my caffeine fix because 'It would make my brain more active and alert' but I find that I can still think logically and think through problem solving tasks involved in web design just as effectively now as I always could before, plus I get to sleep better at night too!
Bananas This is a real shame for me as I have loved bananas since I was a small boy but I read that they are high in phosphates which is something else I need to lower.
Beetroot. This was my first change. I started making beetroot smoothies from cooked, peeled beetroot, available in my local veg shop. I blended this with other fruits, typically pears and water which gave me a very palatable smoothie. Some supermarkets also stock a very nice smoothie called Raw Boost containing strawberry, blackcurrant, acai berry, beetroot, spinach, kale and vitamins B,C and D.
Hibiscus Tea As an alternative to beetroot, I have recently switched to making a pot of hibiscus tea using hibiscus flowers, available in a specialist tea shop in the Shambles in York and I have also found it in my local deli. I make it in a teapot in the morning alongside a morning cuppa and then leave it. It is fine to drink warm or cold and I usually get through 2-3 glasses of it each day.
Zoe 30 a day scoops I was probably going to subscribe to this anyway and I have no idea whether it is contributing to my lowered blood pressure or not. The Zoe 30 a day is a combination of 30 seeds and berries that would be hard for me to source anywhere else and is principly designed to improve gut health. This scoop is the first thing I put into my cereal bowl in the morning.
Docteat vitamin supplement The second thing to go into my cereal bowl in the morning is two drops of a supplement containing Cayenne Pepper, Hawthorn, Beetroot, Turmeric and Vitamin K2+D3
Oatly After adding granola and some berries, I add Oatly to my morning cereal bowl. Last year I would have been adding cow's milk.
Aged garlic I read that aged garlic, aged for two years can be a help in managing blood pressure so I take one capsule a day, at breakfast time, washed down with hibiscus tea or beetroot smoothie.
Cacao I have read that dark chocolate is good for managing blood pressure so, as an evening treat, I often eat a couple of squares of 70% dark chocolate.