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High blood pressure can be reduced by changing your diet to include more fruits and vegetables. Taking up regular exercise could also help slash blood pressure readings. Certain plants, such
as avocado and kale, are already known to have beneficial blood pressure effects. However, making changes to how you eat these plants could maximise their beneficial qualities, meaning
blood pressure could be lowered even more. Charity Blood Pressure UK recommends these ten steps to get the most out of fruit and vegetables. AVOID SAUCES Fruit and vegetable dishes with
sauces contain a lot of fat, salt and sugar. Steer clear if you want to reduce blood pressure. DRIED, FROZEN AND TINNED PRODUCT WARNING These can be “just as good as fresh” fruit and
vegetables, but “watch out for added salt, sugar or fats”, said the charity. You can see whether these have been added in the ingredients description on the side of the packet. VARIETY
Keeping your fruit and vegetable consumption mixed up can also help cut blood pressure. “Each has a different health benefit and it will keep your meals interesting,” advised the charity. NO
ADDED SUGAR OR SALT! “Don’t add sugar to fruit or salt to vegetables when you cook or serve them,” said Blood Pressure UK. If you’re a fan of strawberries and blueberries with dollops of
cream and lashing of sugar and meringues, it may be worth reviewing how you eat fruit. DON’T BOIL When you boil or fry vegetables they lose most of their vitamins and minerals. Blood
Pressure UK recommended “lightly steaming or baking them” to maintain their nutritional value. USE LITTLE WATER “If you boil vegetables, use as little water as possible to help keep the
vitamins and minerals in them,” they added. VARIETY To keep your diet interesting it may be worth experimenting with other cooking methods, “such as roasting or grilling”, for new tastes and
flavours. STIR-FRIES ARE BEST Sometimes it can be a struggle to put lots of fruits and vegetables into our meals. However, to get around this, Blood Pressure UK recommends trying a stir fry
or freshly made soup, as these contain loads of vegetables. FRUIT SMOOTHIES “Make fruit smoothies with lots of fresh fruit and low-fat milk or yogurt,” to help lower blood pressure said the
charity. REPLACE SWEET SNACKS Instead of reaching for that biscuit or chocolate bar, replace the sugary snacks with raw fruit or vegetables.