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Berries for Your Blood Pressure
This Week's Tips
Don't think of them as a treat. Berries should get daily play in your diet -- especially if you're at all concerned about your blood pressure.
People with high BP who ate berries daily as part of a study saw a 7-point dip in their systolic blood pressure -- after just 8 weeks of berry love!
Bursting with Goodness
Berries have a lot going for them: They're jam-packed with polyphenols, like flavonols and anthocyanins. Plus, they're loaded with vitamin C, folate, potassium, and fiber. With so much in such a tiny package, it's hardly a surprise that it took just 4 ounces of a berry medley each day to boost the health of the study participants. Not only did their blood pressure go down, but their HDL ("good" cholesterol) went up, too. See if your HDL is high enough with this quiz.
Berry Many Possibilities
The berry medley in the study contained everything from bilberries and lingonberries to strawberries and raspberries, so the juicy possibilities for getting your daily dose are infinite. Given that you can eat berries one by one, they're the perfect alternative to chips when stress calls for some hand-to-mouth action. But when you're ready to experiment, try these fine ideas:
- Add them to salads. Sprinkle raspberries on dark, leafy greens. Or mix things up with this Strawberry, Melon, and Avocado salad.
- Drink 'em. Try this Triple Berry Blender Blaster.
- Use them on barbecued meats. Here's a heavenly Blueberry-Ginger Relish recipe.
Get a breakdown of the nutrients you'll find in different berries with this online tool.
RealAge Benefit:
Getting 31 milligrams of flavonoids a day can make your RealAge 3.2 years younger.
