
3. Swiss chard
Packed with blood-pressure-lowering nutrients like magnesium and potassium, swiss chard is a leafy green that should be found on the plates of all Americans and for a lot of reasons.
For example, just 145 grams of cooked Swiss chard provides 17 percent of your daily potassium needs and 30 percent of magnesium. Impressive, right?
Yet, most people are unable to achieve these crucial daily needs, and maybe, that’s why they are still struggling to reduce their blood pressure levels.
Did you know that every single 0.6 gram of potassium per day was associated with a 1.0 mmHg reduction when it comes to systolic blood pressure and a 0.50 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure, according to a study?
Since there are more than 790 milligrams of potassium in only 145 grams of Swiss chard, you should definitely go get some.
Regarding magnesium, Swiss chard is again a miracle of Mother Nature. This essential mineral is crucial for regulating blood pressure. It’s able to minimize blood pressure levels by acting as a calcium channel blocker, allowing this way blood vessels to relax.
Other impressive benefits of Swiss chard:
- slowing the aging process
- treating anemia
- promoting bone health
- preventing cardiovascular disease
- enhancing regular bowel movements
- maintaining healthy skin
Looking for more sources of magnesium? You might want to check our list of magnesium-rich foods.

4. Pumpkin seeds
All seeds are small, but when you look at their impressive benefits, you might be tempted to say they are the best disease fighter. As tiny as they are, pumpkin seeds are amazing sources of arginine, magnesium, and potassium, all of them being responsible for lowering blood pressure.
Arginine, in particular, is a powerful amino acid that aids the production of nitric oxide, a compound crucial for blood pressure reduction as well as blood vessel relaxation.
So, wherever you go, take a handful of pumpkin seeds with you.
Pumpkin seed oil is also beneficial. A recent study involving 23 women concluded that only 3 grams of this oil taken daily for about 6 weeks could significantly reduce systolic blood pressure.
Other impressive benefits of pumpkin seeds:
- reducing inflammation in the body
- minimizing the risk of certain cancers
- improving bladder health
- lowering blood sugar levels
- boosting sleep quality
- maintaining heart health
You might be interested in reading our article about the best cancer-fighting diets!