People who are living with high blood pressure or are at risk of the condition might want to start adding a certain vegetable to their diet, on the advice of one health expert. According to diet guru Dr Michael Mosley, beetroots are packed with helpful nutrients that can help to lower your blood pressure.
Dr Mosley, who died in June this year, spoke about the root plant on an episode of his popular BBC podcast, Just One Thing.
He was joined on the episode, which aired in 2023, by Tim Spector, a well-known doctor and epidemiologist, as the pair discussed exactly what we should be eating in order to be at our healthiest.
And one food that can apparently do wonders for our overall health is beetroot – something the experts both agreed is packed with good nutrients.
Michael said: “Beetroots are rich in nitrates, it leads to release of nitrous oxide which expands your blood vessels all over your body.”
Tim was quick to agree and said that they are a great example of “food as medicine”.
He explained: “It actually reduces blood pressure. In proper randomised controlled trials, this is actually a lot more effective and a lot more pleasant than getting rid of salt.”
Their advice is backed by research published in Hypertension journal in 2015.
In the study a team from Queen Mary University of London found that a 250ml glass of beetroot juice resulted in an average decrease in blood pressure of about 8/4 mmHg.
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This meant that many of the study participants saw their blood pressure levels back into a safe range.
A more recently published paper came to a similar conclusion. A meta-analysis, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2022, looked at seven existing studies and concluded that nitrates found in beetroot juice reduces systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension.
This concluded that daily consumption of the juice over 60 days saw best results.
BBC Good Food adds that beetroot can also help to support gut health and reduce the risk of heart disease – so it’s well worth adding some to your plate.
In the same podcast episode, nutritionist Tim also spoke about the “secret” to “solving all your problems” – which is eating 30 different plants over the course of a week in your three meals per day.
He told listeners that it’s much easier than it sounds, as you can also count things such as beans, legumes, seeds and even coffee along with fruits and vegetables.
“If you could eat 30 plants a week, pretty much you solve 90 percent of your problems,” he said.
If you are concerned about your blood pressure you should speak to your GP.