Indian Vegetarian Foods That Can Lower Blood Pressure

Indian cuisine, especially the vegetarian dishes, can be nutritious and flavorsome. Indian dishes include a broad variety of distinct regional foods, which cover an equally vast range of unique traditions spread across the Indian subcontinent.

But they have one thing in common: delicious, healthy vegetarian options. If someone with high blood pressure wants to try a plant-based diet to manage the condition, vegetarian Indian cuisine could be a fantastic option, offering healthier meals without the monotony of bland food.

Vegetarian Indian Foods and the DASH Diet

According to Mayo Clinic, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is an effective way to reduce high blood pressure by changing what we eat. High blood pressure can develop as a result of both genetic and environmental factors. In particular, eating high-sodium, low-potassium foods often can contribute to high blood pressure. Diet changes can help prevent high blood pressure and reduce it over time.

The DASH diet is a plant-focused diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat and nonfat dairy, lean meats like chicken and fish, and heart-healthy fats. Many Indian dishes easily meet the DASH diet guidelines, or you can modify the dishes to line up with the guidelines.

Indian Dishes With Magnesium and Potassium

According to the American Heart Association, potassium, found in foods like bananas and yams (common ingredients in Indian cooking), helps maintain healthy blood pressure. Avocados are also high in potassium.

Some Indian dishes that include these ingredients include:

• Avocado paratha, a soft Indian flatbread made with avocado
• South Indian yam curry, slow-cooked with yams, carrots, cauliflower, and spinach

Harvard Health Publishing reports that magnesium may also help lower blood pressure. Foods rich in magnesium include spinach, almonds, peanuts, and cashews, and these are present in many Indian dishes. Try these Indian nut dishes to get magnesium in a vegetarian diet:

• Indian cashew curry sauce, which goes well with almost any vegetable dish
• Chaat masala, made with boiled peanuts, turmeric, onions, and tomatoes
• Almond korma, made with spiced almonds, tomatoes, and coconut gravy

Other Indian Vegetarian Food Choices

According to Mayo Clinic, when you are trying to lower blood pressure through diet, it is important to remember to include foods that are rich in fiber, calcium, and protein. Try to avoid choices that are high in sodium and saturated fat.

Vegetarian options from Indian cuisine that fit this profile include:

• Lentils
• Dal and other legumes
• Rajma
• Chaana
• Whole-grain chapati
• Brown rice
• Barley
• Nonfat milk or yogurt
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Fruits such as apples, dates, and sapota
• Vegetables including potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and mung bean sprouts

Using spices that are often prominent in Indian cuisine, such as turmeric, cumin, cardamom, ginger, chili powder, and cilantro, can help you add flavor to meals without piling on sodium in the form of salt.

Vegetarian Indian Foods to Avoid With High Blood Pressure

Some Indian vegetarian foods are available that, although vegetarian and delicious, might be better to avoid if you’re managing high blood pressure. These include:

• Spicy bonda, or deep-fried vegetables
• Ariselu, a sweet, donut-like, rice flour confection
• Chole bhature, or fried bread puffs
• Samosa, a savory pastry with a spiced potato filling
• Pakora, a fritter made from vegetables like onions or potatoes coated in chickpea flour batter
• Vada, a lentil fritter
• Vada pav, a deep-fried potato dumpling in a bun
• Poori, a deep-fried bread served with curries or stews

The high fat and sugar content of these foods may encourage weight gain, which can raise blood pressure over time.

Plenty of prepared and processed curries and sauces also contain high levels of sodium, so be conscious of the sodium content in what you’re eating, and be sure to read the nutrition label when possible.

What Else to Avoid With High Blood Pressure

Diet isn’t the only thing that can affect your blood pressure. Too much salt, certain habits, exercise, and overall body weight can also influence it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting no more than about 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium daily to reduce the risk of high blood pressure if you don’t already have it. However, most people in the United States eat more than 3,300 mg daily. If you live with high blood pressure, the ideal limit is no more than 1,500 mg per day, according to the American Heart Association.

Mayo Clinic also recommends:

• Avoiding smoking
• Not drinking alcohol excessively
• Getting regular exercise
• Maintaining a regular sleep cycle consisting of seven to nine hours a night
• Managing stress

Consult your doctor or dietitian to help you design the best vegetarian diet plan for your body, to ensure it provides all the nutrients you need to stay healthy and maintain your energy levels.

Additional reporting by Adam Felman.