Romaine Lettuce: Did You Know It Can Help Control Hypertension?

Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, is what occurs when the force of the blood pressing against the arterial walls is regularly too high. One can only imagine what would happen if your hypertension is allowed to go untreated. It will definitely end up damaging your blood vessels, which can lead to kidney disease, heart failure, vision loss, stroke, and other possibly lethal decisions.

You can of course control your hypertension to an extent using diet and exercise. But the effectiveness of any treatment is dependent on the ingredients you use. A secret ingredient to boost your diet’s ability to reduce hypertension, is romaine lettuce. Yes, romaine lettuce – that leafy green veggie that has been getting slowly replaced by kale and spinach – is one of the best ways to lower your high blood pressure.

The secret to controlling hypertension is to stick to a diet rich in magnesium, potassium, and fiber, and low in sodium. The potassium in particular helps your kidneys remove sodium from your urine, which helps to lower your blood pressure. Romaine lettuce has all of these minerals in large quantities; enough to significantly help you meet your recommended daily intake. This veggie is also very low in calories and has a low amount of sodium, so you won’t put on extra weight that will exacerbate your hypertension.

It is pretty simple to include romaine lettuce in your diet. There are lots of ways to consume it as part of a regular meal. The simplest way is of course your favorite salad. Use the romaine lettuce in place of other leafy green vegetables, such as, kale or spinach. Just make sure that your salad does not unintentionally increase your caloric intake. Avoid high calorie dressings and other high caloric topics, like croutons and cheese.