Reduce Blood Pressure at the Farmer’s Market

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Summer is in the air, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the grass is getting green, green, green… all signs that summer is right around the corner. The warm weather is also a signal that the cornucopia of locally grown fruits and vegetables is also just around the corner at the nearest farmer's market. Why favor farmers' markets over the grocery store? There are several main reasons: the food is fresher (healthier), the food is seasonal, the food is locally grown (you support local farmers) and you get a better variety of foods. Make sure you frequent your local farmer's market often, the ultimate health food store! Farmers' markets are also a veritable drugstore for blood pressure lowering superfoods. When shopping for these superfoods, here are the three blood pressure lowering mineral superstars you need to keep in mind: potassium, magnesium and calcium. How do you choose the food highest in these minerals? Simple–I have included my "Mining for Minerals Charts" from my new book, Blood Pressure Down. Cut them out and carry them to the Farmer's Market and when you see these foods, buy them, eat them and watch your blood pressure drop!

 

MINING FOR MINERALS

For Potassium

Super-High* Foods

Cantaloupe

Casaba Melon

Honeydew Melon

Artichokes

Beet greens

Cooked Spinach

Swiss Chard

White Beans

Low Sodium V8

Prunes

 

* Each food contains over 400 mg potassium per 1/2 cup serving

 

Very High** Foods

 

Apricots

Bananas

Dried Fruits

Brussels Sprouts

Pumpkin

Cooked Mushrooms

Chocolate (dark)

Squash

Potatoes

Kiwi

 

** Each food contains over 250 mg potassium per 1/2 cup serving

 

For Magnesium

 

Super-High* Foods

Cooked Spinach

White Beans

Corn

Swiss Chard

Purslane

Dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Halibut

Quinoa

Brown Rice

 

*Each food contains 100 mg magnesium  per typical serving size 

 

Very High** Foods

 

Brewed Espresso

Clams

Brewed Coffee

Peanut Butter (low sodium)

Avocado

Fat Free Yogurt

Kidney and Pinto Beans

Dry Roasted unsalted peanuts

Baked Potato (with skin)

 

** Each food contains 50 mg magnesium per typical serving size 

 

For Calcium 

Super-High* Foods

Non-fat Yogurt

Soy Milk

Fortified Fat Free Milk

Collard Greens

Cheeses: low sodium

Parmesan Cheese

Swiss Cheese

Light Mozzarella

Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Part Skim Ricotta 1/2 cup

 

*Each food contains over 300 mg calcium per typical serving size

 

Very High** Foods 

Tofu 

Canned Salmon 

Edamame 

Bok Choy 

Blackstrap Molasses

** Each food contains over 150 mg calcium per typical serving size

 

(© Excerpted from Blood Pressure Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN, Copyright © 2013 Janet Brill, PH.D) 

                                                       

Here are some additional tips for shopping your local farmer's market:

 

1. Tomatoes: buy vine ripened and store with stem up. Green at the top is perfectly fine as tomatoes continue to ripen. Just be sure to avoid storing in the refrigerator, which will surely rob the tomatoes of their flavor.

 

2. Peaches, Apricots and Nectarines: also continue to ripen so buy them according to when you think you will eat them. A sweet, fully-ripened spectacularly delicious farm-fresh peach should be eaten immediately!

 

3. Cantaloupe: let your nose do the picking. A ripe cantaloupe should have a sweet melon smell at the stem end.

 

4. Berries: unlike tomatoes, berries do not ripen after picking, so buy the ones that look full and plump and ready to pop in your mouth at the market. A strawberry, for example, should be red and ripe all the way to the top. Just be sure NOT to wash the berries until right before you are ready to eat them.

 

5. Cucumbers: look for green and firm cukes, never yellow–an indication of aging.

 

6. Eggplants: look for shiny, smooth, deeply colored eggplants–never wrinkled–which indicates aging.

 

7. Lettuce: look at the stem of the lettuce…if it is brown it's a sure indication the head is not fresh. Also, look for lettuce that still contains much of the outer leaves. Sellers remove outer leaves to mask signs of aging. If buying bin lettuce, look for fresh looking leaves that are not brown in color or wilted.

 

8. Corn: again, check the stem of the corn stalk, brown stems indicate aging. Also, break off part of the stalk to inspect the kernels. Look for wrinkled or wilted-looking kernels which again indicates the cob is not fresh.

 

9. Buy organic produce when available: the Environmental Working Group (http://www.EWG.org) recommends you go organic with the "dirty dozen" conventional foods–known to have the highest pesticide levels. 

 

Eating healthy is fun when you do your shopping at the farmers' markets. Eat your way to health starting now.

 

Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN, is a leading diet, nutrition, and fitness expert. She is the author of Blood Pressure Down, Prevent a Second Heart Attack and Cholesterol Down. Learn more at: http://www.drjanet.com

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