- A study found that several fruits can lower your blood pressure.
- Dietitians explain the elements in fruit, and why they might help lower that health marker.
- Here's a breakdown of the top seven fruits for blood pressure.
High blood pressure can creep up on you, leading to symptoms like chest pain, headaches, and dizziness. And since the condition is linked to more serious health complications like heart attack and stroke, it’s important to stay on top of your numbers.
Blood pressure management is complex, and usually involves making a slew of lifestyle changes, including adjusting your exercise routine, tweaking your diet, and even taking medication. But when it comes to those dietary adjustments, consuming fewer packaged and ultra-processed foods and “replacing them with whole foods and antioxidant-rich foods like fruits can be helpful,” says Jessica Cording, RD, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers.
Meet the experts: Scott Keatley, RD, is co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. Jessica Cording, RD, is the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. Keri Gans, RDN, is a dietitian and host of The Keri Report podcast.
There's some research to back up these claims too: A 2022 study in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension monitored their blood pressure at home in over 2,200 participants ages 50 to 65. They self-reported how often they ate bananas, apples, pears, and citrus fruit (response options were: not every week, once or twice a week, three to four times per week, and at least five times per week), and those who ate those fruits more frequently had significantly lower systolic home blood pressure.
Ahead, dietitians break down the best fruits that may help lower your blood pressure to regularly add to your plate.
Bananas
The big draw with bananas is their potassium content; one medium-sized banana delivers about 375 milligrams of potassium, per the USDA, which helps you meet your daily goal of 2,600 milligrams of the nutrient, according to the NIH.
Why does this matter? Potassium “balances sodium in the body and relaxes blood vessel walls, directly lowering [blood] pressure,” explains Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. Having some sodium in the body is important, but too much will cause your body to hold onto water, according to Harvard Health. When that happens, the amount of fluid in your blood vessels increases and raises blood pressure along with it.
Blueberries
Blueberries contain anthocyanins, which are plant compounds that improve blood vessel flexibility and support nitric oxide production, says Keri Gans, RDN, a dietitian and host of The Keri Report podcast. Nitric oxide helps relax the smooth muscles in the blood vessels, helping them widen so blood can flow more freely, decreasing blood pressure, she explains.
Kiwi
This green fruit is loaded with vitamin C—59 milligrams, to be exact. (That's over half the daily recommended goal for women, which is 75 milligrams, per Mayo Clinic.) Vitamin C “enhances nitric oxide availability," Keatley says. Again, nitric oxide helps to relax the smooth muscles in your blood vessels, lowering blood pressure along with it. It also helps to relax the blood vessels, making it easier for blood to flow through and lowering blood pressure as a result.
Grapefruit
Like kiwi, grapefruit is rich in vitamin C, as one half of a grapefruit has 39 milligrams of the nutrient, per the USDA. “Compounds [like vitamin C and potassium] in grapefruit can improve the elasticity of blood vessels and reduce oxidative stress, which helps the circulatory system function more efficiently and lowers blood pressure,” Keatley says.
Grapes
Grapes are loaded with polyphenols, which are naturally-occurring chemical compounds found in plants, Cording explains. These support the elasticity of your blood vessels and reduce oxidative stress in the body, lowering the risk of inflammation—which is also a risk factor for high blood pressure, Gans adds.
Watermelon
Watermelon contains an amino acid called L- citrulline. It boosts the production of nitric acid in your body, helping to widen those blood vessels and lower your blood pressure, Keatley says.
Avocado
Like bananas, avocados pack a potassium punch—576 milligrams is in 100 grams, or 3/4 of a cup, per the USDA—to help with blood pressure management, Keatley says. They may also help with weight management thanks to the fact the contain healthy fats that will keep you full and satiated—and that can indirectly help to reduce blood pressure, he says.
Remember: High blood pressure is complex, and consuming more fruit alone is unlikely to make it to drop. However, eating more nutritiously can support your other efforts to bring it down. If you have high blood pressure, it’s important to work closely with your healthcare provider to come up with a comprehensive plan to help turn things around.