What Nuts Are Good For High Blood Pressure?

Nutrition is a major component of maintaining your blood pressure at acceptable levels. While maintaining your sanity and stress is also beneficial, you may want to go a little nuts everyday. The nuts I mean is the food kind and not the personality version of nuts. While there are so many varieties of nuts you may be wondering, what nuts are good for high blood pressure?

The following nuts are good for high blood pressure based on scientific studies. In addition, their nutritional content contains nutrients beneficial for blood pressure:

Hazelnuts
Pecans
Almonds
Walnuts
Cashews
Pistachios

This blog post will explore each nut in detail and explain to you what nutrients they contain beneficial for blood pressure. One of these nutrients are hardly discussed but should be. In addition, I’ll inform you of scientific studies backing up the benefits. Therefore, continue to read and let’s get a little nuts together!

BP Tip: Did you know you can lower BP naturally by changing how you breathe a few times a day? There’s a device approved by the FDA and The American Heart Association gave it the thumbs up. It simply guides your breathing for you a few minutes a day which has been proven to lower blood pressure. You can check it out in the manufacturer’s website by clicking here.

Disclaimer: Some of links in this article are affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Nuts Good For High Blood Pressure

1. Hazelnuts

A review of 21 clinical trials examined the effect of tree nuts, including hazelnuts, peanuts and soy nuts on blood pressure. The researchers concluded total nut consumption lowered blood pressure ¹.

Numerous studies have shown how people who ate hazelnuts reduced their LDL (bad) cholesterol ². In another study, participants lowered cholesterol and triglycerides after consuming a diet high in hazelnuts ³. High cholesterol levels over time can create unhealthy blood vessels which have an affect on blood pressure ⁴.

Hazelnuts have a high percentage of magnesium and fiber which can help lower blood pressure. In addition, they contain potassium, vitamin C and calcium ⁵. A one ounce serving of hazelnuts contain the following:

Magnesium – 11% of the RDI
Potassium – 5% of the RDI
Vitamin C -3% of the RDI
Calcium – 3% of the RDI
Fiber – 11% of the RDI

2. Pecans

Pecans can keep your heart healthy by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. They contain a high percentage of magnesium which has been shown to lower blood pressure. Magnesium relaxes veins and arteries which can keep them from constricting.

Recent research examined 34 studies for the effects of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure. They included over 2,000 people who lowered systolic and diastolic pressure after consuming 368 mg of magnesium a day for three months. In just one month, the participants lowered BP and had higher magnesium levels ⁶.

In addition, the higher magnesium levels were associated with greater blood flow. In another study, over 500 people with high blood pressure lowered diastolic BP 2.2 mmHg after supplementing with magnesium ⁷.

Magnesium contains anti-inflammatory properties that helps reduce blood clotting and relaxes blood vessels. A study released in 2018 showed a diet rich in pecans slightly lowered blood pressure after four weeks. In addition, the participants improved their insulin resistance, blood sugar and cardiometabolic risk ⁸.

Pecans contain potassium, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids which are all beneficial ⁹. A one ounce serving contains the following:

Magnesium – 8% of the RDI
Fiber – 11% of the RDI
Potassium – 3% of the RDI
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – 276 mg

I consume mixed nuts everyday. The container I purchase contains a mix of unsalted almond, pecans, pistachios and cashews made by Kirkland. Since nuts can get a little pricy, I often order mine on Amazon which you can check out right here, mixed nuts.

blood pressure and Keto diet — Nuts are high in fat and protein. Keto success comes easier with a plan! Click on the photo above.

3. Almonds

Almonds are associated with weight loss, lower cholesterol, heart health and lowering blood pressure. In a study including 86 healthy adults, diastolic blood pressure was lowered 2.71 mmHg after consuming an almond-enriched diet for 12 weeks ¹⁰.

Another study including obese adults, showed a reduction of systolic Bp by 11 mmHg. The participants consumed a low calorie diet which included almost one cup of almonds per day ¹¹. In addition, almonds contain high percentages of nutrients beneficial for blood pressure like magnesium, riboflavin and fiber ¹². A one ounce serving of almonds contain the following:

Magnesium – 19% of the RDI
Riboflavin – 17% of the RDI
Potassium – 6% of the RDI
Fiber – 14% of the RDI
Calcium – 7% of the RDI

Almonds made my list of 35 foods good for reducing BP. Check out my article here, 35 Foods To Help Reduce Blood Pressure (Proven By Science).

4. Walnuts

In one study the participants consumed a diet high in walnuts and flax oil. The diet reduced diastolic blood pressure between 2 and 3 mmHg and blood vessel hardness by 4% ¹³. In addition, several studies have shown how walnuts helped reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and increased the good (HDL) ¹⁴.

Walnuts have a high percentage of magnesium and also contain potassium, fiber and calcium ¹⁵. In addition, they contain a huge amount of omega-3 fatty acids which has been associated with lowering BP. In a recent study, 45 people consumed omega-3 for eight weeks while the other 45 didn’t. The omega-3 group lowered systolic BP 22 mmHg and diastolic 11.95 mmHg ¹⁶.

A one ounce of walnuts contains the following nutrients:

Magnesium – 11% of the RDI
Potassium – 4% of the RDI
Fiber – 8% of the RDI
Calcium – 3% of the RDI
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – 2,542 mg

Chia seeds are also high in omega-3s. I wrote a whole article about chia seeds. If you’re interested check it out here, Chia Seeds For Blood Pressure.

5. Cashews

Cashew, like pistachios are really a seed but was included because in the culinary world they’re recognized as a nut. In a study, which included 300 people with type 2 diabetes, one group of participants consumed a standard diabetic diet while the other group added 30 grams of cashews per day.

After 12 weeks, the group who didn’t consume cashews lowered systolic BP 1.7 mmHg but the group who added the cashews reduced it 4.9 mmHg. In addition, they increased their good cholesterol ¹⁷.

The nutrient in cashews with the highest percentage is magnesium ¹⁸. In addition, they contain a good amount of potassium. Potassium has been shown in more than one way to benefit blood pressure. I wrote a whole blog post on it which you can read by clicking here, How Low Potassium Increases Blood Pressure.

First, potassium helps your blood vessels to relax. It’s difficult to maintain a health blood pressure without relaxed blood vessels. In addition, numerous studies have shown an association between low potassium levels and high blood pressure ¹⁹.

Maybe the most effective way potassium lowers blood pressure is how it lessens the effects of sodium. A proper ratio of potassium to salt keeps fluid retention lower. The extra amount of fluid in your blood makes your heart work harder and increases blood pressure ²⁰. One ounce of cashews contains the following:

Magnesium – 20% of the RDI
Potassium – 5% of the RDI
Fiber – 4% of the RDI

6. Pistachios

A study examined the relationship between different diets, which included pistachios, and stress levels. The researchers examined the effects of different vascular measurements including blood pressure. After consuming one serving of pistachios per day, the participants lowered systolic blood pressure 4.8 mmHg and diastolic 2.2 mmHg ²¹.

The researchers noted the lowered blood pressure may be a result of the nuts ability to relax the blood vessels. Pistachios are loaded with nutrients proven to be beneficial for blood pressure. They’re high in magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, calcium and fiber ²². In addition, they contain a good amount of riboflavin which is not discussed much with blood pressure but should be.

Riboflavin, aka B2, helps folate transform homocysteine to methane. Having too much homocysteine in the blood is associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure. In one study participants supplemented with riboflavin and showed a lower concentration of homocysteine along with reduced blood pressure ²³.

Pistachios are really a seed but was included because in the culinary world, they’re classified as nuts. After looking at the nutrients below, there’s no wonder why it can be beneficial for your BP ²⁴. A one ounce serving of pistachios contains the following:

Vitamin C – 2% of the RDI
Riboflavin – 3% of the RDI
Calcium – 3% of the RDI
Magnesium – 8% of the RDI
Potassium – 8% of the RDI
Fiber – 12% of the RDI

Wrapping Up The Nuts

All mixed nuts are healthy for you but if your goal is to lower blood pressure, consider consuming the ones listed in this article. They contain the following nutrients beneficial for maintaining your pressure:

Magnesium
Calcium
Potassium
Fiber
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Vitamin C
Riboflavin (B2)

Mixed nuts makes the perfect snack anytime of the day. They can be added to oatmeal, eaten as is or crushed and mixed into almond pancakes. Talk about going nutty, those pancakes are completely nuts!

BP Smoothie Tip: I often add carrot juice, green vegetable juice and pomegranate juice in a blender. I’ll add strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, wheat germ, ground flaxseed powder, cinnamon and tofu. Many of these ingredients are proven to lower BP and it tastes great. I have 5 BP smoothie recipes in my free e-book. Check them out and much other valuable information by clicking right here, Top Tips Health Guide.

Blood Pressure Explained