Can garlic, beetroot and watermelon keep blood pressure normal?

British doctor Chris Van Tullken tested the truth of those claims whether eating beetroot, garlic and watermelon really keeps blood pressure under control. What exactly is the truth?

High blood pressure is a major risk for patients with heart disease. In Britain, this disease causes the most deaths.

If the claims made about these three things are true, then these food items can prove to be very big 'life savers'.

Dr. Andy Webb of King's College London is also conducting a large-scale experiment to test the veracity of the claims about these foods.

How was this experiment done?

In this experiment, a total of 28 volunteers suffering from the problem of blood pressure were selected. All of them had a maximum blood pressure of more than 130 mm, while it should be 120 in an adult human. All these volunteers were divided into three groups.

In the first week, 'Group 1' volunteers were given two cloves of garlic to eat every day. 'Group 2' was fed two large pieces of watermelon daily. At the same time, every member of 'Group 3' was given two beets to eat daily.

In the second and third weeks, the feeds for each group were interchanged. In this way, over the course of three weeks, all the volunteers in each group ate all three items.

What is so special about garlic, beet and watermelon?

We don't pay much attention to the word 'superfoods' in the media, but it is true that many things we eat and drink have a great effect on our body.

That's why we tested these three things, which are believed to keep blood pressure under control by eating.

In theory, all three of these foods and drinks lower our blood pressure.

The way they work is that due to this our blood vessels widen, due to which our blood can flow easily. But these three things do not have the same effect.

What were the test results?

Each volunteer's blood pressure was measured twice a day, morning and evening. Each time three figures were taken and their averages were worked out. After this it was possible to know the effect of these three foods. These data revealed which food item is ultimately having the most impact.

During this experiment, when all members of the group were living normal lives, their average blood pressure was found to be 133.6 mm. The average blood pressure of the beet-eating group was found to be 128.7mm, while that of the garlic-eaters was 129.3mm.

The data from this small group experiment matched the results of a larger study by Dr. Webb and others.

These studies on the relationship between high blood pressure and heart disease were finding that if this drop in blood pressure remains the same, then the risk of stroke and heart attack can be reduced by up to 10 percent.

Watermelon did not show that big effect. Due to this, the maximum limit of blood pressure was reached only up to 129.8 mm. This is probably because watermelon consists mostly of water, it lacks active elements.

What did we get from the experiment?

This small study of ours suggests that eating beetroot and garlic regularly can help us in reducing blood pressure. But this does not happen by eating only these two things.

The nitrate which is mainly found in beetroot, for example, is found in all green vegetables like celery, cabbage, hyacinth, arugula, spinach, broccoli etc.

On the other hand, garlic mainly contains allicin, which is found in abundance in onions and other similar species.

From this test, we came to know that there are many things that can help in keeping our blood pressure low. But how effective their effects will be will depend on how we use them.

Eat salads and vegetables raw only. The nitrate found in vegetables remains safe only when they are not cooked. The nitrate content is reduced when they are cooked or roasted.

Nitrate dissolves in water. So when we boil these vegetables and greens, some of the nitrates present in them get dissolved in the water. Nitrate gets wasted even after making their pickle.

If you boil beetroot, then boil it as it is. If you cut the upper or lower part of it before boiling, then it will be wrong.

Drink beet juice. Most of the nitrate in its juice is preserved.

Make soup. The nitrate dissolved in water remains in the soup even after dissolving. So taking soup is fine.

It is better to boil vegetables or greens than to eat them by steaming them. If you want to boil then boil in less water. If you can use the water left after boiling to make soup or other things, then it will be fine.

How to use Garlic?

Grind the garlic finely or cut it into as fine pieces as possible. The more you grind or cut it, the more allicin will come out of it.

After grinding or cutting, use garlic as soon as possible. It can be used on top of soups or ready-to-eat vegetables. It can also be used in things like toast and mushrooms.

As soon as you grind or chop fresh garlic, the allicin present in it starts degrading rapidly.

Do not put garlic in the microwave. Allicin degrades very quickly on heat, but in the microwave it is completely ruined.

Warning : Excessive consumption of garlic is not good for health. Eating too much garlic can cause irritation and poor digestion.

Changing lifestyle can also reduce high blood pressure

Many people have been successful in reducing their high blood pressure in just a few weeks by changing their lifestyle. Its patients are advised to:

They should be physically active.

Keep your diet good. Take a low-fat diet, have a balance of all the elements in the food, take enough greens and vegetables.