The good news is that not all high blood pressure remedies have to be taken in the form of pills or prescriptions. There are quite a few that can be easily incorporated into your diet without having to worry about whether or not you missed your medications, whether those medications will interact with others, or the side effects of those medications.

Here are two foods that are known to act as high blood pressure remedies when they are made a regular part of the diet. Garlic

Garlic is the first and easiest of the foods on our list of dietary high blood pressure remedies, and why not? It has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties in addition to its power as a food additive. It is a favorite ingredient of chefs the world over, and its culinary potential is limitless. There are even recipes for garlic ice cream out there if you are feeling adventurous.

Garlic can be taken either as it is and added to just about any savory recipe you can imagine, or as a nutritional supplement in capsule form. The only concern you will have is that due to garlic’s ability to act as a blood thinner, you may want to proceed under a doctor’s supervision if you are already taking blood thinners.

Chocolate

That’s right – chocolate. You didn’t think we were going to leave dessert out, did you? Historically, chocolate has been sold and used as a cure-all, and tonics made from chocolate were very popular with pharmacists of old.

When using chocolate among your other dietary high blood pressure remedies, you will need to take a few things into account when you are choosing the particular chocolate that you buy. Shop for very dark chocolate, containing at least 75% cocoa solids, that does not contain any added milk products and contains very little sugar. The sugar adds unnecessary calories, and the milk interferes with the mechanism by which chocolate reduces hypertension.

Very dark chocolate contains high quantities of antioxidants, particularly a group called flavonoids. These flavonoids help clean the cellular debris and free radicals from your body, and work to improve cardiovascular function by increasing production of a compound known as nitric oxide, which allows blood vessels to relax.

And remember – moderation is the key. Just because it is healthy for you, it doesn’t mean that you will be able to consume mass quantities of chocolate and stay healthy. When adding chocolate to your diet, take those calories into account. 50 to 100 grams per day should be plenty.