Pickled Beets for Blood Pressure | Livestrong.com (2024)

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Pickled Beets for Blood Pressure | Livestrong.com? ›

High blood pressure increases your risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. A balanced diet with plenty of vegetables can help you maintain a healthy blood pressure or lower high blood pressure, and pickled beets are a tasty part of a healthy diet.

Thus, pickled beets contain lower antioxidant levels than those of other forms of beets (6, 9 ). Beets are also a rich source of nitrates and saponins ( 8 , 6). While nitrates help lower blood pressure and enhance athletic performance, saponins may boost immune and heart health ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ).

However, the same meta-analysis pointed out that the people who drank 250 mL of beet juice every day had the best blood pressure outcome. This suggests 250 mL is the recommended quantity a person needs to consume daily to maximize the effect of beet juice on blood pressure.

Pickled beets are generally safe to eat. But, depending on how they're made, some varieties of pickled beets may pack salt and added sugars. Too much salt can increase your blood pressure. While too much sugar can lead to weight gain and other health problems.

The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.

Canned and pickled beets likely contain high amounts of sodium, so if it's heart health you're after, these choices should be limited.

Aunt Nellie's Pickled Beets contain no fat, saturated fat or cholesterol; they are kosher and gluten-free.

Studies have shown that beets can significantly lower blood pressure after only a few hours of consumption. Both raw beet juice and cooked beets were found to be effective at lowering blood pressure and decreasing inflammation. However, raw beet juice had a greater effect.

Salty foods. High sodium consumption can elevate blood pressure. Many people eat too much sodium without realizing it. Highly processed foods and fast foods usually contain excessive amounts of sodium, often more than the 2,300 milligrams a person should consume daily.

Fruit and vegetables

Beetroot juice can be a concentrated source of nitrates and it's thought that one of their effects is to lower blood pressure. However, you can also find nitrates in other fruits and vegetables too including spinach, celery, kale, bananas and strawberries.

Are pickled beets in a jar good for you? ›

Yes, it turns out pickled beets are still a good source of a variety of vitamins and minerals, all of which support a healthy immune system, adequate nutrient and oxygen flow, nitrate, and help to protect the body against oxidative stress.

The health benefits of pickled beets haven't been studied as extensively as the health benefits of beets and beet juice. That said, there is evidence that eating pickled beets positively affects your health. The vinegar used to pickle beets might help with blood sugar management.

The phytosterols, or plant sterols, present in beets, are structurally similar to cholesterol and can help to lower LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. In the body, phytosterols compete with the cholesterol to decrease the amount of cholesterol absorbed and lower harmful LDL cholesterol.

Some drinks that may help lower blood pressure in the morning include beetroot juice, tomato juice, and certain types of tea.

Make at least one of your daily vegetable servings a dark leafy green like arugula, cabbage, kale or spinach for potentially greater blood pressure benefits. A serving of leafy greens is 1 cup of raw greens or ½ cup cooked greens.

Pickles are very high in sodium because it's an important part of the brining process. Consuming too much salt in your daily diet can contribute to high blood pressure. Anyone who is on blood pressure medication or looking to reduce their sodium intake should eat pickles in moderation or look for low sodium options.

Unfortunately, all of that comes with a high amount of sodium – 350 to 500 milligrams, depending on the brand and around 16 grams of sugar, about the same amount as four teaspoons of sugar. So if you eat pickled beets, keep the quantity small.

Beetroot's antioxidants have been associated with a lower risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease and dementia, and with supporting liver and kidney health. A bitter-sweet result of the pickling process, however, is that small amounts of these antioxidants are lost.

That said, there is evidence that eating pickled beets positively affects your health. The vinegar used to pickle beets might help with blood sugar management. Vinegar reduces blood sugar levels after meals. Some studies have shown that pickled beets may help protect against cancer.