5 Delicious, Healthy, Yet Instant Snack Ideas that Fight High Blood Pressure

Let's sit for a moment and have a talk concerning healthy snacking with nagging high blood pressure issues, shall we?


When you have high blood pressure, it means that your heart is working a LOT harder to push blood through your body. Doing this for a great length of time taxes your entire body, not just your heart. The American Heart Association shares that undetected or uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead a person to experience vision problems, kidney issues, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and even sexual dysfunction. So it is imperative to get your blood pressure checked regularly and keep it normalized through exercise and healthy eating.

”But I stay hungry, Clarissa, and I don't know what to snack on besides chips and cookies!"


Yeah, I know. There's this space of time between breakfast and lunch (and the same space shows up between lunch and dinner) where your body gets "the munchies" and WANTS to eat everything it sees. Your body may not need any food, but your mind sure believes that it wants food, no matter if it is healthy or unhealthy. What you choose to fuel yourselves during this time will make the difference between high energy and alertness or falling asleep in your workplace breakroom.


Because I had to deal with (and overcame) my high blood pressure issues back in 2007, I had to find better options for snacks that were easy to carry to the office and kept me away from the sugary, salty treats in the vending machine. These are my top 5 snacks that can be made in 10 minutes or less, are super delicious, and help with regulating high blood pressure:


1) One cup of chilled berries (your choice). I love all types of berries. I would wash a cupful and put into a small glass container to eat in the morning or in the afternoon. I usually pop the tops off the strawberries and cut them into quarters (to make them easier to eat). Other berries, like blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries will be checked for firmness before I put them in the container. Don't forget to chill them for an hour before packing them to carry. They are yummy when chilled. You're welcome.

2) Homemade hummus with veggies for dipping. I used to buy roasted red pepper hummus when I first started working on my health. Then my whole life changed when I found a recipe for homemade hummus in a cookbook. I had never even heard of tahini paste until that point. But when I got all the ingredients together and made a batch of it for myself, I found it was so delicious that I knew I wanted more of this in my kitchen. I kept it simple and packed about 1/3 cup hummus with baby carrots and celery sticks, and sometimes sliced bell pepper strips. I like this online recipe also because it is quick to make.


3) Salsa with Red Hot & Blue chips. Okay, if you don't like spicy food, then Garden of Eatin brand has the regular flavored blue chips. But I do encourage you to at least try the spicier chips - they are not hot, but they do have a kick to them. I don't make my own salsa (yet), but there are some really incredible salsas out there. Remember to check the labels for sodium and sugar content if you buy a store brand salsa. I am in love with the After Midnight Salsa Company. This guy does a great job of making salsa from scratch. Eat 1/2 cup of salsa with about 9 chips for your snack time.


4) Nuts. 1/4 cup of your favorite nuts are an excellent snack. Don't eat more than a quarter cup, though, because nuts naturally contain a lot of fat. Sometimes I will mix several nuts with a few unsalted sunflower seeds and some dried blueberries or cranberries for homemade trail mix, but the nuts are stars within themselves.


5) Healthy deviled eggs. Is there even such a thing? I am glad to tell you that the answer is YES! I usually make mine with the boiled egg yolk, low-fat Greek yogurt, and a touch of dill relish. Check out these healthy these healthy deviled eggs created by celebrity Team Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese and her brother. Don't they look amazing?


These are just my top 5 snack ideas. There are other snacks I like to carry with me and have available when I get the munchies and these snacks won't ever raise my blood pressure numbers.


Are you drawing a blank when it comes to healthy snacks in your life?


Need some better ideas than what you have?


Then you are perfect for the 5 Day Sugar Detox Challenge. Not only will you get some great snack ideas during this challenge, you'll also find delicious and healthy full meal ideas to help you even further with blood pressure reduction. Click here and let's crush these sugar cravings together!