We Asked a Cardiologist If You Need Fish to Get Enough Omega-3s - Health.com

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, so it’s important to keep it in check. It’s possible to lower blood pressure without medication by losing weight, exercising and eating a healthier diet. One vegetable in particular stands out, says Dr. Annapoorna Kini, a cardiologist at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York. Heart Health Tip of the Day: Add Beets to Your Diet“If you really want to know what decreases blood pressure, it is beet — beet root,” Kini tells TODAY.com. Beets contain nitrates, which get converted to nitric oxide in the body, and “plays an essential role in cardiovascular health,” researchers note. It’s a natural vasodilator, meaning it opens blood vessels, allowing greater blood flow. “It works on the (blood) vessel wall — dilates the smooth muscle of the vessel wall. That way, your vessel remains pliable,” Kini adds. Why It MattersBlood vessels become more rigid as people get older and start building up plaque in their arteries, Kini notes; and when the arteries get stiff, that’s how you develop high blood pressure.