As in most cases, a moderate intake of butter will obviate most of the health risks ascribed to it, including a high level of bad cholesterol. This is especially so in individuals who already have heart disease or high blood pressure.
We found an association of shea butter consumption with lower BP, which provides the rationale for investigation through rigorous study designs to evaluate the benefits of shea butter consumption for prevention of hypertension and improved cardiovascular health.
Potential Risks of Butter
Butter is high in calories and fat — including saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease. Use this ingredient sparingly, especially if you have heart disease or are looking to cut back on calories.
Beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and avocado are other potassium-rich foods that may help lower blood pressure naturally. Kiwifruit: According to one study, eating three kiwifruit daily can help dramatically lower blood pressure. Kiwi is delicious chopped up in fruit salad or sprinkled on top of plain yogurt.
Unfortunately, there is no quick way to lower blood pressure without medical intervention. The best way to lower blood pressure is with long-term behavioral changes—like reducing stress, getting better sleep, exercising, and eating a low-sodium diet—but this takes time. Certain medications can also help.
One of the main fats in peanut butter is oleic acid. When substituted for other fats in your diet, oleic acid is shown to help maintain good cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. Managing these levels in your body can lower the risk of heart disease. Peanut butter also contains omega-6.
REALITY. You don't have to cut cheese out of your diet, but if you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, use high-fat cheeses sparingly. A 30g portion of cheese provides seven per cent of your daily calories and there can be more salt in a portion of cheddar than in a packet of crisps.
“Grass-fed butter has the nutritional edge in that it offers more heart-healthy nutrients than regular butter in a less-processed product than margarine,” Malkani says. You can typically find grass-fed butter at the grocery store or natural foods market. Look for terms like “pasture” and “grass-fed” on the label.
Butter is high in saturated fat, which can raise your bad cholesterol and make heart disease more likely. You're better off to replace butter with olive oil or vegetable oil-based spreads, which contain heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. If you have high cholesterol, a spread with stanol is even better.
Butter can absolutely fit into a healthy diet, says registered dietitian Abbey Sharp, and grass-fed butter is the healthiest butter money can buy. Before we get into the health benefits of this type of butter, let's break down the fat content in butter in general.
You're better off using unsalted butter in your daily life since added salt can have negative health consequences such as high blood pressure. Grass-fed butter - This type of butter is made from the milk of cows that spend their days grazing green pastures.
Putting Butter in Perspective
Doctors frequently advise their heart patients to steer clear of butter. Why? More than half the fat in butter is saturated fat, which is a kind of fat that can increase total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Just a tablespoon of butter packs 7 grams of saturated fat.
Fattier seafood like tuna, salmon and sardines contain these omega 3 fatty acids. In addition to eating seafood, other foods and lifestyle changes can also help manage blood pressure.
Oats are rich in soluble fiber and have been shown to significantly lower blood pressure when added to a healthy diet. There's nothing fancy about it; a serving of good old-fashioned oats is enough to drop blood pressure 12 points after just a few weeks.
In addition to lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease, eating popcorn without a lot of added salt or butter may help you lower your blood pressure or lower the risk of developing high blood pressure.
Eggs don't have a direct impact on blood pressure, Dr. Hausvater adds—for example, eating a couple eggs won't cause a surge upward or a sudden downward dip—but they may have an indirect effect because they contain potassium and calcium, which contribute to lower blood pressure.
Avoid or limit foods that are high in saturated fat (more than 20% of the total fat). Eating too much saturated fat is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. Food high in this type of fat include: egg yolks, hard cheeses, whole milk, cream, ice cream, butter, and fatty meats (and large portions of meats).
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean diet both recommend including whole grains as part of a healthy diet. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should eat about 3 ounces of whole grains a day, or the equivalent of three slices of whole-wheat bread.
There's no single solution to lowering your blood pressure, nor is there a cure. Still, you can make lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down. Something as simple as keeping yourself hydrated by drinking six to eight glasses of water every day improves blood pressure.