Eating right and making sure you have the right nutrients every day is one of the smartest and easiest ways to lower blood pressure without the use of medications. Everyone should be including these foods in their diet on a regular basis but if you have risk factors for high blood pressure, such as a family history of hypertension, then you definitely need these foods.

Dark chocolate - I know, I know. Most people automatically think chocolate and diet are oxymorons (opposites) but they are not as long as you make it dark chocolate. Eating just half an ounce of dark chocolate each day has been reported to lower hypertension without causing weight gain.

Baked potato - Potatoes are rich in potassium, a nutrient which helps to reduce the pressure in your blood by maintaining the correct sodium levels in the blood. It is best to eat the potatoes baked, rather than mashed, due to much of the nutrient is in the skin of the potato. Even boiling the potatoes with the skin on is not as good because the potassium leaches out into the water and is lost when the potatoes are drained.

Skim milk - Two of the most important nutrients in milk are calcium and vitamin D. These two nutrients work in conjunction to lower the pressure in your blood by as much as 10%. Skim milk does not have the fat content that whole or reduced fat milks do so it's also great for weight loss or maintenance.

Spinach - Popeye probably had great blood pressure! This leafy green is chock full of magnesium, a mineral which helps to lower and maintain the proper level of pressure. A side benefit is that spinach also is a good source of potassium. Spinach is also high in fiber, especially when eaten raw in a salad.