Lowering blood pressure using food is a great way to start reversing your condition and repairing the damage it has done to your vascular system. Food of course, probably contributed greatly to your having blood pressure problems in the first place. The good news is that food can fix it as well.

High blood pressure encourages negative changes in cell structure at the atomic level. Free radicals, orphaned electrons, attack other atoms within the cell looking for a home. This action ultimately leads to a dysfunctional or modified molecule that does not perform as intended. The most common result of this action is increased oxidation which allows fats to be absorbed into the cell and become attached to the walls of the blood vessel.

Eliminate free radicals and you have gone a long way to stopping the build up of plaque.

Enter the foods with high antioxidant contents. Antioxidants fight the free radicals thereby discouraging oxidation. Here's a quick list of the top 10 sources of antioxidants:

Number 1: Red Beans (dried)
Number 2: Organic Blueberries
Number 3: Red Kidney beans (dried)
Number 4: Pinto Beans
Number 5: Cranberry
Number 6: Artichoke (cooked)
Number 7: Blackberries
Number 8: Prunes
Number 9: Raspberries
Number 10: Strawberries

Not only are you getting great doses of antioxidants but these are a great source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber as well. It is suggested that you eat 5 to 8 servings of foods rich in antioxidants a day.

A word about salt. Our bodies need salt to function but the typical American eats 6 times what he or she needs daily. Salt is only part of the equation though. We need salt but we need it in a specific relation ship to potassium. Once again, most Americans are deficient in potassium.

So while you want to cut the salt, you also want to increase potassium and bananas, potatoes, and dark green leafy vegetables are all great sources.

The foods we eat, or don't eat, play a big part in how high blood pressure affects us. If we can become aware of what we are eating, high blood pressure can be a smaller part of our lives.