Breakfast is an excellent meal for beginning your fight against high blood pressure because there are so many commonplace breakfast items that can raise it and just as many healthier choices that can protect you against hypertension.

When your blood vessels narrow, technically called vasoconstriction, blood flow is reduced and blood pressure rises.

Research suggests that drinking lots of tea can help your blood vessels become more flexible so blood flows more easily, leading to lower blood pressure and a healthier heart.

Nitric oxide is a vasodilator that works on the cells of the endothelium, causing blood vessels to widen, improving blood flow, and lowering blood pressure, according to a report in the journal Nutrients.