To lower my blood pressure in November, I consumed flaxseed three times per week. And the results were exciting.

I have officially dropped from Stage 1 Hypertension (where I was for most of 2021, after dropping from Stage 2 in April) into the Elevated stage, according to the American Heart Association recommendations. 

In the month of November, my average blood pressure was 126/75, with a resting heart rate of 71. This is the lowest rate I’ve achieved so far.

And I’m Elevated! As you can see from the chart below, I’m now just above the normal range.

Courtesy of the American Heart Association

What I found really interesting was the only number that dropped this month was the Diastolic pressure (the amount of pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats). My Diastolic pressure dropped 5 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) for the month. This is a significant decrease especially combined with the decline from last month. Overall, my diastolic pressure is down by a stunning 30 mm Hg since the start of this experiment. 

My Systolic pressure (the amount of pressure in the arteries during the contraction of the heart muscle) stayed the same this month but is down a whopping 28 mm Hg since December 2020.

My heart rate (the number of times the heart beats per minute while at rest) remained the same as last month but is 8 bpm under the December 2020 average. 

Health Benefits

Flaxseed has Fiber, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Antioxidants. 

Flaxseed can help lower the risk of constipation, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and other conditions, according to a handful of studies published on ScienceDaily.com.

How Did I Do It?

Using the rule of three, I made it my goal to eat flaxseed three times per week. While this might seem intimidating, flaxseed is something that goes great on top of a lot of dishes.

What’s great about flaxseed is you can put it on anything. I put ground flaxseed on my oatmeal, in my Breakfast cookies and in my homemade granola. Sometimes I even add it to cookies or muffins or my son’s favorite peanut butter/honey sandwiches. It doesn’t really have a taste, so it’s versatile.

I added this habit to the other habits created during 2021, and the results have been remarkable.