There are natural, easy ways to keep your blood pressure normal. We’ve covered some of them before… Beet juice, raisins, and garlic all fight high blood pressure.
We’ve researched another food that naturally stabilizes blood pressure. It’s a tiny seed. And the more you eat, the more it helps.
Researchers in Canada followed two groups of people with high blood pressure. One group ate up to 30 grams of this seed each day for six months. Compared to the group that didn’t eat it, the test group was able to lower their systolic (the top number) blood pressure by an average of 15 points. Diastolic readings decreased by seven points.1
But this isn’t the only impressive part of the study. These people didn’t have to make any significant changes to their lifestyle. And it’s not like they just sat around eating this food all day, either.
In fact, most of the time, they didn’t even realize they were eating it. The researchers just added it to baked goods like bagels and muffins. We’re not kidding!
So what is this little seed and how does it work?
Flaxseeds, also known as linseeds.
In this particular study, levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) increased in the group eating the flax. ALA is shown to decrease risk for heart disease by reducing inflammation and supporting endothelial cells.2 Flaxseed is one of the best natural sources of ALA that you can get.
Before you get too excited, we’re not recommending you load up on bagels and muffins. The damage from gluten and processed grains will far outweigh the flax benefits. But, for the purposes of the study, the flax was so effective that it added a health benefit to foods that aren’t even good for you.
It’s better to add flax to healthy foods in your diet. That way, you’ll improve your health even more.
To get the most out of your flax, add it to a salad, smoothie, or protein shake. Make sure you grind up the seeds well. If you don’t grind them, your body won’t absorb the nutrients. A coffee bean grinder or blender works well.
Buy organic seeds and store in the refrigerator. Also, flax thickens into a gel pretty quickly when you add it to liquids. You don’t want to let it sit for too long.
Whether or not you have high blood pressure, the benefits of adding flax to your diet are clear. The fiber and omega-3 fatty acids it can provide are nice… But when you look at what it can do for your heart by simply adding it to foods you may already eat, it easily earns its place in your pantry.
There are plenty of other natural, safe, and effective ways to protect your heart. Get the scoop on the real, natural solution that one cardiologist credits with restoring heart health to almost every single one of his patients. And the easy way to implement it in your own life, today. If you want to protect your heart, I urge you to learn more now.
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References:
1 http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/10/14/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.02094
2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15945135