Flaxseed
What is Flaxseed?
Although flaxseed is not a common food in the diet of North Americans, it has a long history and has been around for thousands of years. One of the first crops ever grown, the people of Scandinavia, Africa, and Asia eat flaxseed regularly. Also known as linseed, flaxseeds are brown in color and have a deep nutty flavor.
The use of freshly ground flax seeds can improve digestion, prevent and reverse constipation, stabilize blood glucose levels, improve cardiovascular function, and bring about many other beneficial effects.
Flaxseed has a high nutritional value and according to the Tufts University Health & Nutritional Letter, flaxseed is one of the richest sources of alpha-linolenic acid, one of the types of fatty acids in the omega-3 family which are considered a superunsaturated fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids help improve heart health by lowering elevated blood fats (serum triglycerides), reducing blood pressure, and platelet stickiness. Other benefits include: reversing premenstrual syndrome in most cases, shortening the time required from tired muscles to recover from exercise, increasing the rate of metabolic reactions in the body at levels above 12 - 15% of total calories, producing smooth skin, increasing stamina, and reducing inflammation. These fatty acids are "essential" for health and survival, but the human body is incapable of producing them; they must be obtained from food.
Flaxseed is an excellent source of insoluble and soluble fiber which can help decrease cholesterol levels. Flaxseeds are also packed with Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), a critical dietary element that regulates the balance of saturated fats and cholesterol in cells. In addition to being found in flaxseeds, EFA is found in fish, soybeans, leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
In addition to the omega-3 essential fatty acids and soluble and insoluble fiber, flaxseeds also contain a phytoestrogen, a naturally occurring plant estrogen, called lignans. In fact, flaxseeds are one of the richest known food sources for plant estrogens, containing between 75 to 800 times more lignans than any other food.
Lignans are touted as having many health-related benefits including decreasing the symptoms of menopause, particularly hot flashes, and regulating the menstrual cycle. Flaxseed Products and Forms
Flaxseeds are available in two forms: as the whole seed or as an oil pressed from the seed. While both the seeds and oil have healthy attributes, many choose to use the whole seed because of its fiber and lignan content.
Flaxseeds - Ground flaxseeds have the consistency of wheat germ with a deep nutty flavor. Health benefits are best when the seed is ground before eating, otherwise the seed will pass through the system undigested. The advantage of consuming the ground flaxseed versus the oil is that ground flaxseed contains fiber and lignans. It is the combination of all of the elements of flaxseed that are beneficial.
Dr. Bob Arnot, author of The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet, recommends that of your daily fiber intake, 10 grams should be soluble fiber (such as flaxseed). Because the bowel creates estrogen blockers after digesting the flaxseed, only flaxseed, not just the oil, provides the proper estrogen-blocking effect. Estrogen blockers prohibit potentially dangerous estrogens from latching onto receptor sites causing cells to multiply.
Flaxseed is also rich in potassium, providing about seven times as much as that found in a banana on a dry-weight basis.
Flax Oil - A nutty-flavored oil that is pressed out of flaxseeds, flaxseed oil is one of the richest sources of EFAs, a vital element for good health. The oil making process removes many of the seed's phytoestrogens which offer many health-related benefits including reducing the risk of cancer and alleviating menopausal symptoms. Flaxseed oil is light and temperature sensitive and must be stored in the refrigerator.
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