Flaxseeds are found to be a beneficial source of fiber. It is a good health arsenal to have on your quest for weight loss, weight management and overall good health. Many people have no idea what flaxseeds are and therefore do not incorporate these beneficial seeds into their diet. I used to think that flaxseeds were eaten by only vegetarians or health fanatics. What I didn’t know probably did hurt me, especially now, as a women over forty. As women reach that forty year milestone, our bodies begin to change in a way that is unique for each individual. But, there are some shared or common issues that affect women as a whole. By eating a healthier diet many of these issues can be lessened or eliminated. This can be accomplished by being proactive and eating a healthy balanced diet. Choosing to make small changes by consuming things like flaxseeds can help. Benefits of eating ground flaxseeds:
There are many health benefits to be gained by eating ground flaxseeds. Researchers have found that these tiny seeds can be very beneficial in fighting several health conditions. The health industry has taken notice as well and have started adding them to many products. But, for most people, we are oblivious as to why flaxseeds are showing up in more and more products. Here are just a few health conditions that flaxseeds help fight against.
Cancer
Recent studies have suggested that flaxseed may have a protective effect against breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. At least two of the components in flaxseed seem to contribute, says Kelley C. Fitzpatrick, director of health and nutrition with the Flax Council of Canada.
Cardiovascular Disease
Research suggests that plant omega-3s help the cardiovascular system through several different mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory action and normalizing the heartbeat. Fitzpatrick says new research also suggests significant blood pressure-lowering effects of flaxseed. Those effects may be due to both the omega-3 fatty acids as well as the amino acid groups found in flaxseed. A study of menopausal women showed a decrease in LDL level after the women ate 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed each day for a year. Fitzpatrick says the cholesterol-lowering effects of flaxseed are the result of the combined benefits of the omega-3, ALA, fiber, and lignans.
Diabetes
Preliminary research also suggests that daily intake of the lignans in flaxseeds may modestly improve blood sugar as measured by hemoglobin A1c blood tests in adults with Type 2 Diabetes.
Hot Flashes
One study of menopausal women, published in 2007, reported that 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed mixed into cereal, juice, or yogurt twice a day cut their hot flashes in half. The intensity of their hot flashes also dropped by 57%. The women noticed a difference after taking the daily flaxseeds for just one week and achieved the maximum benefit within two weeks.
Why should you eat flaxseeds?
Flaxseeds are found in all kinds of today's foods from crackers to frozen waffles to oatmeal. The Flax Council estimates close to 300 new flax-based products were launched in the U.S. and Canada in 2010 alone. Not only has consumer demand for flaxseeds grown, agricultural use has also increased. Flaxseeds are what's used to feed all those chickens that are laying eggs with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Although flaxseeds contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its primary healthy reputation to three of them:
- Fiber: Flaxseeds contains both the soluble and insoluble types.
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids: "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseeds contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
- Lignans:which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseeds contain 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
Flaxseeds are commonly used as a laxative to improve digestive health or relieve constipation. Both flaxseeds and flaxseed oil have been used to help reduce total blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels and, as a result, may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Although flaxseed oil also contains omega-3 fatty acids, it doesn't have the beneficial fiber that the seeds have.
Flaxseeds are high in lignans or phytochemicals and include many antioxidants. It is perhaps our best source of lignans, which convert in our intestines to substances that tend to balance female hormones. There is evidence that lignans may promote fertility, reduce peri-menopausal symptoms, and possibly help prevent breast cancer. In addition, lignans may help prevent Type 2 diabetes. Note that flaxseeds need to be ground to make the nutrients available otherwise they just “pass through” your system undigested. Flaxseed oil alone contains neither the fiber nor the phytochemicals that are present in ground flaxseeds.
How to add flaxseeds to your diet:
Although the Institute of Medicine has not set a recommended daily intake for omega-3 fatty acids, it has established adequate intake amounts of between 1.1 and 1.6 grams a day for adults. One tablespoon of ground flaxseed provides 1.8 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. Add ground flaxseeds to any food, it has a sweet nutty flavor. Add 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds somewhere in your daily meals. Whole flaxseeds will pass through your system not allowing you to reap the full benefits. So be sure to buy ground flaxseeds or flaxseed meal. You can also buy them whole and grind them yourself. You can take the full 2 tbsp all at once or break it up over several meals to make them more fulfilling and help guard against the munchies.
Here are a few Tips for including ground flaxseeds in your diet:
Add to your smoothies
Add to your salads
Add to soup, stews and casseroles
Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to your hot or cold breakfast cereal.
Add a teaspoon of ground flaxseed to mayonnaise or mustard when making a sandwich.
Mix a tablespoon of ground flaxseed into an 8-ounce container of yogurt.
Bake ground flaxseeds into cookies, muffins, breads and other baked goods.
As you can see, there are many ways you can begin to add ground flaxseeds into your daily meals. Be creative, make it a habit to find new ways that you can sneak in some ground flaxseeds. But, try and stick to recommended 2 tbsp. With all things, moderation is the key, because there can be some side effects if you overdose just like with some vitamins. Do your due diligence, because some research has determined that up to 4 tbsp daily can be just as effective with no known side effects.
There is plenty of information out there on the benefits of eating flaxseeds, where to buy them, how to store them and which ones to buy. Always try and make sure you buy certified organic.
Here are some basic tips for using, buying, and storing flaxseed:
- Buy either brown or golden flaxseed: Golden flaxseed is easier on the eyes, but brown flaxseed is easier to find in most supermarkets. There is very little difference nutritionally between the two, so the choice is up to you.
- Buy it ground or grind it yourself: Flaxseed, when eaten whole, is more likely to pass through the intestinal tract undigested, which means your body doesn't get all the healthful components. If you want to grind flaxseed yourself, those little electric coffee grinders seem to work best.
- Milled, ground or flax meal: Don’t be confused by the different product names for ground flaxseed, milled or ground flaxseed is the same thing as flax meal.
- Find it in stores or on the Internet: Many supermarket chains now carry ground flaxseed (or flax meal). It’s usually in the flour or "grain" aisle or the whole-grain cereal section and is often sold in 1-pound bags. You can also find it in health food stores or order it on various web sites.
- Check the product label: When buying products containing flaxseed, check the label to make sure ground flaxseed, not whole flaxseed, was added. Flaxseed is a featured ingredient in cereals, pasta, whole grain breads and crackers, energy bars, meatless meal products, and snack foods.
- Add flaxseed to a food you habitually eat: Every time you have a certain food, like oatmeal, smoothies, soup, or yogurt, stir in a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed. Soon it will be a habit and you won’t have to think about it, you’ll just do it.
- Hide flaxseed in dark, moist dishes: The dishes that hide flaxseed the best are dark sauces or meat mixtures. No one tends to notice flaxseed when it's stirred into enchilada casserole, chicken parmesan, chili, beef stew, meatloaf, or meatballs. For a 4-serving casserole, you can usually get away with adding 2 to 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. For a dish serving 6 to 8, use 4 to 8 tablespoons.
- Use it in baking: Substitute ground flaxseed for part of the flour in recipes for quick breads, muffins, rolls, bread, bagels, pancakes, and waffles. Try replacing 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the flour with ground flaxseed if the recipe calls for 2 or more cups of flour.
- Keep it in the freezer: The best place to store ground flaxseed is the freezer. Freeze pre-ground flaxseed in the bag you bought it in or in a plastic sealable bag if you ground it yourself. The freezer will keep the ground flax from oxidizing and losing its nutritional potency.
- Whole flaxseed keeps longer: The outside shell in whole flaxseed appears to keep the fatty acids inside well protected. It’s a good idea to keep your whole flaxseed in a dark, cool place until you grind it. But as long as it is dry and of good quality, whole flaxseed can be stored at room temperature for up to a year.
- Oxidation/Rancidity: The oil in flax is highly unsaturated. This means that it is very prone to oxidation (rancidity) unless it is stored correctly. The very best way is nature’s own storage system –- within the seed. Flaxseeds not exposed to large amounts of heat stay safe to eat for at least a year. However, flax meal, and especially flax oil, are a different story. The meal, stored away from heat and light, will keep fresh for a few months, and the oil must be protected by refrigeration in dark containers, preferably being consumed within a few weeks of opening. So, buy the oil in small amounts.Actually, the surprising thing about flax is not that the oils go rancid, but that they don’t go rancid as quickly as we would think, considering how unsaturated they are. The oils are quite stable when the seeds are used in baked foods, for example. Researchers theorize that this is due to the high levels of antioxidants in the seeds.
Refer to the “Frequently asked questions about Flax” website to get more answers concerning flax that you may still have.
For Kandie's Health and Fitness Project, you have yet another healthy tweak you can begin to add to your daily menu to give you an advantage in your weight loss efforts. The little things you add to your meals can sometimes have the biggest impact. Consuming ground flaxseeds by essentially hiding them in your meals gives you more bang for your buck (efforts), yet not making a drastic change in what you are eating. The process, if done slow and steady, should give both your mind and your body time to adjust to a different way of eating that is healthier than your previous eating habits. Practice makes perfect even when learning how to eat healthy. Therefore, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t do everything everyday during this project, but be sure to do as many as you can. Once you begin to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, whole grains and beans you might find out that these foods actually have more flavor (I did, especially 12-15 whole grain breads. Regular wheat bread won‘t do anymore). Adding ground flaxseeds to your meals or snacks is a simple way to incorporate a small but powerful addition to a healthier lifestyle. So, go ahead and sprinkle some flax on it.
Remember that each week builds on the previous week. This means that everyday you should be incorporating each of the weekly checklists into your daily meals. Some of these tweaks may take you a little longer to break into, but put forth an honest effort and you will feel better and healthier. Plus, you will begin to lose weight and get to your ideal body weight without feeling deprived or overwhelmed.
Assignment
Your assignment is to add ground flaxseeds to at least three things you eat this week as a primer. But in the following weeks you will add ground flaxseeds to at least one meal everyday. You can start off by adding just one teaspoon to your cereal or yogurt so you can discover how it tastes. Sprinkle it on a muffin or bake it in. But of course you will work your way up to 2 tbsp daily as quickly as your taste buds will allow. For some people, 2 tbsp in one food item is too much, so play with it.
Weekly Checklist
Drink 8 glasses of water every day
Eat a Hearty Healthy breakfast
Get movin’ by walking or aerobics
Eat an Apple or Pear everyday
Say no to your poison, ditch the junk food
Go a little nuts by eating a handful of nuts
Toss Up a Big Bowl of Salad
Take Your Vitamins
Pump It Up!!!
Trade Up Your Drinks
Sprinkle Some Flax on It
References
“The Lean - A Revolutionary and Simple 30 Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss” by Kathy Freston
“Frequently asked questions about Flax”
http://www.healthyflax.com/flax-faq/
"The Benefits of Flaxseed: Is flaxseed the new wonder food? Preliminary studies show that it may help fight heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer.” by Elaine Magee, MPD, RD, WebMD Expert Column
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed
“Ground flaxseed: Better than whole? Does ground flaxseed have more health benefits than whole flaxseed?” By Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Mayo Clinic Nutritionist
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01258
“Flax Seed: The Low Carb Whole Grain Nutrition, Health Benefits of Flax Seed” by Laura Dolson at About.com Guide
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/flaxinfo.htm
Picture Sources:
Ground Flaxseeds (bag):
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3RLTb4tf4BFdtXnJcSiiW6EhZPKwbgyXQIq-eqa4XJlrEsMoMCrK3rvJm
Bulk Ground Flaxseeds
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQe8ovH8G72brU4I5x4IaZU-esP4Qq38Y6_DEt_fy4N8Tdbd4xQ_d262EQ
Flaxseed Oil
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRX-Mk4_NWIzbgMX1bzctmsB_v4xDmMHU5cBLgeBSim-Ciw4_XIJqUXU4Y
Flaxseeds
http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/article_thumbnails/features/benefits_of_flaxseed_features/375x321_benefits_of_flaxseed_features.jpg
Disclaimer: This article is meant only to provide information. It should not be substituted for expert medical advice.
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