Flaxseed

What is Flaxseed?

In a nutshell, flaxseeds are the plant's seeds. This plant has a lengthy history in the culinary and textile industries. Better known by its popular name, linen, is a flax cloth. Linseed oil is a form of vegetable oil that is obtained from the plant and may be used in cooking. The small, smooth, brown or golden, slightly toothsome seeds are now gathered and used in a variety of recipes, such as crumbled fruit, salad dressings, and energy bars. The flax plant was farmed for its oils and fiber in India, which is where the first documented applications of flaxseed originated. The flaxseed oil helped preserve food, and the ancient Egyptians used it to make fabric to wrap mummies in. Subsequently, the settlers gathered it and cultivated the plant in their own gardens. It's among the earliest known crops. As a matter of fact, the plant's Latin name, Linum usitatissimum, meaning "very useful," is still used to describe it.

How to use flaxseed? 

Either hot or cold, include a spoonful of ground flaxseed into your cereal. When assembling a sandwich, mix a teaspoon of ground flaxseed with the mayonnaise or mustard. Add one tablespoon of ground flaxseed to an eight-ounce yogurt container. Add ground flaxseed to baked items such as breads, muffins, and cookies.

Flaxseed benefits:

Rich in fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed also has a number of vital vitamins and minerals that may help maintain your general health. When ingested as part of a balanced diet, its components may help lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, and give some protection against cancer.

◉ Aid digestion: The typical adult only consumes approximately 16 g of fiber per day, which is significantly less than the recommended 25 g for women and 38 g for men. This means that most of us do not consume nearly enough fiber. Thank goodness for flaxseeds! Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed may provide 15% of a woman's daily fiber requirements and around 10% of a man's. Their insoluble fiber promotes regularity, facilitates digestion, and wards off constipation. Bloating and feces issues, good-bye!.

◉ Help with weight loss: Additionally, rich in soluble fiber, flaxseeds reduce the likelihood of overeating by making you feel full. Eating whole flaxseeds may aid in weight reduction, particularly for those who are very overweight, according to a 2017 assessment of research. Individuals who followed a flaxseed-supplemented diet for 12 weeks or more and consumed more than 30 g (about 4 tablespoons) of flaxseeds daily were the ones who dropped the greatest weight in the trials.

◉ Boost heart health: According to Largeman-Roth, one of the main advantages of flaxseeds is their high ALA (plant-based omega-3) content. Because your body cannot create omega-3s on its own, you must get them from meals like fish and, yes, flaxseeds. When it comes to plant foods that are richest in ALA, flaxseeds come in second only to chia seeds. According to a thorough analysis of studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, including flaxseeds, may reduce the risk of heart disease by 10%. Find out more about the heart-healthy foods you should consume.

◉ Reduce cholesterol: Although eating flaxseeds cannot take the place of cholesterol-lowering medications for those who require them, some studies have shown that consuming 50 g (approximately 7 tablespoons) of flaxseeds for four weeks reduced total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol by 9% and 18%, respectively. This study was published in the International Journal of Angiology in 2020. It is hypothesised that the soluble fiber in flaxseeds lowers blood cholesterol levels by binding to and expelling cholesterol from the body.

Where to buy Flaxseed? 

Buy flaxseed from the health food store in the USA, Alive Herbals.

Flaxseed information (at a glance):