Five Facts about Flax

Flaxseed, also known as linseed, is an unbelievably nutritious and versatile food boasting a myriad of potential health benefits. It is also relatively cheap and easy to integrate into your diet, as well as being readily available both online and in a variety of shops and supermarkets. It usually comes in the forms of ground flax seed, whole flaxseed or linseed meal.

5 Reasons to incorporate more flaxseed/linseed into your regular diet:

Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for healthy overall brain function, while also helping prevent memory loss and even depression. Many believe oily fish to be the best source of this, but three tablespoons of flaxseed contains the same amount of omega-3 as one pound of fish.

Besides omega-3, flaxseed also boasts a large quantity of lignans – 800 times more than any other food. These lignans can help fight various forms of cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and inflammation caused by arthritis.

Another amazing potential health benefit is that a good quantity of flaxseed in a healthy diet can help reduce blood pressure, and can reduce total cholesterol by as much as 60 percent.

Flaxseed/linseed is an excellent source of fibre, and soluble fibre in particular which can help carry toxins out of the system. Its high fibre content also makes it a rather filling ingredient, helping make healthy food more satisfying for those dieting or trying to control how much they eat.

A final reason to consume more ground flaxseed or linseed meal is their marvellous versatility. Flaxseed can be easily incorporated into a whole host of everyday dishes many people eat habitually such as yogurt, bread, salads, muffins, sandwiches, oatmeal and many others. What’s more, its health properties also come with a delicious nutty flavour to wonderfully complement any dish.

Ways of Incorporating Flax into your Diet.

There are a number of methods you could use to incorporate flaxseed/linseed into your diet.

Both flaxseed and linseed are available to purchase in an oil based form, this may not sound to pleasant, however there are a number of advantages to this. Firstly due to the light taste of the oil, you could mix it with sandwich spreads and mixtures which would be especially ideal in terms of ensuring lunch time sandwiches would be boosted with nutrition. This could also be implemented into your kids daily lunchtime diet at school if they take a packed lunch.

Foods such as yogurt and oatmeal are especially ideal for incorporating flaxseed as they make the perfect topping if you’re after a bit of crunch. If these are food you eat habitually then this simply adds nutritional value to an everyday eating habit.

Below is an example of a healthy homemade recipe made by Durwin Banks who is the owner of High Barn Oils Flaxseed Farm West Sussex.

So there you have it, five reasons to make flax seed a part of your regular diet. It’s not often you come across something offering both miracle-like health properties and great taste all in one. But with flax seed, that’s exactly what you get. Try sprinkling some on your yogurt, or get more creative and try them in the next cake you bake – either way you’ll feel the benefit soon enough.