How to Eat Flaxseed
The nutrition world seems to promote a new gimmick each week. But some foods that have been celebrated for centuries – not just a passing trend! One of these foods is flaxseed. This small seed can have a huge impact on your health.
I’m going to tell you all about its benefits and how to add it to your diet.
What is flaxseed?
Who would’ve guessed that one of the most effective superfoods on the planet is a tiny seed measuring less than five millimeters in length? Flax, also known as linseed, is a flowering plant harvested as both a food and fiber crop in cool regions of the world.
The seed was originally discovered thousands of years ago in Babylon.
And since then flaxseed’s health benefits have long been held in high regard. In fact, Charles the Great actually enforced a law that required his subjects to eat it regularly!
And knowing what we do today about flaxseed, we can honestly say that he was onto something.
This “wonder food” is pretty widespread. You probably eat it almost every day, even if you don’t realize it. Flaxseed can be found in cereals and pasta as well as snack foods and energy bars. A typical serving size for flaxseed is just one tablespoon, so you don’t even have to consume much of it to reap its benefits!
Flaxseed vs. flax meal
Before we get into all of the great advantages of adding flaxseed to your diet, it’s important to understand the difference between flaxseed and flax meal. You may assume that they’re the same thing, but there are a couple of key differences.
First, flax meal is made of flaxseeds that have been ground into a fine powder. By grinding them up, the benefits of flaxseed actually become even more effective! Flax meal is also easier to incorporate into your diet because of its powder form.
How to make flax meal
You can make your own flax meal from flaxseed by simply putting it in a food processor and grinding it until it has a flour-like consistency. Then store your flax meal in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
The benefits of flax seed
Flaxseed isn’t known as a superfood for nothing! This small seed is capable of doing great things for your health.
Flaxseed can provide your daily fiber intake
Did you know that only 3% of Americans have enough fiber in their diet? It’s recommended that women ages 50 and under should consume 25 grams of fiber each day, while men 50 and under should aim for 38 grams. After age 50, the recommended amount of fiber drops to 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men.
One tablespoon (7 grams) of flaxseed contains 2.8 grams of fiber.
You might think of cardboard-like fiber bars when you think of fiber. But there are many other ways to incorporate fiber into your diet, and flaxseed is one of them! It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber binds with water, creating a gel-like substance and slowing down digestion. Insoluble fiber doesn’t break down in the digestive system. Instead, it keeps everything moving smoothly. The two types of fiber work together to help you reach optimal digestive health.
Flaxseed contains lignans
Lignans are a type of plant compound that contains estrogen and also acts as an antioxidant. The estrogen has been shown to decrease the chance of breast cancer in women, as well as prostate cancer in men. It also cuts back on the risk of colon cancer.
The antioxidants in lignans protect your cells against free radicals, which are molecules that contribute to cancer and heart disease. Flaxseed contains up to 800 times more lignans than other types of plant foods!
Flaxseed contains omega-3 essential fatty acids
Omega-3 fats are essential to your health, and your body doesn’t produce them naturally. Instead, you have to get them through your diet. They’re anti-inflammatory, help to regulate your heart rate, and promote general heart health. They also lessen the risk of strokes.
Other health benefits of flaxseed
Aside from the top three (fiber, lignans, and omega-3 essential fatty acids), flaxseed improves your health in a variety of other ways!
Flaxseed lowers your cholesterol. With lower cholesterol comes a smaller chance of suffering from obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
As shown from a study on menopausal women who added flaxseed to their daily diet, it can cut hot flashes back by half!
Flaxseed’s anti-inflammatory properties give it the ability to cut back on inflammation associated with asthma and Parkinson’s disease.
How to use flaxseed
If you’re intrigued by flaxseed’s positive effects on health, check out these easy ways of adding this superfood into your diet!
Flax Eggs
Flax eggs are a great alternative to regular eggs, with zero cholesterol and all the health benefits of flaxseeds. Flax eggs are particularly suited to flour-based baked goods. They have a texture similar to a gel that binds the recipe’s ingredients together, similar to the way regular eggs do.
How to make flax eggs
To make a flax egg, all you’ll need is flaxseed or flax meal and water. If you have flaxseed, you’ll need to grind it up using a food processor to make flax meal. Then mix three tablespoons of water with one tablespoon of flax meal. Leave it to rise for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice, and you’re done!
This simple recipe creates a flax egg equivalent to one regular egg. If a recipe calls for two eggs, you’ll need two flax eggs or six tablespoons of water, and two tablespoons of flax meal. It’s that easy!
Click here to learn more about flax eggs.
Benefits of flax eggs
First, you’ll save money on groceries! You can buy flaxseed or flax meal in large quantities and store it for long periods of time. But they’re also cholesterol-free and a wonderful source of fiber. Plus, flax eggs contain the important omega-3 fats and lignans that we discussed above. They’re simple to substitute into your recipes and can have great effects on your health.
Creative ways to add flaxseed to your diet
Flaxseed’s light and nutty flavor is a great complement to many different types of food, making it easy to add into your current diet!
Here are some of our favorite ways to make flaxseed part of your daily diet:
Sprinkle it on top of your morning cereal or oatmeal
Mix it into a protein shake
Add it to your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe
Mix it into the mayo or mustard on your sandwich
Add a teaspoon to a cup of yogurt
Make no-bake energy bites
Note that while flax oil is also an option, it only contains part of the flaxseed and thus doesn’t contain all of the same components. Most experts agree that flaxseed and flax meal provide stronger health benefits than flax oil.
The Bottom Line
Flaxseed is a superfood with tons of health benefits that has been around for thousands of years. It contains soluble and insoluble fiber to promote digestive health, omega-3 essential fatty acids for heart health, and lignans that reduce the risk of cancer.
You can make flaxseed into flax meal, a flour-like substance, by grinding it up in a food processor. Flax meal can then be used to make flax eggs or to mix into your daily diet.
You only need a tablespoon of flaxseed each day to enjoy all of its positive effects on your health. But don’t forget that no food can provide everything you need to stay healthy; nothing can replace a balanced diet and regular exercise!
Sources:
https://www.lifewelllived.fitness/blog/how-to-get-more-fiber-in-your-diet
https://www.lifewelllived.fitness/blog/how-to-make-a-flax-egg
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-flaxseeds
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10942910902818137
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating.
https://www.lifewelllived.fitness/desserts-snacks/classic-no-bake-energy-bites