What is flaxseed and why should I be using it?

[Elleth Faewen]

Flax seed:

Dr. Atkins recommends flax seed meal during induction to prevent constipation so -- those in the Induction phase can have it.

Flax seeds are very healthy and are full of Omega3. They have lots of fiber, and are very low carb. The human body can't digest the whole seed so you should grind them or buy flax seed meal. You can grind them in a food processor or in a coffee grinder. It does take a while to grind them so allow enough time for this.

In cooking you can substitute it as follows:

As a fat - 3T will replace the 1T of oil in any recipe
Egg - 1T mixed with 3T water will substitute for eggs if used as a thickener
As A thickener - 2T for every cup of liquid (don't get too generous or you will end up with a slimmy mix.)

You can eat flax seed meal as a hot breakfast cereal either straight
(2T flaxseed meal mixed with 1/3 cup boiling water and sweetener and spices of choice)

OR,

with protein powder
(mix flaxseed meal 1/4 cup with 1 scoop of your protein powder. Add 3/4 cup water and nuke until it grows. Stir and nuke again until it grows. Add sweetener, spices, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of your favorite fat and stir again. Add more water as needed. remember to count those carbs. This will reheat nicely but you will need more water every time you reheat it.)

You can use it as a filler in your meatloaf or meatballs.
You can sprinkle it in your salad, however, it is a bit gritty.
You can mix it with your breakfast Danish on the recipe board.
You can mix it with eggs and scramble them or use as an omelet.
You can make a induction legal bread recipe that is on the recipe board.
You can make pancakes -- recipe is on the recipe board.

More information on flax seed:

There are three particularly great things about flaxseed.

It's the best plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.
It contains both types of fiber -- about 3 grams per tablespoon.
It is one of the top plant sources of the phytoestrogen called lignans.

In terms of the omega-3s, from what we can see in the research, we still need to eat our fish because those types of omega-3s are helpful, but we still need to eat plant omega-3s because they help us through different mechanisms than the fish omegas.

What are those health benefits?

Possible cancer prevention and reduction of tumor growth in breast, prostate and colon cancer.
Reduced risk of heart disease -- studies suggest that flax lowers the risk of blood-cot and strokes and cardiac arrhythmia, along with lowering total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and even blood pressure.
Better regulation of bowel functions and prevention of constipation.
Possible reduction of blood-glucose response to carbohydrates.
Possible benefits in many hyper-stimulated immune system diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
Relief of breast pain related to a woman's hormone cycle.

What is the best way to get the benefits of flax?

Definitely, from what I've seen in the research, ground flaxseed is ideal. With whole flaxseed, without being ground, you're less likely to digest it fully and get all the good stuff. And with the flaxseed oil, you're literally only getting the omega-3s, not the fiber, not lignans.

How much should you have daily?

Generally, one to two tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day is considered safe and effective for most people. A small number of people have an allergic reaction and that's why when you're just starting to add it to your diet, it is good to start with just half a teaspoon to see if you have an allergic reaction. It's a very small number, but it does happen.

There are different types of flaxseed. Why choose one over the other? How do you store it? Is it OK to get it already ground?

There's basically regular flax and golden flax. And golden flax, as you might guess, is golden. It's literally a light yellow color and it's mainly grown in the Dakota states. The regular flax is darker in color, sort of a light brown, and it's mostly grown in Canada. They're both supposed to have, generally, the same amounts of nutritional attributes. So, to me, the benefit to regular flax is it's cheaper, whereas the golden is benefited by light color and it is easier to hide in food. I must say, if you are making a mango smoothie, you are going to have these brown specks if you add flaxseed, and some aren't going to like that as well. I generally use the regular because that's what's easy to get at my supermarket.

I've heard that flax thins your blood, is this true?

It does reduce risk of stroke and one of the ways it's doing that is probably by making it less sticky. Yes, it's quite possible that it does have blood-thinning properties, and it also reduces blood pressure. I believe they're also looking into whether or not it makes your arteries more flexible, which is a good thing.

Are flaxseed oil tablets as effective as ground flaxseed (for health benefits)?

I would not suggest flaxseed oil tablets because I only feel good about flaxseed as a whole food, in the way that nature made it. And there's still some question about high amounts in tablets form increasing the risks of certain things, such as prostate cancer. Unless you have a specific medical condition in which a doctor has prescribed it, I think you are better off health-wise and wallet-wise with the ground flax.