Flaxseed brings an amazing flavour to your meal if you add it to your recipe. One thing about flaxseed is that it blends with most of your ingredients to give your meal an amazing flavour and taste.
In fact, we roast and chew flaxseeds and the taste is something you will want to experience.
Above this amazing taste it this seed has, it is a healthy seed that we see as a functional food.
Flaxseed is very available in the Americas and its health benefits emphasise the need for you to add it to your diet.
This seed comes in different species and each of them is growing in prominence and importance because of their health benefits.
Nutritional Value
Before we look at the benefits you get from eating flaxseed, we will look at the nutritional value of the seed.
Interestingly, the seed is rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA omega-3 fatty acid), lignans and fiber.
These components make it a great food for people who have discovered ways of adding it to their meals.
The Latin name of the flaxseed is Linum usitatissimum, and it means “very useful”.
According to a 2014 study, every part of the flaxseed plant is commercially useful either directly or after processing (1).
In the stem are good quality fibers that have high strength and durability.
Also, the study says in abut 20 years now, interest in flaxseed had increased, especially in the field of diet and disease research.
Basically, this growing interest is as a result of the potential health benefits associated with some of its biologically active components.
Here is the nutrition fact as put together by the Food Data Central of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2).
One tablespoon (7 grams) of ground flaxseed contains.
- Calories: 37
- Carbs: 2 grams
- Fat: 3 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 1.3 grams
- Thiamine: 10% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Copper: 9% of the DV
- Manganese: 8% of the DV
- Magnesium: 7% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 4% of the DV
- Selenium: 3% of the DV
- Zinc: 3% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 2% of the DV
- Iron: 2% of the DV
- Folate: 2% of the DV
Flaxseed is of different varieties – brown and yellow or golden, – but they are largely with the same nutritional value.
Only a yellow flax called solin has a different oil profile.
Health Benefits Of Flaxseed
Now that you know what flaxseeds are like, here are some of the benefits that you should know. It is very beneficial to both women and men.
Flaxseed is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acid: α-linolenic acid (ALA), short chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), soluble and insoluble fibers, phytoestrogenic lignans (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside-SDG).
Also, these seeds are rich in proteins and an array of antioxidants that help in different ways.
1. Lowers Risk Of Heart Disease
Flaxseed is the richest plant source of the Omega-3 fatty acid (3).
Also, it is very low in saturated fatty acids (6 % per gram).
It has moderate monosaturated fatty acids and rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid.
The fiber, phytosterols, and lignans in flaxseed help improve heart health.
This combination makes its oil extract great for persons who are at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Flaxseed in different species
Phytosterols are molecules that are similar in structure to cholesterol, but they help prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
Cholesterol can sneak into the arteries and cause clog that could affect the flow of blood.
The clogging of the arteries by droplets of bad fat Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol has been identified as a contributory factor to high blood pressure.
2. Reduces Growth Of Tumour And Cancer
Men who are at risk of prostate cancer can add flaxseeds to their diet.
One way to do this is to roast with low heat and blend it to powder form or add to sauce the way they are.
Lignans are common within the plant kingdom and are present in almost all plants.
Basically, they act as both antioxidants and phytoestrogens.
This health benefit of flaxseed is backed by studies (4) (5).
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“Flax contains up to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods,” a research says.
Flaxseed lignans have shown promising effects in reducing growth of cancerous tumors, especially hormone-sensitive ones such as those of the breast, endometrium, lungs and prostate (6).
Research in laboratories shows that flaxseed inhibits the formation of colon, breast, skin, and lung tumors (7).
Furthermore, a study also says it reduces blood vessel cell formation in female rats.
Interestingly, all of these suggest a protective effect against breast, colon and ovarian cancer.
3. Great For Relieving Menopausal Symptoms
Women who are in the early stage of menopause would find flaxseed helpful.
Often, these women experience hot flashes and night sweats.
However, flaxseed could help reduce these symptoms.
According to a 2014 study, flaxseeds could help in this regard (8) .
4. Rich In Fibre – Great For Digestive System
A tablespoon of flaxseed (about 7 grams) contains 2 grams of fiber, which is around 5% and 8% of the daily recommended intake for men and women, respectively (9).
Furthermore, flaxseed contains two types of fiber- soluble and insoluble.
These get fermented by the bacteria in your intestines to improve your gut health and bowel regularity (10).
This makes this seed great for your digestive system.
It will clean out your colon and that is just one thing you need for a great bowel movement.
5. Good For Detoxification
The Omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed also makes it a good anti-inflammatory food.
Daily, you are exposed to pollution and other components in the foods you eat these toxins could cause different issues and torment your health.
Unfortunately, most of these toxins do not go out except you make conscious efforts to remove them. One of the things you can remove these toxins with is flaxseed.
When you add it to your meal it binds to the toxins and make help make it easy for excretion.
For instance, due to the anti-inflammatory properties of Omega-3 fatty acids, it has been suggested that these nutrients may protect the kidneys from damage in adults.
So if you want to boos your kidney health, add flaxseed to your diet.
6. Boosts Immune System
Everyone needs a defense against all forms of foreign bodies that come to attack our health.
Fortunately, flax protein, which helps in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, also supports the immune system.
Flaxseed contains bioactive peptides, – cyclolinopeptide A, which have strong immunosuppressive and antimalarial activities, inhibiting the human malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum in culture.
So taking flxseed could keep malaria away.
Because of the positive effect of this Omega-3 fatty acids, governments and public health authorities in the Western world recommend increasing it in diet.
7. May Lower Blood Sugar Level
A 2011 study suggests that the dietary fibers, lignans, and Omega-3 fatty acids, present in flaxseed have a protective effect against diabetes risk (11).
It highlights that supplementation of diet of type-2 diabetics with 10 grams of flaxseed powder for a period of 1 month was able to reduce fasting blood glucose by 19.7 % and glycated hemoglobin by 15.6 %.
Flax is rich in fibre and this also plays a role in lowering blood sugar level.
A study finds that soluble fiber absorbs water in your intestines and slows down digestion. This activity helps regulate blood sugar levels and lowers cholesterol.
Also, insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool, and this may prevent constipation and promote regular bowel movements (12).