The Benefits of Flaxseed
Flaxseed is the latest craze to take over Hollywood and is credited
with improving hair, skin and nail quality, aiding weight loss, and
preventing diseases such as arthritis, high cholesterol and high
blood pressure. Unlike other Hollywood health fads, it won't break
the bank, and costs just a few dollars!!
Dr Herb Joiner
Dr Herb Joiner is a Naturopath and the world's leading expert on
Flaxseed. The fifty year-old from Seattle has been studying the seed
for the past thirty-three years and has recently written a book on
the subject called "The Healing Power of Flax." Dr Herb teaches at
the University of Boston and his specialist areas are nutrition and
western herbal medicine, but he is lecturing in the UK on the
benefits of Omega 3s. Omega 3s are the essential fatty acids found
in fish oils, however, the richest source of Omega 3s is the Flax
plant, and in particular flaxseed oil. He says we should be eating oily fish
three times a week, but most people don't meet this quota and
therefore need to get to get Omega 3 from other sources.
What is Flaxseed?
Flaxseed improves every cell in the body: it improves the
quality of hair, nails, and skin, as well as helping you to lose
weight or bulk up it lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and prevents
arthritis and cancers.
The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fibre from which linen
is woven, as well as seeds and oil. The oil, also called linseed
oil, has many industrial uses - it is an important ingredient in
paints, varnishes, and linoleum, for example. Like olive, canola,
and most other plant oils, flax seed oil is highly unsaturated and
heart-healthy. And flax seeds have yet another very interesting
component - lignans which are known for their anti-cancer properties.
Lignans and other flax seed components also have antioxidant
components, which means they reduce the activity of
damaging free radicals. Flaxseed oil lacks lignans, but some
processors add them to their oil.
Recently small studies of cancer patients in America who consumed
flax seeds have produced some encouraging results. In one study men
with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseeds a day as
part of a very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their
cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of
surgery. A similar study of women awaiting surgery for breast cancer
found that those who ate a flax seed muffin daily (with about four
tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per muffin) had a slower tumour
growth rate or reduction. Studies of animals, too, suggest some anti-cancer
benefit from flax seed.
How do you take Flaxseed?
Flaxseed has a pleasant, nutty flavour and can be sprinkled on
cereals, yoghurts and smoothies, Alternatively, it can be taken as a
supplement in pill or liquid form or as flaxseed oil and used in
cooking, although the oil can be expensive. Flaxseed oil has a much
richer flavour than other cooking oils.
Why has it come to the limelight now?
Hollywood actress Hilary Swank was introduced to flaxseed by her
trainer in the movie Million Dollar Baby and used it to gain 10
pounds of muscle (but no fat) for her Oscar nominated role. Hilary
took it in vast quantities and she says it increased her energy
levels and allowed her to build up the membranes around the muscle,
acting as a building block for healthy tissue. However, if used in
lesser quantities flaxseed can be used for weight loss.
Other celebrity fans
Carol Vorderman has sung the praises of flaxseed, as has Carole
Caplin. Dr Herb has many other Hollywood A-list clients but due to
client confidentiality he can't name them.
Where can you get it?
Flax seed is available from any supermarket or health food store.
Please be careful. Not all flax contains the Omega-3 you are
hoping for. The further North (colder climate) flax is grown, the
higher it's Omega-3 content. This is why our flax seed is grown
North of the 53rd paralel. It therefore contains 45% oils of which
60% is ALA - Omega-3.
Flax tips:
*Grind the seeds or else chew them very well - whole seeds simply
pass through the body. Grinding the seeds just before using them
best preserves flavour and nutrition, but pre-ground seeds are more
convenient. Our seed is SLICED, which keeps the oils trapped
where they occur naturally without creating a messy paste and exposing
it to air (which rapidly turns it rancid)
* Keep them refrigerated
* There are no nutritional differences between brown and yellow
seeds that we know of
* Combine flaxseed flour with wheat flour for breads and pancakes,
but reduce the fat ingredients.
* Ready-made flaxseed breads, muffins, cereals, and breakfast bars
can be found in many stores. Many of these are sprinkled with
WHOLE flax seeds. These pass through the body. Bread
containing ground flax may contain Omega-3 flax, and when it DOES, will
have a short (3 day) shelf life.
* The oil spoils quickly; it comes in dark bottles to extend its
shelf life
* Keep it refrigerated, and pay attention to the expiration date.
And how it was handled BEFORE sale.
* Cold-pressed flaxseed oil is more expensive but well worth the
money (NorthernEdge Milled Flax is even better, and cheaper than the
oils)
* Flaxseed oil cannot be used for frying or sautéing.
* Pregnant or lactating women should not eat lots of flax.
* Pass up flaxseed supplements and eat the seed instead.
