If you are looking to introduce more nutrition into your diet without even trying, you may want to make friends with flaxseed.
“Flaxseed is widely available and sold in its whole or ground form,” says a registered dietitian nutritionist. heather shasa. “Opt for ground, milled, or shredded options, as the grinding process helps unleash the power of flaxseed, giving you access to its incredible nutrients.”
And those amazing nutrients do a lot.
Flaxseeds are good for your heart, hormones, and gut health, plus they’re a plant-based omega-3 food, says Amanda Sauceda, MS, RD. As Sauceda points out, if you buy whole flax seeds, you can use a coffee grinder to pulverize them before consuming the seeds.
But before you bet on flaxseeds, take note of this advice from Sauceda: “Flaxseed has so much fiber that your gut may not be a fan of it at first,” he says, recommending adding flaxseed to your diet slowly and for drink more water.
As Sauceda says, if you eat whole flaxseeds, you may see whole flaxseeds appear in your stool (yuck!) because their fibers make them harder to digest. “This shouldn’t be a problem as long as you don’t find a lot of undigested food in your poop and your gut is tolerant of fiber,” says Sauceda.
But there’s also a lot to explore about flaxseed, like what flaxseeds really are, why they’re so healthy, and the somewhat complicated nature of those omega-3s.
Here’s what nutrition experts have to say about all that and more.
What are flax seeds?
“Flaxseeds are the edible seeds of the flax plant and are used to make flaxseed or flaxseed oil,” Shasa says, noting that flaxseeds have a slightly nutty flavor. “Flaxseed is among the richest sources of lignans, a compound found naturally in plants. Lignans can act as an antioxidant, which can reduce damage to our cells, decrease inflammation, and help reduce the risk of Certain diseases”.
Are flax seeds healthy?
Yes.
Here’s the nutritional breakdown: “Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed is about 15 grams, and that would give you almost three grams of protein, three grams of ALA (a type of omega-3 found in plants), and 3.5 grams of fat.” fiber. ”, says Sauceda, referring to the USDA Food Data Central. A two-tablespoon serving of ground flaxseed has about 75 calories.
And flax seeds provide a variety of health benefits. First, they have good-for-you fat. Flaxseed is an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid, the aforementioned ALA, which is an essential omega-3 fatty acid, Shasa said.
That said, the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed pale in comparison to fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, so take the label language of flaxseed products with a bit of a grain of salt. skepticism.
“The fiber found in flaxseed may improve your lipid-lowering effectsShasa says. “Research shows that 30-50 g of flaxseed per day lowers total cholesterol by 5-15% and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 8-18%. evidence of small clinical studies with people with prediabetes and diabetes shows a modest decrease in fasting blood sugar and insulin levels. The potential health benefits don’t end there. Preliminary clinical investigation shows that flaxseed can affect the prostate by reducing markers of prostate cancer levels, specifically prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and can also help slow the growth of prostate cancer cells.”
As mentioned above, the lignan content of flax seeds is also a boon to health. “There’s something interesting paper that looks at a connection with lignans that interact with our gut microbiome and become a compound that has anti-cancer properties and possibly also affects our brain health through the gut-brain axis,” says Sauceda.
Lastly, flaxseeds may play a role in supporting cardiovascular health. “While ground flaxseed may be easier to digest, there are also research looking at the benefits of whole flaxseed on heart health,” says Sauceda. “Whole flaxseed has been found to have a positive impact on total cholesterol and ‘bad’ cholesterol, also known as LDL.” He also notes that flaxseed oil may also have some anti-inflammatory effects.
How are flax seeds eaten?
While not something you want to eat as a snack, flaxseeds can be added to a variety of dishes. It bears repeating: “The best way to eat flaxseed is to grind because you will get more of its nutrition that way. Whole flaxseeds are difficult to digest, and grinding them makes it easier for your body to access their nutrients,” says Sauceda.
A couple of ways Sauceda suggests using flaxseeds is to sprinkle ground flaxseed on your morning oatmeal bowl or smoothie. “Ground flaxseed can also be used as crumbs for chicken fillets,” he said. “Because flaxseeds are high in fiber, they can also be used as a thickening agent like in a creamy salad dressing.”
Shasa also highlights that you can use flaxseed as a vegan substitute for eggs in baked goods. Simply combine one tablespoon of flaxseed with three tablespoons of water, letting the mixture thicken for five to 10 minutes.
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