The question
What are the health benefits of flax and how can I eat it?
The answer
Flax is a blue-flowering crop grown on the Canadian prairies for its oil-rich seeds which are tiny, smooth and flat and range in colour from golden to reddish brown.
Flaxseeds are a good source of soluble fibre and alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid linked to heart health.
Flaxseeds also contain phytochemicals called lignans, compounds thought to help guard against breast cancer. Lignans are referred to as phytoestrogens (plant estrogens), active substances that exert a very weak estrogen-like action in the body. As such, lignans are able to bind to breast cell receptors, thereby blocking the ability for a woman's own estrogen to take the spot. (It's believed that the longer breast tissue is exposed to estrogen that's made in the body, the greater the chance for cells to become cancerous.)
Researchers have demonstrated that giving women one or two tablespoons of ground flaxseed each day significantly lowered circulating estrogen levels. Lignans in flax might also inhibit the action of enzymes that are involved in body's production of estrogen.
Flaxseeds aren't healthy only for women. Studies conducted in animals and men suggest that a flaxseed-enriched diet may also prevent prostate cancer.
Grind flaxseeds in a coffee grinder before eating or using in cooking. Otherwise, whole flaxseed can pass through your intestine undigested, which means you won't reap their health benefits.
You can purchase flaxseed in bulk - whole or already ground - at many grocery stores and natural food stores. Ground flaxseed can be stored in an airtight container for several months.
Add to 1 - 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to your daily diet. Sprinkle it over hot and cold breakfast cereal, add it to smoothies or stir it into yogurt or applesauce.
You can also mix a little ground flaxseed into mustard or mayonnaise for a healthy sandwich spread.
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Leslie Beck