Your digestive system is regular, and even though you cannot see it, your cardiovascular system is working well, too. Stick to about a tablespoon a day. Grind them, or buy them ground into meal already. Yes, it is good for you, too. Because flaxseed meal is full of fiber, adding them to your food helps to fill you up.
Fiber slows digestion and gives the digestive system an awesome healthy workout , slowing down and reducing the craving for snacks. Studies show that insoluble fiber, such as is found in flaxseeds, slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream. One study combined flaxseed meal with yogurt , which is an excellent way to incorporate the seeds into your diet.
With a lot of people going for meatless Mondays and eating more plant-based meals in general, flaxseed meal is on the list of protein sources. No, you cannot replace a protein meal with flaxseed, but it is a way to add it to your day.
Plant-based protein may sate your hunger just as well as meat protein. Taking flaxseeds daily has been proven to lower blood pressure.
Eating whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and adding flaxseed meal to smoothies and other healthy foods will help keep your blood pressure where it should be. No one likes to hear that they have high cholesterol. A study where participants consumed 3 tablespoons of flaxseed powder daily showed cholesterol levels were reduced.
Keep in mind that not everyone can tolerate 3 tablespoons every day. Work up to that amount gradually and see how your digestive system takes it. Fiber is described like a toothbrush for your intestines, brushing as it moves through.
Fiber is essential to gut health , my friends, so be sure to eat enough every day. Besides the omega-3s in flaxseeds are the lignans.
These are phytoestrogens plant compounds that have cancer-fighting properties. Flaxseeds are super-powered in that they contain up to times more lignans than other plant foods do. In short, eating grains and fibrous veggies are great ways to get these lignans, too, but flaxseed provides incredible amounts for such a tiny seed. Phosphorus helps form cell structures and supports bone health. Copper is involved with energy and collagen production, and is needed to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body.
Thiamin also plays a role in energy production, and helps support the nervous system as well. Flaxseed is a top source of particularly health-protective antioxidants called polyphenols. Flaxseed contains both soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps soften stool, so it can pass through the GI tracts and be eliminated more easily. Insoluble fiber helps stimulate the digestive system to move waste through the gut and promote bowel regularity.
The two types of fiber work together to support digestive health. Flaxseed has been shown to prevent the development of tumors, particularly cancers of the breast , prostate , and colon. That may be because flax is rich in lignans. These plant compounds are thought to have antiangiogenic properties, which means they may they stop tumors from forming new blood vessels and growing.
The lignans in flaxseed are also linked to improved levels of HA1C , a measure of average blood sugar over three months. The seeds may also help curb diabetes risk in other ways, too.
In one small study, scientists gave people 0g, 13g, or 26g of flaxseed daily for 12 weeks. The participants all had prediabetes , and included obese men and post-menopausal overweight women. The people in the group who consumed 13g of flaxseed a day had lower blood glucose and insulin levels , and improved insulin sensitivity at the end of the study period. This could make it a useful resource for people who follow a plant-based diet. Learn more about soluble and insoluble fiber here.
According to the Arthritis Foundation , flaxseed may help reduce joint pain and stiffness. They add that there is a lack of evidence to support its use for this purpose, but they say that the ALA in flaxseed may help reduce inflammation.
What is the anti-inflammatory diet? In , a team of scientists published results suggesting that flaxseed may help reduce the incidence or severity of hot flashes in women not using estrogen therapy during menopause. In , however, further research by the same team concluded that flaxseed did not, in fact, make any difference. Lignans and other phytoestrogens may help reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes.
In , scientists gave 25 people 0 g, 13 g, or 26 g of flaxseed every day for 12 weeks. The participants had prediabetes and were either males with obesity or overweight or females who had undergone menopause. The 13 g dosage appeared to lower glucose and insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity, but the other dosages did not have this effect. Also, a rodent study suggested that the compounds in flaxseed may help reduce the incidence of type 1 diabetes and delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
These results may not be applicable to humans, however. The same year, 99 people with prediabetes took 40 g or 20 g of flaxseed or no flaxseed and no placebo each day for 12 weeks. Consuming flaxseed appeared to reduce blood pressure , but it did not improve blood sugar levels or insulin resistance. Which foods can lower blood sugar? Flaxseed is a good source of insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve in water, instead remaining in the digestive tract after eating.
There, it absorbs water and adds bulk, which may help promote regularity. The NCCIH add that consuming flaxseed with too little water can worsen constipation and may lead to an intestinal blockage. Also, too much flaxseed or flaxseed oil can cause diarrhea. Which foods can help relieve constipation? Learn more here. In , scientists found evidence to suggest that dietary lignans from flaxseed helped mice recover from radiation exposure. The mice that consumed lignans had lower levels of inflammation, injury, oxidative damage, and fibrosis, as well as a better survival rate, compared with those that did not.
If further tests in humans show similar results, lignans from flaxseed could help treat lung issues following exposure to radiation or radiation therapy. The NCCIH are currently funding studies to find out whether or not the nutrients in flaxseed can help with:.
Uses of flaxseed in Ayurvedic medicine include :. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a tablespoon of ground flaxseed weighing 7 g contains:. A teaspoon of flaxseed also contains traces of various vitamins and minerals, but not in significant quantities. It also provides lignans, tryptophan, lysine, tyrosine, and valine, as well as healthful fats, which are mostly unsaturated.
People should try to avoid whole flaxseed and eat it ground, as the intestines may not absorb the nutrients in whole flaxseeds. Chia seeds may be another healthful addition to the diet. Learn about them here.
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