This beautiful blue flower is the flower of the Flax, also known Common Flax or Lin, so basically linseeds and flaxseed are the same. Linseed oil is very well know for the use to protect wooden furniture, it is non toxic and give a good protection even for the garden furniture that stays outside in summertime. But linseeds or flaxseeds are much more. They are very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and they also contains omega-6 and 9. Flaxseeds contain about 37% of fibre which is excellent for your digestive system, it will help your bowel system to be more regular. They also help you to lower your cholesterol levels. Flaxseeds are very good for constipation.
Some nutritionists, researchers, and scientists believe that it could be the most important health-promoting supplement next to a multi-vitamin. Nearly every system in the body can benefit from flax seed oil's natural properties, including the cardiovascular system, immune system, circulatory system, reproductive system, nervous system, as well as joints.
Flaxseeds come with two different colours, the brown ones and then there is a golden flaxseeds as well. The omegas that the flaxseeds oil contains comes in a good balance for 4:1 for Omega-3 about 59% and Omega-6 about 15%. It has also about 15% of Omega-9 fatty acids. The seeds contain lignans, that helps to keep a healthy lining in your guts and prevent cancer. These are release when you keep flaxseeds in the water over night you will get this "slimy"thing around the seeds in the morning, it might not look very nice but this one part of the fiber that is water soluble and helps your intestines to heal and the rest of the fiber will help you to digest better. Regular use of flaxseeds and oil is beneficial for your health and it will keep your digestive system in good balance. You can use flaxseeds in the morning muslies, porridge, and smoothies.
I use them in my morning smoothies and if you want all the benefits of them, put a two soup spoons of flaxseeds/ person in a luke warm water in a glass over night, just enough water to cover the seeds. As I told you, you will find a slimy thick water next morning, but it has all the goodness of the flaxseeds. So use this in your smoothie or mix it in you oatmeal. This won't add any bad or funny taste in your meal.
For the morning smoothie you need:
Fresh or frozen berries
honey
soya milk
flaxseeds that has been in the water over night
If you wish to add other ingredients like maca powder, ginseng or guarana powder or even pollen, all these you will find in a health shop.
Mix all this in a mixer and drink straight away. When drinking this slowly and biting the small bits and pieces in it you will help your digestive system to start working and this way you will get more benefits. Your digestive system can absorb better all the nutriments, when saliva has already been mixed in our mouth. This works with every kind of food, that's why we always should eat slowly and only eat small bites at the time.
What comes to flaxseed oil, use it in your smoothies
or you can also ad it to your French salad sauce. Here
is a way how you can make your own healthy salad sauce.
You can choose between vinegars and oils that you use.
Freanch Salad sauce
1 tea spoon of Dijon mustard
Vine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Olive oil or any nut oil
1-2 tea spoons flaxseed oil
Glove of garlic
Shallot onion
Peel the onion and garlic, cut them in very small pieces. Take a small bowl and add your mustard in the bowl with 1 soup spoon of vinegar or lemon juice, mix it well. Then add 3 soup spoon of the oil of you choice (not your flaxseed oil). Alway try to keep you oil vinegar in 1:3. So if you want more sauce put 2 soup spoon of vinegar and the 6 spoons of oil. Add now you flaxseed oil. Mix well all together and add the onion and garlic. This is a best way to get a healthy salad sauce without any preservatives in it.
You can also find flaxseed oil capsules but I prefer to use the oil and seeds daily in my food. Just make sure that you will buy organic cold pressed flaxseed oil and organic seeds. It will be better for your health and for the nature too. A small green choice amongs of others...
Overview:
Flaxseed oil comes from the seeds of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum, L.).Flaxseed oil contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are needed for health. Flaxseed oil contains the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body converts into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. Some researchers think that flaxseed oil might have some of the same benefits as fish oil, but the body isn' t very efficient at converting ALA into EPA and DHA. And the benefits of ALA, EPA, and DHA are not necessarily the same. Omega-3 fatty acids, usually from fish oil, have been shown to reduce inflammation and help prevent certain chronic diseases such as heart disease and arthritis. Studies are mixed about whether flaxseed oil is useful for the same conditions.
Getting a good balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the diet is important. These essential fats are both examples of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, while most omega-6 fatty acids tend to contribute to inflammation. A healthy diet should consist of roughly 2 - 4 times fewer omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. The typical American diet, however, tends to contain 14 - 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. Many researchers believe this is a significant factor in the rising rate of inflammatory disorders in the United States.
Flaxseed -- but not flaxseed oil -- also contains a group of chemicals called lignans that may play a role in the prevention of cancer. Please see the flaxseed monograph for more information.
Overview from University of Maryland, USA
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