FLAX ME

I’m super sleep deprived these days and find myself a bit delirious. As I opened my refrigerator this morning, one eye barely open since I hadn’t had my coffee yet, a little black container sparked my attention. It had a blue label on it that read “Flaxseed.” Oh yes. I remember. I’m suppose to put that in my food because it’s good for me. Honestly, sometimes I have a hard time keeping track of all the things I want to do to stay healthy. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember why I should be putting it into my food. Hoping caffeine would spark my memory, I decided to find out the why and share it with you.

Due to time constraints, need to feed family in 20 minutes, I’ll get to the point. According to WebMD, studies have shown that flaxseed can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Now I remember! Cancer bad. Flaxseed good. Here are a few interesting facts on flaxseed that WebMD pointed out.

(1) Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.

(2) Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

(3) Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

Our eggs appear to be one step ahead of us. We now have the option of buying eggs that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. This leads me to ask… What do those chickens know that I don’t? Turns out, farmers are putting flaxseed in the chicken’s diet to make their eggs extra nutritious. Sneaky little farmers. I too try to sneak nutrition in my little chicks so can understand. Point being, it’s easy to get flaxseed in your diet.

It’s recommended that you consume 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day. Piece of cake, or muffins if you prefer. Try adding flaxseed to foods like oatmeal, smoothies, soup, or yogurt. It’s also easy to toss some in while baking. You can also substitute ground flaxseed for part of the flour in recipes. How cool is that? For example, if the recipe calls for two or more cups of flour, replace it with ¼ to ½ cup of flaxseed. Storing this stuff is also very simple. Freeze pre-ground flaxseed in the bag it came in or a plastic sealable bag. The greener method would be to store it in a glass container. The freezer will keep it from oxidizing and losing its nutritional potency.

After the caffeine set in, I was reminded why this cancer fighting food had sat in my fridge so long. Doctors recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women shouldn’t use it. (As oppose to pregnant and breastfeeding men?) Basically, there is conflicting studies on the issue, so to be on the safe side they say to refrain from it while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Now that you’re fully educated on the subject of flaxseed, or at least know why you should have it in your freezer, try it out. As they say…what’s good for the goose. Uhm. I mean chicken.