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Flaxseeds Superfoods
From Oregon Healthy Living
By Michael Altman/Nutritionist
Every so often we hear about so-called superfoods, a term defined as whole foods that provide significant, mutil faceted health benifits and that may have a trail of clinical and experimental legitimacy behind them.
These foods have been eaten for thousands of years, so our bodies are well accustomed to digesting and absorbing their nutrients with minimal difficulty and no adverse reactions.
Flaxseeds fit the above definition.
They are a superfood with another notable benifit--they're very inexpensive (under a buck a pound)--and widely found in local stores.
Studies show that reproductive malignancies such as breast, endometrial and prostate cancer may be slowed by consuming 2-3 tbls daily of ground flaxseeds. Flaxseeds contain valuable fat and fiber, but for slowing tumor growth, lignans (estrogen-like compounds in flaxseeds) may reign supreme. Also known as phytoestrogens, lignans help the body modulate signals by hormone estrogen.
For women with breast cancer, flax consumption has shown to slow cancer's spread to other organs.
High-lignan flaxseed oils are available, but they're sensitive to spoilage if not used quickly and must be refrigerated.
The oil is more expensive, and while it's a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, so are the seeds (since they're the original oil source anyway). We can easily grind flaxseeds in a coffee grinder and keep them in the fridge. If we don't grind them, we can't easily digest them, and those that we havn't chewed will pass through unused.
A recent study showed when 28 menopausal women consumed 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds daily, after six weeks their hot flashes dropped, on average, from 7.3 tp 3.6 a day, and the intensity lessened.
"Lignans in flax offer 'natural', less-potent estrogen effect on hot flashes than synthetic hormon therapy," according to the study's author, Sandhya Pruthi of the Mayo Clinic.
The Omega-3 fatty acids and lignans in flaxseeds offer a one-two punch for chronic disease risk reduction and treatment. Flaxseeds are high in fiber, and studies show they may be effective against colorectal cancers and chronic constipation. Flax contains approximately 2.5 grams of fiber per Tbls., a significant amount for the average person who is sorely lacking in fiber consumption. One can simply add ground flaxseed meal to yogart, fruit, salads, applesauce or smoothies.
I recommend 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per day, deviding dosages of more than 2 tablespoons into 2 servings. If you're trying to treat a serious health concern such as cancer, discuss flax consumption with your doctor.
In a country where high-tech medicine is sending cost through the roof, it's refreshing to see a simple superfood play a so valiant role in our health.
FACT: Flaxseed put the brakes on prostate tumor growth in men who were given 30 grams of flaxseed daily for a month before surgery to treat prostate cancer.
Are you getting your flaxmeal in?
Sherri
By Michael Altman/Nutritionist
Every so often we hear about so-called superfoods, a term defined as whole foods that provide significant, mutil faceted health benifits and that may have a trail of clinical and experimental legitimacy behind them.
These foods have been eaten for thousands of years, so our bodies are well accustomed to digesting and absorbing their nutrients with minimal difficulty and no adverse reactions.
Flaxseeds fit the above definition.
They are a superfood with another notable benifit--they're very inexpensive (under a buck a pound)--and widely found in local stores.
Studies show that reproductive malignancies such as breast, endometrial and prostate cancer may be slowed by consuming 2-3 tbls daily of ground flaxseeds. Flaxseeds contain valuable fat and fiber, but for slowing tumor growth, lignans (estrogen-like compounds in flaxseeds) may reign supreme. Also known as phytoestrogens, lignans help the body modulate signals by hormone estrogen.
For women with breast cancer, flax consumption has shown to slow cancer's spread to other organs.
High-lignan flaxseed oils are available, but they're sensitive to spoilage if not used quickly and must be refrigerated.
The oil is more expensive, and while it's a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, so are the seeds (since they're the original oil source anyway). We can easily grind flaxseeds in a coffee grinder and keep them in the fridge. If we don't grind them, we can't easily digest them, and those that we havn't chewed will pass through unused.
A recent study showed when 28 menopausal women consumed 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds daily, after six weeks their hot flashes dropped, on average, from 7.3 tp 3.6 a day, and the intensity lessened.
"Lignans in flax offer 'natural', less-potent estrogen effect on hot flashes than synthetic hormon therapy," according to the study's author, Sandhya Pruthi of the Mayo Clinic.
The Omega-3 fatty acids and lignans in flaxseeds offer a one-two punch for chronic disease risk reduction and treatment. Flaxseeds are high in fiber, and studies show they may be effective against colorectal cancers and chronic constipation. Flax contains approximately 2.5 grams of fiber per Tbls., a significant amount for the average person who is sorely lacking in fiber consumption. One can simply add ground flaxseed meal to yogart, fruit, salads, applesauce or smoothies.
I recommend 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per day, deviding dosages of more than 2 tablespoons into 2 servings. If you're trying to treat a serious health concern such as cancer, discuss flax consumption with your doctor.
In a country where high-tech medicine is sending cost through the roof, it's refreshing to see a simple superfood play a so valiant role in our health.
FACT: Flaxseed put the brakes on prostate tumor growth in men who were given 30 grams of flaxseed daily for a month before surgery to treat prostate cancer.
Are you getting your flaxmeal in?
Sherri
and it did not smell rancid--not that I would know what rancid flax meal would smell like...
)
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