- Description -

Flax-seeds or linseeds are little and hard and have a brown colour.
Their oil is very rich of poly-unsaturated fatty acids, especially, of Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), that belong to group of the omega-3-fatty acids and it could be well used in our diet. Given this high content of poly-unsaturated oils, flax seed oil is good for a vegetarian diet as a valid alternative to fish oils, like sunflower and sesame oils

This oil is highly unsaturated and this makes it delicate and easy to oxidation. For this reason, we mustn't expose it to the light, but keep it always stored in dark bottles in the refrigerator and avoid to use it in cooking or frying because it can easily produce harmful peroxides and free radicals.

- Culinary use -

The oil can be used in our salads or soups, in moderate amounts. The seeds are more versatile, but we must remember that they can increase their weight of 5-6 times if absorbing water, so, it's better to drink much water when you eat the flax seeds that however, have a pleasant nutty taste.
They are small and hard and they need to be reduced in powder, for not letting them pass through the intestine undigested. Once in powder, we must remember that they turn rancid within few days, so, it is better to store them in the refrigerator or in the freezer. This powder can be used for home baking; for example, to make pancake and muffin. In this cases, the recommended doses are 1 tablespoon of flax seed in powder and 3 tablespoons of water

- Benefits for health -

a) The oil is very useful to regulate the intestine activity and mainly against the infections of the gastro enteric apparatus.

b) It contains also a good amount of lignan, a phytoestrogen with antioxidant properties and it's reported that it could be useful to prevent breast cancer. The hypothesis about its metabolism is that lignan binds to estrogens receptors preventing them to stimulate cancer production.

c) Recent studies report positive benefits of flax seeds oil against colitis and the Chrohn's disease and also against intestinal inflammations.

d) A 5-years study performed at Boston Simmons College, US, shows a protective action of flax seed oil in preventing a second heart attack

e) These seeds contain little amounts of cyanogenic glycosides that are converted in thiocyanate by our organism; these substances can interfere with our thyroid activity, increasing the risk of goitre, especially if the iodine in our diet is not much, so, it's better to use the crude seeds not more than 3-4 spoons per day. Much minor are these problems if the seeds are cooked because heat inactivates these glycosides.

f) Powdered flax seeds are useful against intestinal constipation, thanks to their fibres content that eases the excretion of stools. This also helps prevent haemorrhoids and diverticular disease.

g) Many studies consider flax seeds useful to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, the bad type, known to cause arteriosclerosis with its deposits in the inner walls of our arteries and to lower blood triglycerides and blood pressure.

h) Another beneficial effect reported is against the inflammations related with lupus and gout, thanks to the protective action of Omega-3 fatty acids on joints, skin and kidney.

References:

http://www.healthcastle.com/fl ax.shtml

http://healingdaily.com/detoxi fication-diet/flaxseed.htm

Learn more about this author, Aldo Bonincontro.
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