All about Flaxseeds and Flaxseeds Oil
You can’t live a healthy life without essential fatty acids
Our body needs fatty acids. The two most important fatty acids are the linoleic acid “LA” and the alpha-linoleic acid “ALA”. They are vital in regulating the functions of our brain, organs and nervous system. When there is not enough fatty acids in our body, problems like vision and learning impairment, dry and irritated skin, mood and behaviour changes, fertility issues and heart disease can arise.
The fatty acids are converted by our bodies into omega-6 and omega-3 which perform important tasks in regulating blood clotting, platelet aggregation, blood pressure and cell proliferation.
The ideal ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids as 2:1 to be maintained. LA (converted in body to omega 6) is easy to get out of our food like sunflower, corn, grapeseed, seeds, walnuts and grains. But it´s harder to balance the omega 3 because the convertion from ALA is less efficient and also during the food processing, the ALA is often removed. Because of this there is no good balance between omega 6 and omega 3 any more which is important to balance again.
Flaxseed is the best source to increase the ALA
Of all seeds, flaxseeds (the seeds of the plant Linum usitatissmum) have the highest ALA and lowest LA, So it can improve the imbalance in essential fatty acids. Therefore, flaxseeds should be very important.
The benefits of ALA are protecting the heart (improvement in abnormal heart rythms and a reduction of blood platelet stickiness), it reduces the LDL or “bad” cholesterol and lipoprotein levels for the prevention of heart attacks and stroke and it keeps the bloodpressure at a normal level.
Flaxseeds has lots of fiber, there for it helps relieve constipation, it will improve colon health and may prevent colon cancer. It also prevents toxicity which results from constipation.
The fiber also slows down sugar absorption into the body, The blood sugar will be more stabilized and will control cravings. People with obese, diabetic or hypoglycemic get help with these fiber to overcome overeating and carbohydrate addiction.
Flaxseeds have phytoestrogens which resemble human hormone estrogens. Despite being much weaker than human estrogens, they do help to balance hormone levels and may protect against breast, colon, prostate and skin cancer. A study involving 50 women with breast cancer showed that 25 women who were fed with 25g of milled flax daily before surgery had slower-growing tumors than the other 25 women who were not fed milled flax at all. This also have anti-oxidant properties and can reduce cell damage caused by free radicals, diabetes type 1 and 2 could be delayed by this.
There are whole flaxseeds, grounded flaxseeds or flaxseeds oil. Whole flaxseeds are the least expensive and stay better for longer periods. In a blender you can prepare ground flaxseeds in seconds. But even after processing to Flaxseeds oil, it still retains much of essential fatty acids (ALA) This is available in bottles, capsules or blended woth other oils. The capsules are easy to use, but they are the most expensive ones.
Other interesting information from the web
How can I improve my health without spending loads of money? Highly nutritious foods you should consider: sprouts, spirulina, paprika, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, garlic, brewers yeast, raw almonds, ground flax seeds & chia seeds.
Fish Oil vs. Flax Seed Oil? The fish oil vs. flax seed oil debate is something that has been going on for years now.
Healthy benefits of Flax seeds Flax seed as organic food is gaining popularity day by day. They look same as sesame seeds but the nutritional value of flax seeds is more than any seeds. Here are explained some healthy benefits of consuming flax seeds.
Flax Seeds They may be tiny and nearly tasteless, but flax seeds add a heart-healthy, immune-boosting punch to your diet.
Spectrum Organic Ground Flaxseeds Flaxseeds are high in omega 3s, manganese, dietary fiber, and magnesium. Research has shown that the omega 3 from flaxseeds protect again heat disease, cancer, diabetes; controls and a preventative against high blood pressure.
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Tags: ALA, Alpha Linoleic acid, constipation, Diabetic, dry skin, fatty acids, Flax Seeds, Flaxseeds, Hypoglymeic, LA, Lioneic Acid, Obese, Omega 3, omega 6