Flaxseed and Linseed are the same thing!

It's often called flaxseed when consumed, and linseed when used for industrial purposes. Both names are technically interchangable though.

Flaxseed was one of the first crops to be cultivated by humans. It's Latin name, Linum usitatissimum, translates as "very useful". Which it certainly is!

The plant is a blue flowering annual herb, that produces small, flat seeds that vary in colour from yellow to a reddish brown.

Almost all parts of the linseed plant are used for various purposes. Oil can be extracted from the seed, then refined for human consumption or commercial applications like staining timber (don't eat this type).

So what makes it so good?

Flaxseed oil is the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acid!

Which is great for those, like me, who are allergic to seafood.

A refresher on the health benefits of Omega-3 fats

Better still, more than half of the Omega-3 fatty acids present in Flaxseed oil are α-linolenic acids (alpha-linolic acids). This form of omega-3 is used by the body to make all the rest!

However the process cannot go the other way. If I ate gamma-linolic acid I could still be lacking in alpha-linolic acid.

I hope this is making sense...

Getting Omega-3's that are at the start of the chemical process provide your body with everything it needs to make the others itself. And they all come with amazing benefits.

Flaxseed is a great source of dietary fibre!

Flaxseed meal (the outer husk of the seed) is high in fibre, a significant amount of which is soluble (20%). It has long been thought that adequate amounts of dietary fibre help reduce cholesterol.

Whether this is true doesn't really matter though...

Canada is the largest producer of flaxseed in the world. Recently they conducted a heap of studies that approve of the health claims that flaxseed does have cholesterol lowering properties.

Flaxseed is full of Lignan

Plant lignans are phenolic compounds formed by the union of two cinnamic acid residues.

As if anyone actually cares about it in that much detail though! Basically these unique plant chemicals are powerful antioxidants.

They also work as estrogens and anti-estrogens.

This basically means that in people with healthy estrogen levels, it does nothing. If your levels are low (menopause), it brings them up. And if your levels are high it'll actually * bring them down*.

This might sound impossible, but trust me flaxseed is actually that good.

Okay so it's good for me... But how can I incorporate it into my food?

Flaxseed is incredibly versitile.

You can use it in it's raw seed form or you can grind it into a flaxseed meal. This is perfect for a nut mix. You can even add the ground flaxseed meal to smoothies or sprinkle the seeds into a salad.

In it's oil form you can drizzle it over vegetables, add it to a salad dressing, or simple mix it into any meal.

A great salad dressing idea is to mix flaxseed oil, apple cider vinegar and manuka honey together. Sooooo much goodness in a simple dressing. Experiment with ingredient ratios to find your favourite flavour!

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I hope this has clearly outlined how easy adding flaxseed to your meals can be. As well as how beneficial it can be to your health!

Thanks for reading, follow for more raw food with super powers :)

All the best, harrynewman

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152533/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4375225/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305280851_Health_Benefits_and_Nutritional_Value_of_Flaxseed-a_Review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943064/

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