Flaxseeds pack a nutritional punch for their tiny size. From helping balance hormones to lowering blood pressure to helping you lose weight, incorporating these little seeds into your diet can enhance wellbeing in numerous ways. Here’s a rundown of 10 science-backed reasons why you should eat flaxseeds.
Assist with Hormone Regulation
1. Assist with Hormone Regulation. Flaxseeds offer plant compounds called lignans that mimic estrogen in the body and this can help smooth out dramatic hormonal fluctuations, especially common during perimenopause and menopause. Flaxseeds are the richest dietary source of these lignans. Chia seeds don’t have any of these lignans.
Keep Blood Pressure in Check
2. Keep Blood Pressure in Check. Thanks to their trio of omega-3s, fiber and lignans flaxseeds are linked with improved cardiovascular markers like lower blood pressure. Three randomized controlled clinical trials have shown that eating 30 grams per day of flaxseeds for at least 12 weeks lowered blood pressure in people with hypertension by about 13-15 mm Hg. See the details in the article “All You Need to Know Right Now About Flaxseeds and Blood Pressure”. The WHO states that hypertension is the single most important risk factor for early death worldwide, so you need to know what your blood pressure is. Get tested now if you don’t know.
Fiber for Digestive Health
3. Provide Fiber for Digestive Health. A full 30 grams a day (about ¼ cup) provides almost 9 grams of fiber, with plenty of both soluble and insoluble types of fiber. This fiber helps good bacteria thrive in your gut, which then helps with inflammation throughout the body.
Magnesium
4. Excellent Source of Magnesium. If you eat 30 grams of flaxseed a day you will get about 123 mg of magnesium. For a women this is about 38% of the RDI (recommended daily intake) and for men this is about 29% of their RDI. Magnesium is very important for helping many enzymes (more than 600) function in the body and is involved in roughly 80 percent of the metabolic functions of the body. Getting enough magnesium is critical to good health and a long life and eating flaxseeds and other nuts and seeds will help you get what you need. You can learn more about magnesium here.
Thiamin
5. Excellent source of vitamin B1 (Thiamin). The same 30 gram serving of flaxseed that gives you lots of magnesium also delivers over 40 percent of the RDI of this B vitamin. Thiamin is important for turning carbohydrates into energy. A fat-soluble form of thiamin (benfotiamine) has been really helpful for diabetics who want to control their blood sugar. A steady supply of regular thiamin is also helpful for diabetics.
Omega-3 Fats
6. Rich source of Omega-3 Fats. Omega 3 fats are great for heart health, brain health, digestive health, and your joints. There are benefits to supplementing with fish oil, too, but don’t forget the plant-based omega 3 oils. The 30 grams of flaxseeds a day will give you 7.2 grams of ALA (alpha linolenic acid), which can be converted into EPA. But the ALA itself has been shown to be involved in lowering blood pressure as well, through inhibition of an enzyme called soluble epoxide hydrolase. The detailed article on flaxseeds has more information on this if you are interested.
Potassium
7. Important source of potassium. Plant-based diets are rich in potassium, which is one of the great strengths of these dietary patterns. Having optimal amounts of potassium helps with blood pressure control, muscle control, nerve transmission and fluid balance throughout the body. The medical prescription for fluid buildup (a diuretic) is a potassium pill. Maybe we should all just eat more flaxseeds and plants.
Weight-Loss
8. Aids in weight-loss. Flaxseeds’ fiber content can help instill feelings of fullness. This is great when you are trying to eat fewer calories. The fiber along with the healthy omega 3 fats, protein and the nutrients that actually feed you combine to help satisfy you, stabilize your metabolism and help reduce your appetite.
Reduction in Cancer Risk
9. Reduction in breast cancer risk. Studies suggest that the lignans in flaxseeds may have protective effects from breast cancer. The lignans have similar protective effects to the isoflavones found in soy products. Soy products have been found in multiple studies to reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer in women. The fiber is likely to lessen the risk of colon cancer as well.
Prostate Health
10. Prostate health promotion. For men, the lignans in flaxseeds may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and help with symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia. It isn’t a magic bullet for these ailments, but it does help.
Bottom line – flaxseeds offer a ton of perks for your health. Sprinkle ground flaxseeds on oatmeal, blend them into smoothies, or substitute them for eggs when baking. Flaxseed crackers are a great way to get more of these gems into your diet. Ground flaxseed can be added to many grain recipes, like muffins, biscuits, rolls and bagels. Working these tiny seeds into your diet is a tasty, simple way to support overall wellness. From keeping hormones in check to boosting heart health and more, flaxseeds pack a lot of nutrition into a small package that can help your body thrive.
If you don’t want to grind your own flaxseeds we offer B-Flax-D, an optimized flaxseed powder that is fortified with vitamins B-12, B-6, D, K and selenium and zinc, making it a perfect complement for long-term use with the Hallelujah Diet.