Flax Seed

Flax Seed 

Time to make those New Years resolutions we break within a week. 

Here is one I wish you would include for the sake of your health and there is nothing about what I am asking you to do that will be tempted to break.

I am a big supporter of Flax seed. One reason I support flax seed is simple I feel better! Is there really a better reason? Ok you want to know more and I am going to provide that information for you.

Let me tell you briefly about an experience I had this year.

I had major surgery after an accident that crushed my hip and leg bone.

I needed both to be replaced if I wanted to ever be able to walk again.

by the time I went in the hospital I was using a walker and I was unable to shop or walk more than a few feet.

I had the surgery and with in eight hours of the surgery I was out of the bed and walking.

I went home in two days, The doctor put me back on flax seed within two weeks of surgery,  My doctor said he  had never seen anyone get out of bed so quickly and go home two days early. He said I had made a believer out of him regarding flax seed. 

Here is what happened in my recovery. I will let you judge the speed of my recovery:

The first week I was home took care of my cats and home.

The second week I was not only taking care of my home and pets but I had taken in a homeless person who had broke her shoulder and took care of her and her pets. Now I was taking care of the home my pets, this woman, and four more animals.

This fall I raked and cleaned up my yard and got the plants ready for next year.

Most recently I have been shoveling snow and chopping ice.

I take no medication except for anxiety. (That’s not a physical illness that is a mental one and has nothing to do with flax seed)

How much flaxseed do you need? The optimum dose to obtain health benefits is not yet known. But 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day\

Flaxseeds (also called linseeds) are a rich source of micronutrients, dietary fiber, manganese, vitamin B1, and the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, also known as ALA or omega-3.

Why? Let me first list the benefits:

Some call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

Protecting against cancer :

 consuming flaxseed may help protect against prostate, colon, and breast cancers. Flaxseed is thought to prevent the growth of cancerous cells because its omega-3 fatty acids disrupt malignant cells from clinging onto other body cells. In addition, the lignans in flaxseed have antiangiogenic properties - they stop tumors from forming new blood vessels.

Men pay attention to this part: One U.S. study presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) revealed that consuming flaxseed can stop prostate cancer tumors from growing

Cardiovascular Disease:

Research suggests that plant omega-3s help the cardiovascular system through several different mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory action and normalizing the heartbeat. Fitzpatrick says new research also suggests significant blood pressure-lowering effects of flaxseed.

 Helps prevent hardening of the arteries and keep plaque from being deposited in the arteries partly by keeping white blood cells from sticking to the blood vessels’ inner linings.

 Plays a role in maintaining the heart’s natural rhythm, they may be useful in treating arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and heart failure

Lowering cholesterol: This is the natural way to lower and keep cholesterol low

Preventing hot flashes :

 a study published in the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology suggests that dietary intake of flaxseed can decrease the risk of hot flashes among postmenopausal women. "Not only does flaxseed seem to alleviate hot flashes, but it appears to have overall health and psychological benefits as well

Improving blood sugar :

 There is strong evidence to suggest that consuming flaxseed everyday improves glycemic control in obese men and women with pre-diabetes4, according to a study published in Nutrition Research.

Reduce bone loss. A study of diabetic rats showed a delay in bone loss after they were fed flaxseed, thanks to its concentration of fatty acids.

Help with weight management:

 Flax expands when ingested, making you feel fuller. You might want to take flax 30 minutes before meals to control your appetite.

Increase immunity. ALA has been shown to decrease inflammation, which allows your immune system to function better. Preliminary research suggests that flaxseed can help relieve autoimmune and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and lupus.

Protecting against radiation: 

Study demonstrates that dietary flaxseed, already known for its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, works as both a mitigator and protector against radiation pneumonopathy."

Counter inflammation associated with gout, lupus and fibrocystic breasts:

Omega-3 fatty acids appear to limit the inflammatory reaction associated with these conditions. In cases of lupus, flaxseed oil not only reduces inflammation in the joints, skin and kidneys, but also lowers cholesterol levels that may be elevated by the disease. Taking flaxseed oil for gout may lessen the often sudden and severe joint pain or swelling that is a symptom of this condition. In addition, the ability of omega-3 fatty acids to boost the absorption of iodine (a mineral often found in low levels in women suffering from fibrocystic breasts) makes flaxseed oil potentially valuable for treating this often painful condition.

Also including:

Treat acne, eczema, psoriasis, sunburn and rosacea, promote healthy hair and nails,minimizes nerve damage that causes numbness and tingling as well as other disorders, guards against the effects of ageing, 

The above info provide by:

mayo clinic.

medical news today  

everyday health

Have I convinced you yet to give flax seed a try? I hope so.

Below are some of the ways to use flax seed:

Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to your hot or cold breakfast cereal.

Add a teaspoon of ground flaxseed to mayonnaise or mustard when making a sandwich.

Mix a tablespoon of ground flaxseed into an 8-ounce container of yogurt.

Bake ground flaxseed into cookies, muffins, breads and other baked goods.

Basically anything that you bake, is creamy, and always in cereal.

If you eat any of these things at my home expect flax seed to be included in what I make.

Below is a sample recipe:

Granola Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Bisquick

1 ½ cup granola

1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

¼ cup of flax seed.

Directions:

1.     Mix ingredients

2.   Heat oven to 375 degrees

3.   Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet

4.    Bake for 10 minutes in convection oven and 12 in regular oven

5.   Cool and enjoy!

This is the basic recipe for these cookies and yes there are lots of great healthy aspects to them though there are calories. If you are eating cookies of any kind you expect that right?

Today was different I changed some of the ingredients in these cookies.

I had to use up the rest of the granola I had and had a few other things left over as well.

I added dried berry mix that was going to be outdated soon and poured that into the cookie mix, along with some pecans, and half a package of trail mix that I needed to use up.

I mixed all of together and added a few drops of water to make the mix and baked.

This turned out wonderful!

Give this recipe a try. You will be doing good for you and your health and enjoying cookies!

I hope you will join me in using flax seed this year. 

Have a happy, healthy new year!