Flaxseeds are so powerful, that they are the only type of seed that whole-food, plant-based doctors like Dr. Greger and Dr. Kristi Funk recommend eating daily. And they don’t count towards our 1/4 cup nut or seeds allocation per day recommended on Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen, by the way. So, we can have our nuts or other seeds, and eat our flaxseeds too! But what makes them so special?
The number one reason is lignans, a polyphenol that is present in various plants, but is very predominant in flaxseeds. This is why in many countries they refer to flaxseeds as linseeds. These lignans are incredibly powerful phytoestrogens that are linked to reducing the risk of heart disease, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, depression and stress disorders, and cancer including breast, prostate, and colon cancers.
The second top reason is their high omega-3 content in the form of alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. Just one tablespoon of ground seeds gives us about twice of an adult’s adequate intake. This is very helpful in reaching our 1:2 to 1:4 ratio of omega 3 vs. omega 6 to prevent inflammation caused by excessive omega 6. Of course, we also need to restrict our omega 6 intake to whole-food sources only, like whole nuts or seeds. ALA is also a fantastic antioxidant, and it offers great benefits to our brain.
Other important nutrients provided by flaxseeds include fiber, biotin, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium. So additional areas flaxseeds can support are our thyroid, our reproductive health, our genes, our metabolism, our muscles, our red blood cells, our metabolism, our children’s early development, and our cells in general.
In order to rip the benefits of flaxseeds, we need to grind them first. Otherwise, the whole seeds would just go right through our digestive tract and into the toilette. While you can buy them ground, we recommend you buy them whole and grind them yourself for added freshness and flavor. Always refrigerate after grinding them or opening a ground seed package, to prevent them from going rancid.
Don’t know how to eat your flaxseeds everyday? Simply sprinkle them to your regular foods! They really work with pretty much anything, from oatmeal, to peanut butter toast, to soups or salads. You can also include them in your smoothies. Plus, flaxseeds make great flax eggs, which are great for baking. Just replace one egg with one tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Let it stand for 10 minutes, and once it’s thickened, add it to your recipe same way you would add regular eggs. Did we mention flax eggs are cholesterol free?
Try our personalized nutrition calculator below to see how much of your daily nutrition you and your loved ones can get from eating ground flaxseeds.
Nutrition Calculator: Flax Seeds
Use our personalized nutrition calculator to discover the percentage of daily nutrition needs you and your family can get from eating ground flax seeds.
Nutrition needs vary according to age, sex, and whether women of reproductive age are pregnant or breastfeeding. Fill out the form below for yourself and for your family members to get personalized results.*
* Calculated as a percentage of the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) as established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Based on nutritional information provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an average of multiple ground flax seeds samples.