Getting some extra nutrition and fiber into your snacks and meals is easy if you know what to put where. In this case, the WHAT is FLAXSEED, and the WHERE is just about anywhere!
The health benefits of flaxseed are numerous.
The nutrients in flaxseed fight cholesterol, bone loss, diabetes, heart disease, excess fat, inflammation, constipation, and symptoms of menopause. Flaxseed helps to increase your immunity and fight the ‘blues.’ Studies have found it to lower blood pressure and to reduce melanoma tumors by as much as sixty three percent.
Flaxseed is a good source of Magnesium, Omega fatty acids 3 and 6, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, and Selenium (SelfNutritionData).
Which form of Flaxseed is best?
Flaxseed comes in whole, ground and oil form. For the purposes of using it in cooking, baking and as a topping, ground flaxseed is the way to go. Whole flaxseeds cannot be easily digested by the body, thus why when eaten whole, they are often seen in the same manner some time later after is has passed through the digestive track and out, well, you know… In other words, in order to benefit from the nutrients, they should be ground first. Flaxseed is also available in oil form, but beware, the taste is quite different. Whereas ground flaxseed has a nice nutty like flavor, the oil is a bit bitter. I like both Bob’s Red Mill Organic Brown Flaxseed Meal and Spectrum’s Organic Ground Flaxseed.
How to incorporate flaxseed into your food:
BREAKFAST
stir it into any cold or hot cereal or granola
mix it in oatmeal
add it to your muffin mix
add it to your pancake batter
spread it onto your toast
SNACK
mix it into your cookie dough
stir it into your yogurt
sprinkle it on top of some fruit
LUNCH
spread it on a peanut (or any nut) butter and jelly sandwich
add it to your homemade bread dough
stir it into some soup
DINNER
mix it into chili
add it to macaroni and cheese
stir it into your ground meat before cooking meatballs
add it to meatloaf mix
add it to your pasta or pasta sauce
stir it into some rice
mix it into some stew
add it to some quinoa
If you have any additional ideas, please share them with us!
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