What are the Weight Loss and Other Health Benefits of Flax Seeds?
The list of health benefits of flax seeds is long - let’s start with the weight loss benefits.
Taken with any meal, ground flaxseed makes you feel full and satisfied longer. Moreover, its oil content protects the lining of your digestive tract, so it's perfect if you have a sensitive stomach.
When it comes to weight loss, if you are like most people, you've certainly heard about the importance of fiber in your diet, right?
Well, then you should know that flax seeds contain a very large amount of fiber - about 25%, including 12% mucilage - which makes ground flaxseed a very gentle, natural laxative.
Among the health benefits of flax seeds geared towards losing weight is their high fiber content, which cleans your colon of toxic metabolic waste and promotes friendly bacteria. Once your elimination channel is unclogged, you're able to lose weight a lot easier.
And that's not all.
To fully realize the flax seeds benefits related to weight loss, you should understand one more thing. Its lecithin content dissolves the fats from food in your digestive tract and then the fiber and mucilage content trap these nasty fats, taken them to be eliminated from your body, rather than being stored as body fat.
Isn't this amazing?
The Health Benefits of Flax Seeds...
...make them a so-called functional food - according to nutritionists.
That’s because they supply basic nutrients to your body: easily-absorbed protein (25%) with a complete amino-acid profile, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and zinc.
Plus, about 50% flaxseed oil, which has a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - an essential fatty acid that is partially converted in EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids in your body.
And there’s more.
Flax seeds are the richest source of lignans. These are phytoestrogens with powerful antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties, 100 times more than the next best source - wheat bran.
And take a look at this list of health benefits of flax seeds:
Improve the cardiovascular health, lowers the blood pressure, "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and blood triglyceride values
Prevent arterial clots that may result in strokes, heart attacks and thromboses
Boost the immune system, reduces the inflammation in the body, and relieves asthma
Improve the eyesight and the perception of colors
Support healthy joints and improves the absorption of calcium
Help healing of sprains and bruises faster and shortens the recovery time of exhausted muscles
Soothe ulcers, irritable bowel disorders, and improves colon health, lowering the risk of colon cancer
Alleviate some allergies, improves mental function, and helps certain cases of depression
Strengthen brittle nails and helps with flaky skin, eczema, psoriasis, alopecia, and dandruff
Reduce PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) and cools down hot flashes in menopausal women
So to fully enjoy the full spectrum of benefits of flax seeds, learn how to buy, store, grind and use them to make the most of flaxseed health benefits >>