Flax Seed Powder:
A Tasty Weight Loss Aid?

It's true. You see, taken with any meal, flax seed makes you feel full & 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, haven't you?
Well, then you should know that flax seed contains a very large amount of fiber - about 25%, including 12% mucilage - which makes it a gentle, natural laxative.

Its high fiber content cleans your colon of toxic material, 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 value of flax in losing weight, you should understand one more thing: its lecithin content dissolves the fat/cholesterol from food in your digestive tract and the fiber & mucilage content trap these nasty fats, which are then eliminated from your body, instead of being stored as body fat.

Isn't this amazing?

Flax Seed: A Functional Food

As you will see in a moment, flax powder not only helps you in losing weight; it's also a delicious functional food - according to most nutritionists today.

Functional food, you say?

Yes; because - beyond supplying basic nutrients to your body - it has a multitude of important health benefits as well.
For example, beside 25% easily-absorbed protein with a complete amino acid profile, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and zinc, these seeds contain about 50% flaxseed oil, which has a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - an essential fatty acid.

Why is this important to you?

Well, essential fatty acids (EFAs) are those 'good' fats vital for your normal physiology everyone is talking about; your body can't produce EFAs by itself, so you absolutely must get them from external dietary sources.

And - like this wasn't enough - flax powder is also the richest source of lignans (phytoestrogens with powerful antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties), 100 times more than the next best source - wheat bran.

Take a look: flax seeds not only help you lose weight, they're wholesome food with many other health benefits as well:

• improves the cardiovascular health, lowers the blood pressure, ‘bad' cholesterol (LDL), & blood triglyceride values
  


• prevents arterial clots that may result in strokes, heart attacks and thromboses
  


• boosts the immune system, reduces the inflammation in the body, and relieves asthma
  


• improves the eyesight and the perception of colors
  


• supports healthy joints and improves the absorption of calcium
  


• helps healing of sprains and bruises faster and shortens the recovery time of exhausted muscles
  


• soothes ulcers, irritable bowel disorders, and improves colon health, lowering the risk of colon cancer
  


• alleviates some allergies, improves mental function, and helps certain cases of depression
  


• strengthens brittle nails and helps with flaky skin, eczema, psoriasis, alopecia, and dandruff
  


• reduces PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) and cools down hot flashes in menopausal women
  

Wow! Just try it and see for yourself.

How To Use Flax Seeds:

Buy organic, brown or golden whole flax seeds from any health food store, they are relatively cheap; you can keep them in a cool, dry pantry for up to one year.
Avoid buying flax powder, as the oil content starts to oxidize immediately upon exposure to air; this makes them rancid-tasting and unhealthy.
Brown and golden flax provides the same nutritional benefits and have a similar nutty taste, the brown one being a bit more flavorful.

However, since you can't digest whole flax seeds - they will pass right through your digestive tract - you have to grind them up (use a regular, cheap coffee grinder). Eat them within 15 minutes of grinding, and discard what's left; don't save the powder in the fridge for the next day.

You will love ground flax seeds sprinkled on your salads or cooked vegetables; they're simply delicious mixed in fruit smoothies, protein shakes, yogurt, soups, or oatmeal.
Just make sure that you take it with plenty of fluids (ten times its amount), otherwise it may cause constipation.

And if you like hearty, healthy breads, choose the ones made with flax; if you have a bread maker and make your own - mmmmm... substitute up to 1/3 of the wheat flour with flax seed powder - baking will not affect its bio-availability. You'll just love it!

How much flax seed powder is enough to help you lose weight and take advantage of its amazing health benefits?
Well, a normal daily serving is about 2 full tablespoons per 100 pounds of body weight; that's about 20 grams and 90 calories.

But What Is Flax?

You've probably worn more flax than you've eaten. Linen, which is made from flax, used to be one of the major sources of cloth fiber until the cotton industry took over.

Flax (lin) seeds resemble common sesame seeds but are darker. They are from the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum), which belongs to the Linaceae plant family: a small, single-stemmed annual that grows to about 2 feet tall and has sky-blue flowers.

Believe it or not, historically, flax has been cultivated since around 8,000 B.C. and is said to be native to Egypt. Linen made from flax has been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs and is referred to in the Bible and in Homer's Odyssey.
It's no secret that flax has been used as a folk remedy since ancient times; the Roman naturalist Plinius has written about its laxative and therapeutic powers in the first century A.D.

And listen to this.
In the 8th century, the French king Charlemagne even passed a law requiring his people to use flax seed so that they would be healthier.

In short, flax seeds have been consumed widely in Europe and Asia, introduced to North America during Colonial days, but not widely used as food until the 1960s', when their health benefits have been scientifically proven.
Now considered a functional food, flax is cultivated in many places, including South America, United States and Canada.

Flax Seed Cautions:

Even though flaxseed oil is perfectly safe, there are a few points to pay attention to when you eat flaxseed powder.
Its content of mucilage may interfere with the absorption of some medicines, so it's better to eat it at least one hour before or two hours after you take any medicines.
If you have a bleeding disorder, take drugs that increase the risk of bleeding, or plan to undergo medical, surgical, or dental procedures, you should ask your doctor before consuming flax seed.

If you are a pre-menopausal woman, you might need to take some extra precautions with flax seed. Why?
Because due to the estrogen-like effects of the lignans in flax seed your menstrual period may be altered; if you are pregnant or lactating, avoid flaxseed products altogether.
Also, use it cautiously if you have a low thyroid condition, or any hormone-sensitive condition like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, or cancer of the breast, uterus, or ovary.

Filtered flaxseed oil does not contain any lignans, so if you can't eat the grounded seeds, there's no reason you should miss its vital health benefits. It is widely available - you can find it in the refrigerator section of any health food store, or even your regular grocery store.

Return to Top: Flax Seed and Weight Loss
Flaxseed Oil