Archive for February, 2008
February 29, 2008 at 10:14 pm
· Filed under Flax, General, Health Benefits ·Tagged Flax, health benefits. dietitian, Hy-Vee, medication
If you follow flax at all, you are probably aware that flax may be able to help people get off some of the medications. In fact, I’ve previously posted on how flax helped one man lower his cholesterol more than the medications prescribed by his doctor.
Well, I recently came across an interview published in the Des Moines Register that raised a question related to medications and flax that I had never thought about: Does flax interfere with medications? That’s right interfere?
I began to ponder the question because that was essentially the closing remark by the dietitian from Hy-Vee Foods of Des Moines who was interviewed by the Register. With this caution, she also recommended the consultation with a doctor for anyone taking medications and eating flax.
Overall, the dietitian gave a glowing review of flax. You’ve probably heard the stuff before: flax helps reduce cholesterol, control diabetes, improve digestion, and reduce joint inflammation. But what about the negative effects? Besides the increased flatulance often associated with the initial use of flax, I really wasn’t aware of any?
To learn more I decided to send an e-mail off to the dietitian asking for clarification, but haven’t heard back yet. I’ll comment to this post when she does reply. I also decided to Google “flax may interfere with medications.” The following is my summary of what I learned:
Basically, it sounds like flax may “interfere” with the absorption process of some medications. May is the operative word. I can accept that analysis because most everything we eat — including how much we eat — affects the absorption of nutrients as well as medications. That doesn’t mean that we should stop doing something that is good for us.
Do we need to consult our physician when eating flax? Well that’s always good advice. Ideally, we should probably consult our doctor about all the foods we eat regardless of whether we take medication or not.
So, with this quick research, my faith in flax remains strong. Eat flax if you want to become healthier and consult your doctor if you are taking medicines because it might affect how the medicine is absorbed — just like most other foods. And if you want to learn more, check out some of the following articles from my Google search:
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February 28, 2008 at 8:50 pm
· Filed under Health Benefits
What about this–another famous Dr. who has given us 10 reasons you should eat flax every day.
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Normal cholesterol levels – The combination of EFAs and fiber from flax are a sure bet to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
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Healthy blood pressure — The EFAs in flax promote normal blood viscosity [thinkness], which helps support healthy circulation and normal blood pressure levels.
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Normal Blood Sugar Levels — The soluble fiber in flax slows the breakdown of dietary carbohydrates resulting in more stable blood sugar and normal insulin levels.
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Healthy Weight — Flax’s soluble fiber promotes a feeling of fullness, which may in turn help you maintain a healthy weight.
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Regularity — The healthy dose of insoluble fiber in flax bulks up ypur stool and help it pass through the intestines, keeping your bowel movements regular and your whole digestive system healthy.
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Helps sharpen your mind — The oils in flax are the most abundant plant source of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 essential fatty acid. Alpha-linoletic acid is converted into DHA and EPA[the same fatty acid found in fish oil], which help improve cognitive function.
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Superior protection against free-radical damage — Flax is nature’s richest source of lignans which protect against free radical damage.
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Healthy joints — The omega-3 EFA’s in flax help promote a proper inflammatory response throughout your body, including your joints.
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Eye Health — Preliminary research suggests that getting more omega-3 EFA’s in your diet [like those found in flax] may promote eye health as you age.
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Moist, healthy skin – Because flax is one of the richest sources of these skin-quenching EFA’s simply adding ground flaxseeds to your daily diet can help moisturize your skin from the inside out.
I thot this was what we have been telling folks for many years, but it’s great to have a well known Dr. saying it to. If you want to learn more about Dr. Whitaker, you should check out his website. Thanks Dr, Whitaker——ol jw
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February 28, 2008 at 3:11 am
· Filed under Flax, omega-3 ·Tagged corn, Flax
I took a little vacation this last week to visit my sister and family in Tacoma. I decided to give Amtrak a try, jumping on in Fargo, ND. For the most part it was an enjoyable ride with plenty of space to sit. And the 32 hours it took getting to Tacoma provided me a lot of time to read (I finished three books) and meet new people (including a law professor from the University of Gonzaga who knows the Kieffer family of Howard).
One of the books I read, The Omnivore’s Dilemma became a talking point with my fellow passengers. At its core the book calls on Americans to be more thoughtful about the food we eat. It talks a great deal about how corn has come to dominate our diets and how closely corn production is linked to petroleum.
Why has corn come to dominate our diets? As the Pollan writes, “corn is the cheapest source of calories on the market” (p. 75) and can be found found in most of the processed foods found in our kitchen, including: ketchup, mustard, bread, cereal, relish, crackers, hot dogs, and hams (p. 104). And of course, we can’t forget soda. The introduction of corn syrup into soda beginning in 1980 has become a major reason pop prices have remained so low for decades.
Corn has also become the main ingredient farmers used to fatten their animals. ”Its chief advantage is that cows fed corn, a compact source of caloric energy, get fat quickly; their flesh also marbles well, giving it a taste and texture American consumers have come to like.” (p. 75)
So, why am I writing about corn when this blog is about flax? Well, Pollan goes to tell us that corn-fed beef contains less of the omega-3 fatty acids our bodies need, and that, “A growing body of research suggest that many of the health problems associated with eating beef are really problems with corn-fed beef.” (p. 75). There you have it. Yet another case for eating healthy diets that include flax.
For those who haven’t read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I highly recommend it. I can almost guarantee teh book will cause you to reflect on what foods you are eating.
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February 20, 2008 at 1:31 am
· Filed under Flax, General, Health Benefits, omega-3 ·Tagged Flax, medical study. age-related macular degeneration. AMD, omega-3, omega-3/omega-6 balance
Fox News is reporting two medical studies linking fish and flax consumption to good eye care and the reduction of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). If you are a senior, you have probably heard about AMD; but for those not it is the leading cause of vision loss for people over age sixty.
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, an organization affiliated with the Harvard Medical School in Boston, performed a study in which they learned that seniors who consume fish at least two times each week are 50% less likely to contract AMD than people who only eat fish one time or less each week. This study did not focus on flax, but the implications were that omega-3 oils were key to fighting AMD. On another note, they found that smokers were 1.9 times more likely to have AMD than non-smokers.
Fox News also reported on an Australian study in which “experts found that age-related macular problems are rarer in people whose diets are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, including salmon and mackerel, as well as flax seeds and walnuts.”
I also found it interesting that just eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids is not enough to receive the full benefits of reducing the risk of AMD; you also have to reduce your omega-6 fatty acids to create a better balance with your omega-3 fatty acids.
Fox quotes the spokesperson for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary saying: “The ideal omega-6/omega-3 ratio is 3:1 to 4:1. However, the average American diet has an omega-6/omega-3 ratio that ranges from 10:1 to 50:1… Our results suggest that when our diet is rich in those omega-6 fatty acids(measure here by linoleic acid), the protective effect of omega-3 fatty acids is dampened.”
As I reflect on all the buttered popcorn I ate last night (buttered popcorn is high in omega-6 fatty acids), I can’t help but think I probably wasted a lot of the good done by eating my flax this morning. Guess that’s just another sign that I need to be more careful about all the foods I eat.
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February 18, 2008 at 7:32 pm
· Filed under Flax, General, How to use flax, Recipes ·Tagged Flax, peanut butter
Convincing adults to eat healthy is a tough job. Convincing kids to do it is virtually impossible. I came across a product today that might help. Its called Naturally More Peanut Butter, and its fortified with flax.
Their website contains some great information on the nutrional value of the peanut butter, and you may also want to check out a product review from Health Magazine.
It only looks like the only place the product is available in SD is WalMart, so I probably won’t be buy it. (I generally avoid WalMart unless I have to). Instead, I’ll continue to mix some ground flax in my peanut butter on the rare occassions I eat some toast.
Hey, I just thought of something. I should really be mixing in a little ground flax whenever a baking recipe calls for a little peanut butter. Just another way of trying to increase the amount of flax and omega-3 oils in our diet.
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February 12, 2008 at 10:36 pm
· Filed under Flax, General, How to use flax, Recipes ·Tagged Cereal, Flax, recipe
I’m always looking for new ways to spice up the use of flax in my diet. I recently came across a site titled HealthyRecipes.com, and would like to recommend it to others. I like that the site is not plastered with advertisements, and they have one page dedicated to recipes that use flax. The Warm Flax Cereal recipe caught my eye since I was looking to an alternative to my favorite — a fruity, flax smoothie — so I gave it a try.
Here’s the recipe, but I’ve got to warn you that it calls for a lot of flax, which could result in frequent trips to the restroom if flax is not a regular part of your diet.
Warm Flax Cereal
5 T. flax meal or 4 T. whole flax seeds
warm water
honey
cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
Blend whole flax seeds in a coffee grinder until it reaches a fine texture.
Pour into a bowl and stir in cinnamon and sea salt. Add enough warm water until it reaches a creamy texture. Stir in honey. Eat right away because the cereal will thicken quickly. Drink a glass of water because the cereal is high in fiber.
I gave the recipe a try this morning, and must admit to being surprised by how much I enjoyed the cereal. I had expected something similar to my oatmeal, flax, and brown sugar mixture; but what I discovered was a distinctive sweet, salty, nutty taste, with each ingredient being distinguishable on my palette.
After tasting a few spoonfuls, I tried adding some blueberries to the mix. I can’t say this improved the taste because the blueberries seemed to mask the other ingredients, making it a simple mush. Not being a regular food critic, I question if any of what I’ve written makes sense; but what I’m trying to say is that I really enjoyed being able to taste each individual ingredient of the original recipe and would recommend it to others.
Again, if you are new to eating flax, I would hold off on trying this recipe. Starting with a teaspoon and building up to higher dosages should help eliminate the bowel difficulties associated with the laxative effects of flax. For everyone else, I definitely give this a thumps up.
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February 11, 2008 at 6:00 pm
· Filed under Flax, General, How to use flax ·Tagged Flax, shelf life
Its interesting that someone recently inquired about the shelf life of whole seed flax. Just last week we were testing our seed as to how it will grow–we have some seed in a small bin that is at least 5 years old. A seed dealer was inquiring, if we had any seed to sell, I happened to think of that small bin. Of the 3 samples we tested that 5 year old seed was as good as 1 year old seed, in germination.
Flax, Gods seed of miracles, has such a hard outer coat, that is why it has to be ground to get the health benefits from it. So long as flax seed is kept dry, I think it would keep indefinitely–that miracle oil it contains has to have preserving properties to it —-its been preserving me for 20 years. Have a good one. ol jw
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February 10, 2008 at 4:37 am
· Filed under Flax, General, Health Benefits ·Tagged cholesterol, Dr. Oz, Flax, Good Morning, Oprah
I guess there is no better gift then to have free advertising—as we have said before- we don’t care whose flax people eat, so long as they buy whole seed and then grind it. On Feb. 5th Oprah had on her show Dr. Oz–He was giving , what it took to have a healthy diet, one that would help prevent having–heart problems–cancer–constipation–high cholesterol–obesity and more. What was one of the main ingredients? FLAXSEED. Come to find out Oprah didn’t know you have to grind flax seed to get all the nutrients out of the seed. A coffee grinder does a fine job.
Believe it or not–next day–Matt Lauer on Good Morning–had some editor of Mens health magazine talking about sex or the lack of it. He mentioned obesity was one of the main reason for the problem. Poor diet included lack of Omega 3–which helps the blood flow easier–was another —what was one of the main ingredient in his diet? FLAXSEED.
I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to use this national TV advertisement to help everyone to see I’m not the only one who is singing the praise of Flax Gods Seed of Miracles. Hope you all have one or two. ol jw
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