The “wunders” of flax never ceases to amaze me. In a special article for the Vancouver Sun, Dr. Andrew Weil, reports that flax can help prevent and treat hemorrhoids. His advice is outlines in the following excerpt:
To prevent hemorrhoids as well as treat them, you should increase the amount of fibre in your diet in order to relieve constipation (and consequent straining, which increases pressure in the veins surrounding the anus). You can do this by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. If that’s not possible, take psyllium seed husks, in any of the forms available in drugstores and health-food stores. Triphala, an herbal mixture from the ayurvedic tradition, is another excellent bowel regulator. You can buy it in capsules in health food stores. Follow the dosage on the label. Drink lots of water, more than you think you need, and be sure to get regular exercise.
Yet another healthy option is freshly ground flax seed, a great source of both soluble and insoluble fibre in addition to its omega-3 fatty acids and lignans. Flax helps promote bowel motility as well as softening stool. Try 1 to 2 tablespoons daily with food
Dr. Weil is a nationally recognized physician who specializing in “developing, practicing, and teaching others about the principles of integrative medicine.” Learn more at his website.
Most of our writing on the Wunders of Flax has focused on how flax is good for everyone: male, female, young, and old. Beth Netter, M.D., recently wrote in a blog for the Time Union of Albany, NYthat flax is especially good for women:
“Why Flax is Great for Women
Flax is a phytoestrogen which means it is a plant with estrogenic effects. But plants are really smart. Flax is considered to be one of those smart wiley plants, an “adaptogen”, in that it knows how to adapt to what the body needs in order for body and mind health to be at its best. In Christiane Northrup’s book, The Wisdom of Menopause, she notes that phytoestrogens do not tend to cause estrogenic tumors to grow. Instead, these smart plants bind to estrogen receptors and exert, potentially, an anti-cancer effect by limiting the overgrowth of cancer cells.
For women, flax, through its adaptogenic effect, may help balance estrogen levels by wisely raising levels of estrogen when it is low or by lowering estrogen levels when it is too high. By consuming 1-2 tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseed on a daily basis a woman may be able to “naturally” relieve herself of hot flashes, depression, anxiety, night sweats or other symptoms experienced by some women during menopause. Flax seed and flax oil are also used to help women alleviate difficult PMS.”
Now the doctor’s comments are not meant to imply that flax is not beneficial to men seeking to lower their cholesterol, improve their heart condition, and/or generally improve their health; but it’s great to know that flax helps women in other ways as well.
Ask any of my co-worker friends, and they will tell you that I’ve become a “nutritional label nazi.” Just yesterday, I made a few of them regret going to the grocery store with me because I made them review every product we were purchasing for lunch.
I think at least one friend was a little annoyed by this, but it made a difference. I actually put back some veggie dip because of the prominence of ”high fructose corn syrup” on its label; instead picking up a jar of salad dressing with a “clean” label.
Now, if you’ve looked closely at a bag of flax, you’ve probably noticed very few labels. That’s because whole foods, like seeds, fruits and nuts, are not required to display their nutritional values. (Think about it: when was the last time you saw a label on walnuts or cashews?)
Since I think people know what they are eating, I thought I’d share a list of nutritional values on flax.
One tablespoon of flaxseed contains: 35 to 40 calories
1.6 grams of protein
2.8 grams of carbohydrate
2.8 grams of fat (0.3 grams saturated, 0.6 grams monounsaturated, and 1.8 grams polyunsaturated)
2.5 to 8 grams of fiber
3 milligrams of sodium Source: Sparkpeople.com
You’ll notice it is a great source of fiber, but unfortunately, labels are not required to show lignans and omega-3 (or omega-6) fatty acids. Too bad. That would start to tell the whole story.
If you’ve read many of my previous posts, you know that along with eating better, I am trying to be more conscious of the environment. Well here’s an example of someone who is much more innovative (and committed to the environment) than me — and he deserves a little credit.
The Grisborne Herald of New Zealand reports on the efforts of a local bike shop owner, Freddy Salgado, to create a bicycle made of bamboo and flax fibers. The idea being that bamboo grow like — well you know, bamboo – and should replace the metal alloys of traditional bikes. Flax fiber (from the straw) comes into the picture because it is so tough. Wrap it around the joints and mix in a little epoxy, and you’ve got a “renewable” bike.
Marketing may be a trick for his bike. I must admit that I imagined a fragil, rickety bike that wold easily break down — after all bamboo is much more fragile than the high composite aluminum alloys, right??? Maybe not.
In the article, Salgado is quoted saying, “Bamboo simply requires a curing process to strengthen it. Once reinforced, bamboo is comparable to carbon fibre, says Mr Salgado.”
A bike like this is truely local in New Zealand because both bamboo and flax flourish, leading me to question: Is there a comparative to bamboo in SD? It would probably have to come from something other than wood, since that is in such limited supply, but I’d love to see some innovative individual atempt a solution.
If not, at least we have plenty of heart-healthy flax seeds to power our bodies.
Resource: Check out the Bamboo Bike Project for more information on an effort to use bamboo bikes as a means of improving transportation in Africa. The project was started by The Earth Institute at Columbia University.
Recipe and foods blogs are exploding in the blogosphere. This is great news for anyone who is looking for new ways to increase flax in their diets and are a little adventuresome.
Living a meat and potato diet for most of my life, I had not heard of couscous until this last year. When I tried it at my wife’s prodding, I was surprised to learn that rather than tasting exotic (the image I had based on its name), couscous is very bland. Bland to a fault.
I was surprised to read that the recipe calls for unground flax seeds. Those familiar with flax know that grinding seeds is necessary to receive the nutrients. In this case, however, the seeds crack open in hot oil. Interesting.
Actually, I’m not sure how this affects the nutrient value of flax because some people claim that the more its heated, the more it loses its value. But even if some of the value is lost, it is still a lot better than none at all. And in this case, it provides a little more flavor for the couscous.
Not only is flax good for human consumption, but it is also apparently good for conservation as well.
The The Nature Conservancy of Idaho writes that they planted flax with native plants as a means of replenishing the nutrients in the soil.
Usually, The Nature Conservancy tries to develop natural habitat, so I was a bit surprised to see that they were mixing flax in with other native plants. Perhaps, the flax will help rejuvenate the soil, and then the natural vegetation will take over.
I haven’t talked to John in a while, so I don’t know how our abnormal weather is affecting his flax crop; but at least we are not dealing with snow like Baker City, Oregon.
The editor of the Baker City Herald wrote that he feared the impact of their recent snow fall on local vegetation — including their flax “which resembled a patch of grass where an elk has recently bedded.” Ouch! The nice thing about flax is that its a pretty hearty plant.
I would imagine our cool, wet weather is not idea for flax, but it is undoubtedly better than high, dry weather. I guess time will tell.
PS — If you haven’t heard about our weather, it seems to rain here about every day, and temps are usually below 70 degrees. Summer has gotten off to a slow start.
Its interesting to see what dog owners feed their dogs. Here’s another link to a product with flax in it.
I love to see people who are passionate about their pets, but I sure hope they’re also just as committed to eating flax themselves as they are their pets.
You may also be intersted in the dog poop composter they describe. I sure wish we’d had it when our German Shepard was a part of the family.
Omega-3s are the darling of the health food industry, but if you’ve been around flax seeds for long, you know they are also a great source of fiber and lignans. But I’ve learned most people have no idea what lignans are or why you need them.
I tried answer that question using Wikipedia as my source, but soon found myself rambling in scientific terms that I didn’t understand. The torture of reading that post caused me to file it in the trash before it was published.
But I’m not a quiter, and I just found a better source, written by Mark Athony, PhD at FoodProcessing.com. You’ll need to check out the whole article for the complete story, but here are a few snippets from the article:
“Lignans are a unique group of phytochemicals (plant chemicals) known as phytoestrogens, estrogen-like compounds that also act as antioxidants.
“Phytoestrogens, in addition to their antioxidant activity, may reduce the risk of estrogen-sensitive cancers, like breast cancer, by binding to estrogen receptors and thus preventing estrogen attachment.”
“One the richest sources of plant lignan precursors comes from one of oldest domesticated crops, flaxseeds, which date back more than 7000 years.”
“Until recently, it has been difficult to accurately assess the value of lignan precursors in many foods. With the rising interest in this potentially protective food component, lignans are certain to become part of the modern health vocabulary.”
Again, check out the whole article; but if I am to summarize, I’d say lignans are the part of flax seeds that’s thought to help prevent cancer.
