Flaxseeds have been found to be one of the very first plants cultivated. This plant started out in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Flaxseeds are just as old as peas, emmer and einkorn wheat, lentils, bitter vetch, barley, and chickpeas. It’s unclear if the health benefits of flaxseeds have always been known, but we know it is just as useful now as it was then.

More fun facts to consider about flax. it was mentioned in The Iliad which was written by Homer in the eighth century B.C.; it has been found as a linen fiber that was wrapped around mummies going back to 5,000 B.C.; archeological signs show that Babylonians grew flax along the Euphrates and the Tigris. Keep reading to see how the health benefits of flaxseeds can help us today!

Health Benefits of Flaxseeds

1. Anti-Cancer

Cancer can be prevented with the use of estrogen and antioxidants. Flaxseeds have what is called lignans and lignans have those two things. These lignans have been able to slow the growth of breast, prostate, skin, and colon cancer.

 

2. Omega-3

Usually, the best source of omega-3 fatty acids is fresh-water fish. However, we know that some people do not care all that much for fish or they just do not eat meat. There are other places you can get omega-3 and flaxseeds are one of those places. Simply add more of this food to gain the wonderful health benefits flaxseeds have to offer.

 

3. Heart Health

Having a healthy heart is very important seeing as how the heart is one of the most vital organs in your body. Flaxseeds have fatty acid in them called ALA. ALA is amazing for keeping down artery inflammation, and for stopping cholesterol from being dumped into your blood, which makes it back around to your heart. Keeping the cholesterol out of the heart can also limit the chances of stroke and heart attack.  

4. Cholesterol

Cholesterol was mentioned in the last tip, but what can flaxseeds really do for your body when it comes to cholesterol? There is a bad kind of cholesterol in your body called LDL. The LDL in our bodies is what causes all of the health issues. If you eat a daily three tablespoons of flaxseeds for three months, then the LDL levels are lowered.

If your LDL cholesterol levels are low enough, then you can try to bring up your good cholesterol levels (called HDL) with one tablespoon of flaxseeds for a single month.

 

5. Fiber

Fiber helps your body in so many different ways; it keeps your digestive tract moving so that you do not run into troubles with constipation, it can help to cleanse your body from different toxins (bacteria included), it keeps your blood sugars levels lower as well.

 

6. Protein

Protein is vital in many different ways. The basics are. it keeps you full for longer, it builds muscle and does things other things as well. Some of those things are lowering cholesterol, building up the immune system, fighting off fungi, and stopping or slowing the growth of tumors. The protein in flaxseeds can do all of this because of three amino acids. glutamic, arginine, and aspartic.

 

7. Weight Control (and or Loss)

Between the fiber and protein in flaxseeds, you can stave off that little urge for a snack between meals by adding a ground up 25 grams to a drink that you have with a meal. Doing this can actually bind waste to make it easier to excrete and slow the digestion just a little bit.

 

8. Blood Pressure

Flaxseeds have been found to lower diastolic and systolic blood pressures with just 30 grams a day for half a year. If you are on medication for high blood pressure, flaxseed can help it to work even better.

 

9. Hair

Hair can benefit quite a bit with dry, flaky, and frizzy hair. It is not overly uncommon to see shampoos and/or conditioners advertised with flaxseed oil. That is because flaxseed oil had a couple different B vitamins. It can add shininess to your hair, volume, and can stop dandruff. You can add flaxseed oil to your shampoo if it is not already in the shampoo, or you can eat a daily one to two teaspoons a day.

10. Skincare

Flaxseed oil is great for your skin as well. It can keep away inflammation, calm eczema, calm rosacea, and stop acne. You can kind lotions with flaxseed oil, you can eat a tablespoon of the oil a day, or you can eat a tablespoon of flaxseeds to reap the benefits.

11. Hyperlipidemia

Eating flaxseeds can do wonders for hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia is when your bloodstream has too many fats and lipids. Having hyperlipidemia can lead to increased chances of strokes, heart attacks, and heart diseases. By reaping the health benefits of flaxseeds, you can both prevent hyperlipidemia and the other ailments it can trigger.

 

12. Antioxidants

It was mentioned earlier that flaxseeds can be used to fight cancer. Well, flaxseeds can also fight against common colds and flus. The antioxidants in flaxseeds balance hormones, kill free radicals, and bacteria.

 

13. No Gluten

One interesting thing about flaxseeds is that it does not have gluten. This is good because it can be used as an alternative to wheat- which does have gluten. So the next time you feel the need for bread or for another bakery, look into things made with flaxseed or you might be able to find flaxseed flour.

14. Minerals

Different vitamins, antioxidants, proteins, and antioxidants have been talked about. What has not really been talked about is the minerals found in flaxseeds. The flaxseeds have phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium are both fantastic for bone formation.

 

15. Diabetes

There are fatty acids and lignans in flaxseeds that stop the progression of diabetes by stopping the genetic code that is responsible for the start of diabetes.

 

16. Menstrual Cramps

This is one can help a lot of women out there. Flaxseeds, when eaten, can help to get a woman’s ovulation regulated. This can help because being on a real schedule when it comes to periods can ease menstrual cramps.

 

17. Menopause

Flaxseeds can actually reduce menopause symptoms by providing replacements to hormones that stop being produced when the woman begins menopause.

So, will you add flaxseeds to your diet to reap some of these great health benefits? Comment below!

Sources

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-flaxseed.html

https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-health-benefits-of-flaxseeds-and-flaxseed-oil/

https://blog.paleohacks.com/benefits-of-flaxseed/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-flaxseeds  

http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch53.html