How would you like to cakes, bread, dressings and sauces, rolls and pasta… with the all the goodness of flax in it? Wouldn’t that make incorporating flax in your daily diet easier and more convenient?

Research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV have isolated the valuable components of linseed and lupin seeds and are already conducting experiments on incorporating these extracts into foodstuffs. They say in about 3 years time, we may already see flax-enriched food products in the supermarket shelves.

Photo Credit: Bdevel via Wikipedia

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Flax-Enriched Food?

But there’s more to flax than these. I’ve received permission to reprint this from the Flax Council of Canada:

Flax is an ideal, functional food ingredient. It is added to many products on today’s grocery shelves because of the omega-3 fats, lignans, and fiber found in the seed, which all help deliver a extra health boost to food’s original nutrient content. Flax also adds a mild, nutty flavor and provides a powerful health punch to your favorite foods. Its primary health benefits include the following:

Flax’s healthy fatty acid profile is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), a polyunsaturated fat that offers unique heart health benefits including lowering cholesterol level
• Flax is one the best plant sources of lignans, natural antioxidants that helps prevent cancer and may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals that slow the aging process
• Flax is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, providing three grams of fiber per tablespoon. The fiber in flax is good for heart, colon, and digestive health, and can ease the effects of type-2 diabetes

Flax is an easy ingredient to add to your recipes. It’s also already an ingredient in many packaged products, such as snack or energy bars, cookies, crackers, breads, muffins, butter, on today’s grocery shelves. It’s also easy to add to foods you already eat every day. Sprinkle it on your morning cereal, in your smoothie, and over salads or fruit. It also can be added to soups, pasta sauces, or your favorite baked goods.

Want to know more about flax– its health benefits and how to incorporate it into your lifestyle? HealthyFlax has all the info you need!

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Health Benefits of Flax

In the study, the researchers examined the effects of flaxseed supplementation on men who were scheduled to undergo prostatectomy — surgery for the treatment of prostate cancer. The men took 30 grams of flaxseed daily for an average of 30 days prior to surgery. Once the men’s tumors were removed, the researchers looked at tumor cells under a microscope, and were able to determine how quickly the cancer cells had multiplied.

Men taking flaxseed, either alone or in conjunction with a low-fat diet, were compared to men assigned to just a low-fat diet, as well as to men in a control group, who did not alter or supplement their daily diet. Men in both of the flaxseed groups had the slowest rate of tumor growth, Demark-Wahnefried said. Each group was made up of about 40 participants.

Flaxseed is considered to play a role in inhibiting cellular activities that leads to cancer growth and spread. The components believed to confer these properties are the high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber-related lignan in flaxseed, which are believed to have antiangiogenic properties.

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Flaxseed May Halt Prostate Cancer