Quick Ways to Add More Natural Flaxseed to Your Diet

You may already be familiar with the many health benefits of flaxseed. Natural flaxseed is the source of two components that are thought to be beneficial to human health. They’re a good source of non-animal derived omega 3 fatty acids which are though to help reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, promote heart health, and play a role in the prevention of certain types of cancer. Flaxseed is also a source of flaxseed lignans which have been shown in some studies to reduce the incidence of certain types of cancers including breast and prostate.

With all of these marvelous health benefits, it isn’t surprising that experts are encouraging people to add more natural flaxseed to their diets. Adding flaxseed and flaxseed lignans to your diet doesn’t have to be difficult. Flaxseed is readily available at most health food and natural food markets and can be found in many standard grocery stores as well. Natural flaxseed is usually sold in bags or available in bulk from bins. You’ll be purchasing the whole flaxseed which needs to be ground in order to make the flaxseed lignans available so you can get their full health benefits. If consumed in a form that’s not ground, the seeds will simply pass through the body. You can also purchase flaxseed that’s pre-ground but pre-ground forms may have lost some of their potency so you may not get the full nutritional value of the flaxseed lignans.

The simplest way to add natural flaxseed to your diet is to purchase a small coffee grinder for grinding them into a fine powder to make the flaxseed lignans more available to the body. Once ground, the powder can be easily added to a variety of recipes and foods you normally eat on a daily basis. Most experts recommend a flaxseed dose of one to two tablespoons a day although you may want to start with a half tablespoon and gradually increase your intake from there. Since natural flaxseed is high in fiber, it may cause loose stools if large amounts are quickly added to the diet. Ground flaxseeds have a pleasant, nutty flavor which makes them a tasty addition to any diet.

What are some of the best ways to add natural flaxseed to your diet? Once you’ve ground them to release the flaxseed lignans, sprinkle some on your breakfast cereal in the morning or stir a spoonful into a cup of yogurt. Add some your morning smoothie or spoon a thin layer onto your pancakes or waffles. At lunch or dinner, sprinkle flaxseed into your salad or on top of freshly prepared vegetables or soup. When you cook, substitute flaxseed powder for a portion of the regular flour called for in. Natural flaxseed can add a nutty crunch to almost anything.

As you can see, it’s not so to add natural flaxseed to your diet. You’ll soon discover how tasty these crunchy little seed can be when added to your favorite meals and recipes and you’ll soon be enjoying the wonderful health benefits.