Flax Seed Articles and Information

by Bruce Maul

It�s a stark reality of life. When there seems to be too much of something, we often end up missing out on things that matter. Take the case of a person who talks too much. In doing just that, he tends to overlook the wisdom of others by simply refusing to settle down and listen. What about people who prefer grinding their teeth into their work? They are bound to miss out on the finer points of life, rest and recreation. Remember, it�s not wise to overdo things. That goes the same with our diet. An overload on fat-enriched meals deliberately overwhelms the lipid�s buffer mechanism that works to protect the body from certain diseases. Instead, this promotes the build up of bad cholesterol in the arteries and becomes the cause for cardiovascular ailments. What do these things have to do with unlocking Omega 3 through grinding? Simply to draw a parallel and emphasize the significance of using moderate speed when grinding your ground flax seed.

Why is that? It�s because you�re bound to miss out on its core nutrients if you subject the seeds to a heated grind. The flax seed is sensitive to oxygen and heat. Once ground, the naturally occurring antioxidants contained in the seed will gradually lose its potency at keeping flax oil from getting stale once it gets exposed to air and the elements. Incidentally, the friction from too much grinding disintegrates the fatty acids in flax oil, or Omega 3 nutrients, leaving you only with the health benefits of soluble fiber and lignans. You don�t want to consume the seeds whole as well because you also won�t get the benefits of Omega 3 since the body cannot digest the seed and it will simply pass through your digestive system.

Nutrition experts recommend consuming flax seed right after grinding it or purchasing the cold milled variant. Consuming flax seed immediately after it has been moderately grinded guarantees that you take up the bundle of nutrients found in every fresh serving of flax. It�s best to use small coffee grinders. Keep in mind that if you grind it yourself the sooner you consume it the better; otherwise, purchase the flax seed cold milled so it was ground using a process without heat, preserving all those wonderful nutrients for your precious body.

 

Flaxing Your Muscles

by Jade Beutler, R.R.T., R.C.P.


So what's all the hype surrounding flaxseed oil anyway? I'll tell you
what all the hype is about, it's about the fact that flaxseed oil has been
found to be essential for optimum health and athletic performance. Yeah,
"essential" meaning that flaxseed oil contains a special fatty acid (Omega-3)
that is required for optimum health and must be ingested directly for optimum
health and must be ingested directly in the diet. So what's the big deal?
The big deal as that most Americans are deficient in these critical nutrients.
In fact, upwards to 20% of the population exhibits undetectable blood levels
of Omega-3. Athletes and bodybuilders may easily fall into this category due
to an increased demand and utilization of nutrients, and a tendency toward fat
phobia. Okay, so Omega-3 in flax oil is essential and I may be deficient, why
is it so important anyway? The essential Omega-3 fatty acid in flaxseed oil
is ultimately converted in the body to hormone-like compounds that dictate
literally every biological process including:

-Stimulate steroid production

-Synthesization of hormones

-Mediating immune response

-Directing endocrine hormones to target cells

-Regulating smooth muscle and autonomic reflexes

-Construction of healthy cell walls

-Keeping saturated fats mobile in the blood stream

-Regulation of nerve transmission

-Serving as the primary energy source for the heart muscle



This is to name a few of the over 1,000 biological actions of essential
fatty acids.

The fatty acids in flaxseed oil are essential nutrients. They are the
starting point, or the mortar and bricks if you will, for manufacturing all
other fatty acids and hormone precursors necessary to support and build strong
lean muscles, while prolonging stamina required for endurance sports. Beyond
providing essential nutrients flaxseed oil provides valuable fuel required by
today's high intensity athlete. That's right, flaxseed oil provides 9
calories per gram of energy, compared to only 4 calories per gram with
carbohydrates and protein sources. Here's the good news, while the fatty
acids in flax oil are defined as fats - they actually act in the body as
anti-fats. Instead of adding unsightly and slowing body fat, they actually
stoke metabolic processes in the body that speed fat loss. While technically
defined as fats because of there molecular structure, they are the antitheses
to saturated fats in the body- as black is to white, as hot is to cold.

What's the word on the street?

Flaxseed oil has received an overwhelming response from the athletic
and bodybuilding community. The consensus is that unlike many of the "fad"
products on the market, flax oil is here to stay due to it's profound health
benefits. An article entitled "Best of the Best", and published in the
bodybuilding and health enthusiast magazine Muscle Media 2000, claims flaxseed
oil as "the hottest idea in bodybuilding" and "a surprising new category of
bodybuilding supplements." Mr. Dan Duchane in his column "Ask the Guru", also
writing for Muscle Media 2000, ranked flaxseed oil as the number one
bodybuilding supplement compared to all other available products. In an
article written by bodybuilding columnist Jay Robb for Exercise for Men, Jay
cites the importance of essential fatty acids in flax as primary building
blocks of healthy cells, in lowering cholesterol levels, forming nerve and
brain tissue, playing a key role in regulating the cardiovascular, immune and
digestive systems, promoting healing, and in helping to burn calories.

Do you really need this stuff? If you are walking, talking, eating and
breathing the answer is yes. In fact, flaxseed oil is as important, if not
more important, than the prevailing popular products on the market such as
creatine, protein powder and chromium in sustaining, maintaining and excelling
in athletic performance. Most athletes find it easiest to work flaxseed oil
into their daily regimen by simply blending it in with their daily protein
drink.

Mr. Jade Beutler is a licensed health care practitioner with over a
decade of hospital and clinical experience in adult and neonatal intensive
care, pediatric and emergency medicine. He is the author of Understanding
Fats and Oils, Your Guide to Healing with Essential Fatty Acids and
Flax For Life.

The Environmental Magazine: article by Orna Izakson Some food-savvy environmentalists say that if you can afford to buy only one organic food item, it should be culinary oils. They base their assertions on several things, but at the top of the list is the fact that heavy metals (which can show up in sewage sludge used to treat some non-organic farms) and industrial chemicals such as pesticides tend to stick to fats.

Many common cooking oils--canola, soy and cottonseed chief among them--are genetically engineered to withstand more pesticide spraying than their common counterparts. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finds them safe for human consumption, environmentalists are increasingly concerned about the effects on the ecosystem and on their bodies. One way to make sure GE plants are not in your food is to buy organic.

Further, non-certified oils and those not labeled "cold" or "expeller" pressed may be extracted using the solvent n-hexane, a nervous system toxin. N-hexane, made from crude oil, primarily raises health concerns for workers exposed to it as it evaporates. The FDA does approve chemically extracted oils, but people who prefer to buy organic may find such assurances inadequate.

Critical Building Blocks

Despite the real concerns about too much fat in modern diets, the right amounts of the right kind of high-quality oils are critical for health. Fats make up the building blocks of hormones and are especially critical for babies as they develop their nervous systems, since the oils help coat growing nerve cells.

"Oil is very important," explains Dr. Chris Meletis, a naturopathic physician and dean of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. "Without oil, there's increased inflammation, altered immunity and increased menstrual cramps." Fats, he says, "are critical for the creation of every cell."

Fats have gotten a bad rap because two kinds--saturated and transfatty adds--feed heart disease. Saturated fats come from both animal and plant sources. Oils with high saturated content are generally solid at room temperature: Think of coconut and palm oils, or butter and lard. Transfatty adds occur when oils are modified to make them solid at room temperature, as in the case of margarine. That process, known as hydrogenation, also reduces or eliminates many of the healthy components of the oil.

Dietician Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University, says transfatty acids and saturated fats cause the same kinds of heart-health problems. She recommends using oils in lieu of hardened fat whenever possible. That might make for a denser cake, she says, but the health benefits are worth it.

But other types of fats are critical for good health. Monounsaturated fats actually help undo the heart-blocking effects of saturated fats. Olive, canola, peanut, sesame, almond, avocado and high-oleic safflower and sunflower oils each have more than 50 percent monounsaturated fats, according to Spectrum Naturals, a leading oil distributor.

Polyunsaturated fats, composed of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, also have some cholesterol-lowering properties. They are also the most important oils nutritionally, because the body can't synthesize them. But getting the right balance isn't always easy. Most dieticians say the body needs two or three times as much Omega-3 as Omega-6. (This is bad news for hemp advocates, since their oil has the reverse ratio.) Common culinary oils such as canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, walnut, sesame and soy are rich sources of Omega-6, but offer little if any Omega-3. Canola and hemp both have better ratios, but remain relatively heavy on plentiful Omega-6.

Flax seed oil is the best vegetable source for righting the Omega-6 to Omega-3 imbalance, with a ratio reverse that of hemp. Fish such as cod, salmon and mackerel are also excellent sources of Omega-3s. Their oil is available in supplements, but also survives cooking in the meat. Plant-based sources should not be heated.