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 By: Derek Charlebois
As you probably know, there are good fats and there are bad fats. We want to limit the amount of saturated fat we eat, but what about the "good" fat. Where can we get some quality fat? The answer, FLAX SEED!
Flax seeds are a great source of fiber, lignans, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. We will examine each of these nutrients.
Flax seeds are an excellent source of fiber. They contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. They also contain a special fiber called mucilage. Mucilage helps stabilize blood sugar levels, protects against bowel cancer, and is a natural laxative. Dietary fiber is important because it keeps the digestive system functioning properly. It enhances our body's ability to use other dietary nutrients. Fiber goes through our digestive tract almost completely undigested. Once it reaches the colon and/or the large intestine, fiber is then broken down.
Lignans are natural plant chemicals. They are molecules with anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. Flax seeds are the richest source of lignans. Diets high in lignans can lead to a lower chance of getting coon, prostate, and breast cancer. These plant hormones are also believed to block the formation of hormone based tumors. Lignans also boost the productions of a substance attached to estrogen and carries it out of the body. Researchers also believe lignans to have antioxidant properties. Flax seed has 75 to 800 percent more lignans than other vegetables and grains! Making flax seed worth the investment.
The vitamins and minerals found in flax seeds are zinc, iron, vitamin E, carotene, B-group vitamins, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silicon, copper, nickel, molybdenum, chromium, and cobalt.
For every 100 grams of flax seeds, you get about 25-30 grams of protein, which is great considering the other nutrients you get along with this.
Flax seed is one of the best sources for the essential fatty acid alpha linolenic acid. Alpha linolenic acid is so important for bodybuilders because it "enhances insulin sensitivity within muscle cells." (1) This omega-3 fatty acid also has many other beneficial effects:
They also have beneficial effects towards:
Those are just some of the beneficial effect of Omega-3. Omega-3's are sometimes defined as "anti-fats". This is due to their ability to speed up the metabolic process and aid in fat loss.
And what do all of those lead to? MORE MUSCLE!
Most of the nutrients are contains in the flax seed. So from a nutritional standpoint, flax seeds are the way to go. BUT, the flax seed oil gives you a concentrated source of the "good" fats we are looking for. Which would give the oil an edge. The solution... Use them BOTH! By using both the seeds and oil, you get all the nutrients, fiber, lignans, protein, and fat.
If using the seeds, make sure the seeds are milled, ground up. Otherwise, you won't be able to absorb them. You can add the ground up seeds to cereal, salads, protein shakes, rice, or just eat them plain. You can add the oil to other liquid drinks, or just drink it straight. When buying the oil, make sure it is refrigerated when you buy it. The oil can get rancid if left in the heat. You want to get 1-3 TBSPs a day.
What I plan on doing is, using 1-2 TBSP of the ground flax seed and 1 TBSP Oil in the morning and before bed. I will also use 1 TBSP of oil with 1 other meal during the day. So what are you waiting for? Starting flaxing! View Top Selling Flax Seed Products!
References:
(1) http://www.ast-ss.com/dev/qa_search/full_text.asp?ID=1703 Later Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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