Flaxseed guide: Health benefits, nutrition & uses

Fibre? Check. Omega-3s? Check. Antioxidants? Check. Flaxseed, also known as linseed, is the health-boosting, cancer-fighting, cholesterol-lowering seed that might just be natures best-kept secret.

While flaxseed has only popped up on the health scene in recent years, it’s actually old news. Cultivated centuries ago by the ancient Egyptians, flax is one of the oldest crops known to mankind.

Golden linseed (aka flax) just so happens to be one of Purition’s core ingredients, so it’s fair to say that we’ve got the facts on all-things-flax! Here’s everything you need to know about these tiny bundles of goodness; from flaxseed health benefits to the nutritional profile (hint: it’s pretty damn impressive), as well as how to eat flax as part of your everyday diet…

What is flaxseed?

Flaxseed is an amber, brown or golden seed similar in size to a sesame seed, with a pleasant, nutty taste. It comes from a plant family called ‘Linaceae’, which is cultivated for its fibre—which is used to make linen—alongside its nutrient-dense seeds. Flax is often known as linseed, but they’re the same thing.

It seems apt then, that the Latin name for flax—Linum usitatissimum—means ‘very useful’ (source). Described by some as the ‘most powerful plant food on the plant’, evidence suggests that regularly consuming flax can reduce the risk of several chronic diseases; namely cancer and diabetes.

Flaxseed nutritional profile

By weight, flaxseed is 22% carbs (the majority of which are fibre), 66% fats and 12% protein. Per 2 generous tablespoons (around 20g), it contains:

That’s a pretty impressive nutritional profile for a mere 2 tablespoons and 102 calories. But if flaxseed’s nutritional profile isn’t enough to get you sprinkling the stuff on anything and everything, the health benefits of flaxseed might just convince you!

Health benefits of flaxseed

Let’s take a closer look at the three key health-promoting components of flaxseed, as well as their individual health benefits, which are sure to persuade you to start sprinkling!

Flaxseeds are high in fibre

Fibre is a type of plant carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the human body and therefore passes through the digestive system. It plays an essential role in the day-to-day functioning of the digestive system.

Dietary fibre is a term that is used for plant-based carbohydrates that, unlike other carbohydrates (such as sugars and starch), are not digested in the small intestine and so reaches the large intestine or colon.

Just 20g of flax contains around 5g of fibre, which is around 17% of the recommended dietary intake for fibre in the UK. Flax contains both soluble and insoluble fibre in generous quantities, which is an incredible duo for digestive health and makes flax somewhat of a fibre-powerhouse!

The key benefits of including more fibre—in this case, flax—into your diet include:

Flaxseeds are packed with lignans

Lignans are polyphenols found in plants which have strong antioxidant properties and are believed to contribute to a lowered risk of:

Source – Naturally Lignan-Rich Foods: A Dietary Tool for Health Promotion?

And when it comes to lignans, no other plant-based food can beat flax. According to Elaine Magee in her book ‘The Flax Cookbook’, flaxseed contains over 120x more lignan than most beans, over 180x more than most whole grains and over 260x more than most fruits and vegetables.

Flaxseeds are full of essential fatty acids

The essential fatty acids omega-3 and 6 cannot be made by the body and so must be obtained through the diet—hence their name, ‘essential’ fatty acids. They’re vital for good health, but can be hard to find in vegan diets; which is where flax comes to save the day!

Just like chia seeds, linseeds are quite literally packed with essential fatty acid. Their total fat content is made up of 73% polyunsaturated fat; the majority of which comes in the form of essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. A small percentage of ALA is converted by the body into the other unsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

The benefits of plant based omega-3 fatty acids found in flax include:

One thing’s for sure, the health benefits of flaxseed are pretty damn impressive. But before you start scooping and sprinkling, it’s important to learn how to use flax to its full potential.

How to eat flaxseed

To truly reap the long-term benefits of flaxseed, it’s best to incorporate a tablespoon or two into your daily routine. Thankfully, these tiny seeds are incredibly versatile and can be added to an endless list of foods and recipes!

Here are some of our favourite ways to eat flaxseed:

How much flaxseed per day?

To reap the health benefits of flaxseed, aim to consume around 2 tbsps of flax per day, consistently.

However, suddenly increasing your fibre intake in a very short period of time can lead to digestive upset. Therefore, it’s best to ease in slowly—start with a tsp per day and gradually increase the amount of flax in your diet every day.

Make sure to drink plenty of water, too. Fibre pulls water into the bowel, so there’s a risk of becoming dehydrated if you don’t drink enough whilst eating high-fibre foods.

Is flaxseed better ground or whole?

Avoid eating flaxseed whole, and instead, opt for pre-ground flaxseed or grind them yourself at home.

Whole flaxseed can be hard for the body to digest and often ends up passing through completely undigested. What does that mean for you? Well, you’d potentially be eating flax for nothing. If they’re not digested, you wouldn’t benefit from all of flax’s impressive nutritional qualities and health benefits.

The only downside here is that ground flaxseed tends to go stale quicker than in their whole form. You’ll need to get through a pack within a few weeks. Storing ground flax in an airtight container in the fridge can help to keep them fresher for longer. You can also freeze ground flaxseed for up to a year. Make sure it’s thoroughly thawed before use.

Alternatively, just buy them whole and grind them as and when you need them at home.

Enjoy flax in Purition

Feeling inspired to improve the quality of your diet with healthy wholefoods like flax? You’ll love Purition.

Purition is a real food shake you can have for breakfast, lunch or as a post-workout protein powder, which instantly takes the stress out of healthy eating. An instant serving of healthy fats (packed with those heart-healthy omega-3s we were talking about), protein, fibre and nourishing vitamins and minerals.

All of our blends are made up of our 7 core ingredients, which amount to around 70% of the total mix. This includes whole ground golden linseed (flax), sunflower kernels, almonds, coconut and pumpkin seeds with whole chia seeds and sesame seeds. We then add whey protein isolate from British milk to our original blends, or a European pea, pumpkin, sunflower & hemp protein blend to our vegan flavours.

So what’s in it for you?

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