Flaxseed Nutritional Value
Whole flax seed (ground meal, powder or intact seed) contains 28% dietary fiber, (7 – 10% soluble fiber, 11 - 18% insoluble fiber), 40% fat (73% of it being polyunsaturated fatty acids), and 21% protein.
It also has generous amounts of Vitamins A (Beta Carotene), B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6, B-12, and vitamin E.
More than 50% of the fat in flax seed is an essential fatty acid called omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid, ALA ), which makes flax seed the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acid. Flax seed is rich in antioxidants, such as lignans (also a phytosterogen) and other phenolic molecules. Unlike the ground meal and powder, flax seed oil contains no dietary fiber.
Benefits of Flaxseed in Human Health
The above list of nutrients renders flax seed to have beneficial effects on human health. The high dietary fiber in flax seed, due to its high water-holding capacity and low digestibility, increases the bulkiness and gastric emptying of stool. This in effect helps relieve constipation and other irritable bowel syndrome. In addition to that the insoluble fiber is able to act as a broom cleaning mucus and excess debris from the intestines walls.
Lignans, which are antioxidants, are also associated with lower serum cholesterol and may help reduce oxidative damage to cells and cellular molecules from free radicals. Flax seed may also lower blood glucose and improve insulin tolerance (diabetes). Whole flaxseed (powder and ground meal) may also reduce serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Flaxseed can also reduce some markers of inflammation, and raise serum levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, ALA.
What this means for you, Potentially improving:
- Healthier Bowl
- Protected Tissues
- Balanced Blood sugar
- Improved Cholesterol metabolism
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