Flax seeds are way cooler than you’d think.
I know they sound like something served for breakfast at a nursing home, but…
These are super seeds! Flax seeds (sometimes called flax or linseed) provide good fiber and omega-3 essential fatty acids even in small amounts.
It’s ideal to get as many nutrients from actual food as you can (as opposed to supplements), and flax is an easy addition to your daily diet. Don’t you love when simply eating yummy food also helps support your hormones?
3 Benefits of Flax Seeds
1) They’re a cheap and easy way to add nutrition to meals.
Smoothies, yogurt, salad, homemade crackers and bread… It’s so easy to throw some flax into a recipe. Just make sure you grind the seeds first (so they turn into “flax meal” so your body can absorb all the goods.
Don’t waste money buying them pre-ground! Buy whole flax seeds in bulk, and use a coffee grinder, blender or food processor to grind them into a powder. (I love using my coffee grinder since the seeds also clean it and make it shiny.)
Store in a sealed mason jar in the fridge. The fridge will keep the flax from going rancid. If you only use flax seeds in smoothies, you can simply throw them into the blender whole and save the pre-grinding time.
2) They’ll give you smooth moves.
Maybe you don’t think about it, but bowel movements can also be a sign of hormonal health. I sure hope you’re getting a good BM at least once a day (if not, you might need to tweak a couple things), but it doesn’t hurt to try adding flax!
Ingesting flax every day can support good daily elimination. If you take them dry (e.g. as a capsule or not in a liquid food), drink a glass of water with them to make sure they can pass through your body.
3) They support hormone detoxification.
Speaking of elimination… it’s a way your body gets rid of toxic products. We build up estrogen through different pathways (hormonal birth control, food and the environment— remember xenoestrogens?), and promoting good digestion supports detoxification of excess estrogen.
Too much estrogen can lead to heavy periods, breast pain, PMS and other unnecessary annoyances.
Adequate detoxification can make your skin glow, your mood lift and your energy rise. Not to mention, periods can be a breeze.
Break out the flax seeds and get detoxifying!
Do you eat flax regularly? Have you found any benefits? Got a recipe to share?