Description
The Rich Nutrients in Flax Seeds and Flax Oil Flax seeds and flax oil are being rediscovered as true health foods. They definitely merit being included on any top-ten list of foods that are good for you. Flax is not a new food. It is actually one of the older and, perhaps, one of the original health foods, treasured because of its healing properties throughout the Roman Empire. Flax was one of the original medicines used by Hippocrates. Flax could be dubbed the forgotten oil. It has fallen out of favour because oil manufacturers have found nutritious oils to be less profitable. The very nutrients that give flax its nutritional benefits essential fatty acids also give it a short shelf life, making it more expensive to produce, transport, and store. Yet, those who are nutritionally in the know continue to rank flax high on the list of must have foods. Because of the flurry of scientific studies validating the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, flax oil has graduated from the refrigerator of health food nuts to a status of scientific respectability. I seldom leave home in the morning without having my daily tablespoon of flax oil or 2 tablespoons of flax-seed meal. Besides being the best source of omega 3s, flax oil is a good source of omega 6, or linoleic acid (LA). Sunflower, safflower, and sesame oil are greater sources of omega 6 fatty acids but they dont contain any omega-3 fatty acids. Flax oil is 45 to 60 percent the omega-3 fatty acid alphalinolenic acid (ALA). In addition to nutritious fats, flax seeds contain other nutrients which make eating the whole seed superior to consuming just the extracted oil: Flax seeds contain a high quality protein.