Flax seeds are a health food that you can find at most grocery stores and health stores; they are packed with a multitude of benefits, especially for women. They play a supportive role in hormone balance, digestion, weight loss, and disease fighting.
Menopausal Symptoms
Supplementing your diet with flax seeds can act as an alternative replacement therapy for women going through menopause. The way this works is by ALA fats in flax seeds that have estrogenic properties. These properties help support hormone balance; this will reduce the symptoms of menopause related to lack of estrogen.
Osteoporosis
The same estrogenic properties that offer benefit for menopausal women can also help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Menstrual Cycle Regulation
The estrogenic properties also support cycle regulation.
Breast Cancer
Flax seeds contain lignans; these are a form of antioxidant that supports many health functions in the body. These lignans can reduce the risk of breast cancer by converting into enterolactone. Enterolactone helps to balance hormones, which can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Increased Nutrient Absorption
Flax seeds have high levels of mucilage and gum content; this keeps food from moving too quickly into the small intestine. This helps increase nutrient absorption of food in the stomach.
Skin and Hair
ALA fats and B-vitamins that are found in flax seeds offer improvement of symptoms with acne, rosacea, and eczema. They also reduce dryness and flakiness in the scalp.
Yeast Infections and Candida
The lignan antioxidants in flax seeds support growth of probiotics in the gut. This can eliminate yeast infections and candida.
Colds and Flus
The lignans also provide antiviral and antibacterial properties; these properties can reduce the number and the severity of a cold or flu.
Colon Health, Weight Loss, and Appetite Control
Flax seeds contain high levels of soluble and insoluble fiber. This supports colon detoxification, fat loss, and control of sugar cravings. It supports weight loss by keeping the stomach satiated longer. The anti-inflammatory properties of flaxseeds also help to support weight loss; inflammation leads to excess weight.
Flax seeds have so much to offer, some of the benefits listed above can be useful for men as well. Flax seeds can be consumed in many ways: they can be found in a ground meal, sprouted flax, and oil. The most common suggestion of consumption is adding a few spoonfuls of flax meal to smoothies. It is also delicious when added to popcorn. Flax crackers and hummus are another great snack idea. Adding Flax to your diet is a simple, harmless way to support healthy hormone balance and much more.
