| Garlic, Linseed and Other Superfoods | ||||||||
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Linseed
Up to around a hundred years ago, linseed was a staple in the diet, but the short shelf life of linseed probably reduced its popularity over the years, so that today it is not as popular in the diet as it used to be.
Today, health conscious people have been again adding linseed to their diet in the form of linseed oil or linseeds (either ground or whole). Many bread companies have also realised the health benefits of linseeds and have starting making more breads with linseed added.
Linseed seeds contain many beneficial nutrients, such as protein, fibre, various vitamins and minerals and omega-3 fatty acids in the form of lignans. Lignans have been recently discovered to have anti-cancer properties, as well having antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral properties.
Lignans are phytoestrogens, which have a positive hormone-like action in the body. Lignans have very strong antioxidant properties as well as strong anti-cancer properties. Various studies have shown that phytoestrogens can possibly prevent some types of cancer, including oestrogen-dependent breast cancer, as well as colon and prostate cancer.
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The reason that phytoestrogens have a beneficial effect on the body and reduce risk of cancer is that they attach to the body's oestrogen receptors so that any excess oestrogen is processed through the liver to be excreted out of the body. This protective action prevents the toxic effects of excessive oestrogen in the body and thus prevents cancers which are oestrogen-dependent. Linseed has a similar action to prevent prostate cancers in men.
Linseed (or flax seeds) have more than 100 times as much natural phytoestrogenic lignans than any other plant source.
Linseeds have the following health benefits:
- the omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for heart health as they reduce inflammation in the body and especially in the heart;
- the natural lubricant properties and source of fibre makes linseed beneficial for constipation and colon health promotion;
- linseed provides the fats that are the precursors to brain building compounds;
- linseeds promote healthy skin.
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- What are superfoods?
- Benefits of superfoods
- 10 Superfoods
references
- Graci S, Diamond H, Martin JM, The Power of Superfoods, Prentice Hall Canada, 1999
- Pratt SG, Matthews, K. SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, Harper-Collins Publishers USA, 2004
More information
To learn more, go to the following web sites: