Like many people these days my husband too is taking fitness, good health and weight loss very seriously. He follows a regime which revolves around working out daily at a gym with a personal trainer and following a regimented diet plan. Part of his plan included adding a daily spoonful of flaxseed to his meals.

Never having heard of these seeds, I scoured the local stores for flaxseed and most of the shop keepers and even the chemists had no clue as to what I was referring to. I searched it on Google to find out that they are called ‘alsi’ in Urdu and made a trek to the shops again, yet was still in for disappointment. Finally, at a supermarket in the vicinity I hit the jackpot. They had packaged flaxseed.

As per the instructions of the gym trainer, I ground them and added a spoonful in a glass of water to be drunk first thing in the morning and in the fruit juice after his work out. When we researched further on the internet (thank goodness for Google!), apart from its incredible weight loss qualities, we were stunned by the bodily benefits which can come to you by incorporating this freshly ground, natural seed in your daily diet.

The pages of history bear testimony to the wonder of flaxseed, so much so that an 8th century king passed a law which made it obligatory for his subjects to consume them for their better health. The power bank within these brown, tear-shaped seeds is their Omega-3 essential fatty acids content which are what we call “good” fats or ‘heart-healthy fats’, proteins, lignans which have both plant oestrogen and antioxidant qualities to combat cancer and finally soluble and insoluble fibre.

If you’re looking to shed pounds and even just keep fit and toned, ground flaxseed are recommended as adding it to your food makes you feel well-fed and satisfied. The oil from flaxseed lines the digestive tract, lecithin dissolves unhealthy fat in the digestive tract and then its fibre and mucilage trap this fat and eliminate it rather than storing it in the body.

Good things come in small packages ... and here’s proof of that!

It may be an old wives tale that a healthy bowel promotes a fitter body and this belief is endorsed in case of flaxseed as its high fibre content is a gentle laxative and cleanses the colon of toxic metabolic waste.

Flaxseed also have the ability to naturally lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels and blood triglyceride values, reducing the risk of arterial clots and heart attacks. They also possess docosahexaenoic and eicosapentanoic acids which are said to keep depression at bay. Lignans — which flaxseed are the top source for — improve memory and promote brain health. So not only do they give way to a healthy body but also a fit mind.

For those with whom wheat doesn’t agree and are always on a look-out for food items which provide the same nutritional benefits as wheat — the by-product from milling whole wheat — flaxseeds are an interesting alternative as its fibre, calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids provide all the power that comes in wheat.

Ideal for hot, sunny climates like ours as they reduce the risk of skin cancer and some studies also indicate that flaxseed has the ability to disrupt the events leading to cancerous cell production warding off the threat of breast and prostate cancer.

If such a simple inclusion in your diet can arm you with a myriad of benefits, it would be ludicrous not to welcome it into your dietary plan. Just make sure you drink plenty of water otherwise it may leave you constipated. Also, don’t have flaxseed whole because they will pass undigested through your system. Grind them fresh and don’t keep their ground form lying around for long as flaxseed oil will oxidise as soon as it comes in contact with air and they will be robbed off its many benefits. Another option is keeping ground flaxseed is to store it in an air tight container or freezer. You can also add ground flaxseed to your cereal, salads, soups, yoghurt and shakes for a flavour that is pleasantly musky and nutty!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine June 21st, 2015

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