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The Real Good Food series will highlight raw foods that are nutritional powerhouses. In this age of processed garbage, it is still possible to make nutritious meals at home if you use real foods.

 

Flaxseed has been around for centuries as a go-to "medicine" to help cure a variety of ailments, as well as help with digestive issues. Long before the emergence of flaxseed in the health and fitness industry, flaxseed played a major role in ancient civilizations for improving digestion, alleviating respiratory issues, and clearing facial spots.

 

The History of Flaxseed

 

Flaxseed has been used for health and ailment purposes for ages. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks swore by the healing powers of flaxseed and the ability for flaxseed to improve certain bodily functions and athletic performance. In fact, flaxseed was held to such high standards that King Charlemagne of 8th century A.D. wrote it into law that all his subjects were required to consume a certain amount of flaxseed per year.

 

Centuries later, herbal medicinal texts have noted the importance that flaxseed has on the gastro-intestinal health of an individual. These medical texts also noted the effectiveness of flaxseed on infections, colic, haemorrhoids and bloating pains. The actual seeds were used to treat constipation, colds, coughs, respiratory infections and urinary tract infections. Flaxseed oil had also been used in combination with calcium oxide to relieve burns, and combined with honey to target age spots on the face.

 

Flaxseeds were introduced into the US after early colonists arrived. In the 17th century, it was introduced and planted in Canada. Canada is now the largest producer of the flaxseeds in the world, followed by China and India.

 

Flaxseed: One of the Best Ways to Get Your Fat Content

 

Obviously certain types of fat are to be avoided like the plague, such as trans fats. On the other hand, there are "good" fats that actually contribute to good health in many arenas. One of these sources of healthy fat is flaxseed oil. This source is the king of healthy fat that has a plethora of health benefits for the body, whether you are a top performing athlete or just a regular Joe.

 

Let's Look at the Flaxseed Itself: Why Bodybuilders Need It

 

Flaxseeds are an amazing source of healthy fats. In fact, they are one of the best sources of an essential fatty acid called 'alpha linolenic acid.’ Bodybuilders in particular will benefit from this fatty acid because it reinforces insulin sensitivity inside the cells of the muscle. Bodybuilders may also like the fact that this alpha linolenic acid stimulates steroid production, constructs healthy cell walls, transports oxygen to cells throughout the body, helps to excrete saturated fats from the blood stream, and regulates smooth muscle reflexes. What more could a bodybuilder ask for!

 

In addition to the healthy fat content of flaxseeds, they also contain the following:

 

Fiber - Everyone knows the importance of fiber in the diet for proper digestion, including enhancing the body's ability to use other nutrients, countering constipation, controlling weight, reducing development of cancer, and countering hypertension. Flaxseeds are a major source of fiber - both soluble and insoluble. By consuming fiber from flax seeds, your body will reap all these health benefits.

 

Protein - The high protein content per serving of flaxseeds is quite high, considering all the other healthy nutrients found in these little seeds. Everyone knows the essential role that protein plays in growing and maintaining muscle mass for bodybuilders and athletes in particular.

 

Lignans - These natural plant chemicals have amazing properties which actually contain anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-bacterial elements to the body. Lignans also have antioxidant properties, as well as the ability to help boost substances which attach to estrogen and help it transport it out of the body. Flaxseeds are the most abundant source of these amazing lignans, which is yet another reason to include flaxseed to your diet.

 

Vitamins & Minerals - The number of vitamins and minerals found in flaxseeds is astounding. The following can be found in the almighty flaxseed:

 

• Iron

• Vitamin E

• B-Group Vitamins

• Magnesium Sulfur

• Potassium

• Phosphorous

• Manganese

• Silicon

• Nickel

• Carotene

• Calcium

• Copper

• Chromium

• Cobalt

• Zinc

 

Why the Properties of Flaxseeds are Essential for Bodybuilders

 

All these components and health benefits of flaxseeds is great, but what does it mean for the bodybuilder?

 

• Decrease in body fat

• Decrease in muscle soreness

• Enhanced performance

• Shorter recovery time

• Increased ability to utilize oxygen

• Increased ability to use other nutrients

• Source of energy

• Overall health & wellness

 

At the end of the day, all these things combined can certainly lead to the development of more muscle mass.

 

What Kind of Fat is Contained Within Flaxseed?

 

If you're wondering what kind of fat that flaxseed contains, here are the different types of fats found in these nutritious seeds:

 

• Superunsaturated Fatty acids (like Alpha-Linolenic Acid)

• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (like Linoleic Fatty Acid)

• Saturated Fatty Acids (like Palmitic Acid and 40mg of Stearic Acid)

• Monosaturated Fatty Acids (like of Oleic Acid)

 

All of these healthy fats have major health and athletic benefits to the body.

 

Seed vs. Oil

 

The flaxseed on its own can easily be included in the diet. You can sprinkle them onto your cereal, salad, yogurt, or even pasta. You might even decide to use ground up flaxseeds that can be used in just about any dish or baked goods without even noticing their presence. However, flaxseed oil is also a great way to get the nutrients from flaxseeds in a more concentrated form. In fact, the best way to get the nutrition and fats from flaxseeds is to combine the raw seeds and the oil to get the best of both worlds.

 

Incorporating Flaxseed into Your Diet

 

There are a variety of ways that you can add flaxseed to many recipes, either as whole flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, or ground up. Here are a few suggestions of foods and meals to include flaxseed into your daily diet:

 

• Hot or cold cereal

• Oatmeal

• Yogurt

• Smoothies

• Salads

• Cooked veggies

• Meatloaf

• Casseroles

• Baked goods

 

Flaxseed can really go a long way. It's almost impossible to run out of ideas as to where flaxseeds can be added to your diet.

 

Adding flaxseed into any diet will certainly provide wonderful health benefits. For those who wish to use ground flax, it is recommended to start off consuming about one tablespoon per day to avoid flatulence and gas. After a couple of weeks, increase the daily intake of ground flaxseed to two tablespoons. Whether whole seeds, ground up, or in oil form, flaxseeds should be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge after initially opening the package.

 

Bottom Line

 

The extremely healthy fats found in flaxseeds and flax seed oil will not only maximize your exercise efforts, but will also improve your overall health and well being.

 

Resources

 

-North American Nutrition (http://www.goldenflax.com/index.html)

 

-Whfoods.com: Flaxseeds (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81)

 

-Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: ''Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the insulin resistance syndrome. Lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis.''

 

-HealthyFlax.com (http://www.healthyflax.com/flax-faq/)

 

-Muscle Max Magazine (http://www.mm2k.com/flax-seed-oil-bodybuilding.html)

 

-http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/991.html

 

-http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

 

-http://www.lifechangingfitnessplan.com/2011/09/flax-seed-fun-facts/

 

-www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=49

 

Lisa Simonelli Rennie – Lisa is a kinesiologist and has a BA in the Health Sciences from York University in Toronto, Canada. She has been involved in sports her whole life and became seriously involved in fitness and strength training while at York University. During this time, she also became heavily involved in running and trained for half-marathons. She has also been involved in sports and physical therapy and has helped to rehabilitate patients through strength training. As of the last few years, Lisa has become involved in sharing her knowledge of the health and fitness industry through writing and hopes that the information she shares will benefit anyone who reads her material.