Guest Blog Post: Benefits of Flax Seed with Ways to Incorporate it in Your Diet

The following is a post by guest blogger Kishana Sainte with some quick grammar editing done by me, (Kelly). For any questions about this blog, please visit http://www.mydochub.com to contact Kishana directly.

Picture source: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/806978/flax-seed-recipes

Are you looking for a way to boost your health and help your body remain vibrant and energetic? 

Have you heard of flaxseed?

Flaxseed is bursting at the seams with goodness. Just take these characteristics as an example: flaxseed is made of two-thirds protein and one-third oil, one tablespoon has 40 calories, nearly 2,000 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids and 2.4 grams of fiber. All of these positive attributes make flaxseed a healthy food to incorporate into your daily diet for optimal health. For example, flaxseed helps regulate blood sugar, stabilizes blood pressure, reduces symptoms from rheumatoid arthritis, decreases menopause symptoms, and it helps prevent some types of cancer. Not to mention, it also is known to lower cholesterol levels.

How much should you take, exactly? Health experts agree that a daily dose of one to three tablespoons is optimum. So, what is the best way to digest these little guys? Luckily for all of us, flaxseeds are small and easily adapt to all different ways of consuming it. Here are some ways that you can enjoy flaxseed in your diet:

Ground (aka: milled) Flaxseeds: If you want to get the ultimate benefits out of flaxseed, then the best approach is to grind it up prior to using it. The grinding action helps dissolve the outer shell, releasing the beneficial essential fatty acids that are contained within. There are a few ways to grind flaxseeds, you can either grind them in a coffee grinder or purchase pre-ground seeds in any health food store. Be sure to refrigerate and ground flaxseed as it loses its positive healing properties quickly if exposed to light. One way to know if the flaxseed has gone bad is to smell it. Good flaxseed smells like a yummy, sweet nutty flavor. When flaxseed starts to go rancid it smells more chemically.

Kelly's Note: Your body absorbs flax best in it's ground/milled state

Baking: Another great way to consume flaxseed is by baking it into your favorite muffins, breads or other baked goods. Flaxseed can replace around 25 to 50 percent of the normal flour amount in almost any recipe. Stay away from adding too much as it will make your baked item hard to chew and heavy in texture.

Smoothies: Try to incorporate flax into your diet by adding it to your favorite smoothie recipe. The flaxseed actually has benefits for the drink: it makes the drink a little thicker. Try adding whole flaxseed to your mixture at the end of the blending process, adding about a half tablespoon of flaxseed for every cup of liquid.

So on your next shopping trip, be sure to purchase some flaxseed to incorporate into your diet!

About the author: Kishana Sainte writes on health & lifestyle, fitness, and food & recipes on behalf of MyDocHub, a trusted online doctor reviews and medical information website. For more information visit http://www.mydochub.com