14 Amazing Benefits Of Flax Seeds For Indian Women

The benefits of flax seeds added to a woman’s diet are many. Here’s taking a look at how they are beneficial, and some easy recipes using flax seeds.

Flax or Linseed is such a multi-purpose plant, its uses spanning from linen thread, sheets, sacks, clothes, bags, purses, strong rope, fishing nets, sails, strings for bows among others. Commonly known as Alsi in our country, Flax has always been an intrinsic part of the Indian traditional diet and medicine.

Many benefits of flax seeds for skin, hair and much more

The benefits of flaxseeds added to your diet are numerous.

The benefits of flax seeds are particularly high for the following groups of people:

• Postmenopausal women or women who are deficient in estrogen
• Men and women with a history of obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes
• Men with a history of prostate disease or cancer
• Growing children would gain from the high calcium and phosphorus content found naturally in Flax, via stronger bones.

However, flax isn’t made for everyone. If you happen to fall under any of the following categories, we suggest you substitute fish oil in place of flax for your daily boost of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

• Women with a history of ovarian, uterine, breast cancer or have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene defect.
• Women with a history of endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
• Women who are on any kind of hormonal replacement therapy or birth pills.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• Infants. It is recommended to wait until the child is at least 12 months old before introducing flax into the baby’s diet.
• Adolescent girls and women under 30 should limit their flax intake to 1-2 times per week and not consume flax daily.

How to buy flax seeds?

Flaxseeds can be easily bought from any of the following stores – grocery, health, or organic and online. It is best-bought whole as they are not only cheaper but also last longer with their nutrients perfectly intact. When the interior and most precious part of the flax seeds is exposed to light and air, they get rancid sooner and the nutritional value highly diminishes.

Best way to eat or consume flax seeds

One should never eat raw or unripe flax seeds as they could be poisonous. Also, the healthy omega-3 fat from flaxseeds is alpha-linolenic acid (or ALA), a type of omega-3 that must be converted by the body to the highly beneficial fatty acids (EPA and DHA) naturally found in salmon and other fatty cold-water fish. It is best to have it in powder or oil or capsule form.

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If you want to enjoy the benefits of flaxseeds, it is highly recommended to buy the flax seeds in the whole form and grind them into a fine powder, as and when you need them, for getting the best benefits of flax seeds. For this purpose, all you need is a simple food processor or coffee/ spice grinder. Here are step-by-step instructions for making your own fresh, homemade flax seed powder.

How to store flax seeds?

If you do choose to buy flaxseeds from the store in powder or oil form, make sure you pick them up from the refrigerated section of the store, packaged in opaque material.

Any store-bought form of flax seeds, be it powder, oil, or capsule, should be refrigerated and stored at home for up to 30 days. Bitter flax seeds are a sure sign of rancidity. So, dispose of them at the earliest.

Benefits of flax seed oil are many, but…

Also, do bear in mind that the oil from flax seeds is simply not made for cooking as it is highly perishable and will lose its flavor and nutrients when exposed to high temperatures and light.

To get maximum benefits of flax seeds, adults can take up to 2 to 4 tablespoons of flaxseed powder or 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil or 1 to 2 flax seed capsules daily.

Now, that we know the various benefits of flaxseeds and learned how to buy, consume and store them, let us go several steps ahead with the following deliciously good recipes.

Apple-flax seeds halwa recipe

Apples and Cinnamon are a match made in heaven. But, when you throw in some pitted dates, flax, milk, mawa, and ghee, you end with a perfect recipe that is simply out of this universe.

Recipe here.

Flax seeds curry leaf karam podi recipe

Moving on to something truly hot – brace yourselves up for some fiery challenge immediately upon sunrise! Sprinkle some fiery flax seed curry leaf karampudi atop your dosa or idli. Serve alongside a piping hot cup of filter coffee. True morning bliss!

Recipe here.

Ragi and flax seed laddu

This healthy and delicious version of the Ragi Laddu comes loaded with the goodness of walnut, flax seeds, dry fruits, gram, sesame seeds and jaggery. Perfect for any special or festive occasion.

Recipe here.

Palak phulka

For those who need an extra iron punch, here’s a true power-packed flatbread combining spinach and flax seeds.

Recipe here.

Bottle gourd and flax seeds

A simple and tasty side dish comprising bottle gourd and flax seeds, making it the perfect accompaniment for the main course of rice and roti!

Recipe here.

Broccoli flax seed parantha

Fun, healthy, and satisfying take on the paratha for your lunch-box.

Recipe here.

Flax seed Burfi recipe

This is a great anytime ‘on-the go’ snack. At home, workplace, post-workout, midnight! A tasty, healthy burfi made of almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts, flax seeds, cardamom, and sugar.

Recipe here.

Oats and flax seed kheer

Is your child already tired of the same standard version of oats with milk and fruits? Why not lend a desi touch to this with this kheer recipe!

Recipe here.

Homemade flax milk

So, there’s badam (almond) milk, Kesar (saffron) milk, and then there is the Flax milk. A super delicious drink made with dates and flax seeds.

Recipe here.

Whole wheat bread with oatmeal and flax seeds

For all the bakers and bread lovers, this is such a treat to make and taste. The combination of whole wheat, oats, dates, and flax seeds makes this bread drool worthy!

Recipe here.

Orange, apple, flax seed bread

When you have fruit bread as sweet as this one, life is simply a breeze.

Recipe here.

Crunchy flax seed cookies

This is one smart cookie…literally! These cookies are so worth the effort – these super healthy flaxseed cookies are based on the Keto diet.

Recipe here.

Flax seed pancakes

A glorious way to start your morning is with these fluffy flax seed pancakes. This recipe is a wonderful twist on your regular pancake.

Recipe here.

We sure can promise that with these recipes, you aren’t going to get any flak. So, just re-flax and enjoy!

Image source: SharonKinder-Geiger from Getty Images for Canva Pro

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