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Fashion trends have taken the popularity of healthy eating to a new level. Keeping track of your own diet, engaging in regular physical activity and just looking great is a new trend that many people want and try to match. Fashion has influenced all spheres of our life, including one of its most important components – food.
The counters of small stalls and millions of hypermarket chains are filled with products labeled “eco”, “organic”, “gluten-free”. Sunflower oil was replaced with coconut oil, cocoa with carob, sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds, and wheat flour with flaxseed. Let’s focus on the last interchangeable option. Why is flaxseed flour so good, how and why can it be used, and is it really as useful as manufacturers assure us?
What is linen
This is a plant from the flax family. There are about 100 varieties of the plant, but the most important (from an industrial point of view) species is common flax. In the people it is called a spinning plant. It is an annual hairless grass that reaches 60 centimeters in length.
In countries with a warm climate (for example, India), flax grows faster and higher than in the temperate climate zone.
Heavenly flax flowers are the heroes of folk art and modern popular culture. The plant is used to make clothing, produce food, and even feed livestock.
Botanical description
The leaves of an annual plant are whole, narrowly lanceolate, arranged alternately along the stem, less often opposite to it. Flax branches exclusively in the upper part (in inflorescences). The flower takes a strictly five-dimensional form. Gathers up in the form of a false umbrella. The sepals are pointed, crowned with small cilia. The petals are painted in a sky blue-gray hue, less often deep shades of gray and white are found. In addition to the five developed stamens, the plant forms five additional underdeveloped petals. Their shape is similar to a thread or cloves. The fruit (flax head) looks like a slightly elongated ball. It forms the correct brown oily seeds with a glossy tint.
A Brief Historical Reference
The cultivation of flax has been going on since time immemorial. It is still difficult for historians to determine the “starting point” of the plant. Cultivation took place on huge territorial planes. Homeland is considered to be the countries of the eastern Mediterranean. The climate of Western Persia, Antalya and Transcaucasia is perfect for the normal growth and development of the plant. Agronomists point out that flax instantly runs wild in “objectionable” land, ceases to produce the usual amount of crop and slowly rots.
Useful properties of flax seeds
Flour is obtained from ground seeds, so their benefits “pass” to the product. The composition of flaxseeds is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, lingans, phytoestrogens and vitamins. Let’s consider each item in more detail.
Unsaturated fatty acids
Every student knows about the benefits of Omega-3. It is unsaturated fats that the human body simply needs for healthy, high-quality and efficient functioning. Omegas make blood vessels more elastic, lower cholesterol levels, stabilize the blood supply to the brain, which provokes an increase in the overall level of activity.
Particular attention should be paid to flaxseed flour in case of visual impairment, noticeable weakness of the muscular corset, excessive hair loss and deterioration of the skin. Useful fatty acids will help the body to quickly cope with the cause of unpleasant symptoms, but this does not negate the trip to the profile doctor.
Fibre
Fiber is the coarse part of plants that the human body is not able to digest and assimilate. It is this property that determines the overall benefit of the component. Fiber reduces the rate of breakdown and, accordingly, the entry into the blood of individual food components. This is how the regulation of blood sugar levels occurs and the prevention of sharp jumps in these indicators.
The coarse part of the plants is able to lower cholesterol levels, which protects the heart and blood vessels from various pathologies. Nutritionists note that fiber begins to act immediately after it enters the body. Normalization of the stool, improvement of appetite, abolition of pain in the abdominal cavity occur already in the first few days after the introduction of the component into the diet.
Fiber contributes to long-term saturation of the body. The longer a person feels full, the less the temptation to eat chocolate or an extra portion of a favorite dish, which reduces the risk of gaining extra centimeters.
The component normalizes the microflora of the body, treats internal inflammation and improves skin condition. Acne / post-acne / rash of a different nature directly depends on the state of the internal organs. Try replacing wheat flour with flaxseed and after a while you will notice not only a decrease in redness, but also a decrease in the waist, normalization of the stool and an inexplicable surge of energy.
Fiber reduces the risk of developing colon and breast cancer by normalizing the microflora, which affects the hormonal background.
Lingans
Lingans are a group of phenolic compounds that are characterized by plant origin. These are powerful immunomodulators that increase the protective function of the immune system. Lingans are especially important for the body in the autumn-winter period, when the need for additional “feeding” increases significantly.
There are 100 micrograms of lingans in 300 grams of flaxseeds.
Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are natural non-steroidal plant compounds. These are the components that regulate the hormonal background. Due to phytoestrogens, the risk of developing pathologies of the genitourinary system can be prevented, reproductive problems can be avoided.
The effect of phytoestrogens on reproductive function has been confirmed by research at Queen University in Belfast (Northern Ireland). The lack of components leads to serious hormonal disorders in adulthood, is fraught with infertility and the development of cancer. Modern medicine questions the adequacy of the data obtained and conducts additional research on the effects of phytoestrogens.
Proteins
Flaxseeds outperform the popular chia seeds in terms of protein and beneficial fatty acids. Protein is responsible not only for saturation, but also for the normal functioning of the muscular system, strengthening the muscle corset and gaining quality body weight.
Nutritionists recommend adding flaxseed flour to smoothies, porridge, or baked goods to boost the overall nutritional value of the dish. The increase in calories, at the same time, will be minimal, but the benefits of food intake will increase significantly.
What you need to know about flaxseed flour
The main feature of the product is a specific production technique. Flour is produced after the oil has been pressed from the seeds. What does it mean? Excess fat in the form of oil is removed from the seeds, but the beneficial vitamin and nutrient composition, at the same time, remains in the same places. The consumer receives the maximum concentration of nutrients in their “fat-free version”, which will positively affect both health and consumption culture.
Due to vitamins, nutrients, unsaturated fatty acids, flour has a number of useful properties. Flax has a local analgesic effect on the body. Useful flour components (in processed form) scan the internal environment of the abdominal cavity, find the affected areas and help the body cope with damage faster. There is a blocking of the pain signal, an acceleration of regeneration and support for the overall performance of the body, despite the presence of injuries and damage.
Flour is especially useful for diseases of the skin, kidneys and bladder. The product has a general strengthening effect and, with rational consumption, can really replace a handful of medications.
How to use the product
The culinary properties of flaxseed flour are practically no different from any other ground culture. The main difference is the component / chemical composition and the effect on the human body.
Use flour for cooking:
- of bread;
- breadings;
- biscuits;
- bakery products;
- porridge;
- smoothies;
- vegetable / fish / meat salads;
- desserts;
- first and second courses.
The taste of flaxseed flour will be slightly different from traditional wheat flour. It is more saturated and bright. Processed flaxseeds have a slightly bitter taste with a pleasant cereal aftertaste. Such a flavor palette will perfectly set off sweetness in desserts or complement meat, fish, vegetable dishes.
Experiment and combine several flour options. For example, one of the most successful combinations: barley + corn + linen. Three-ingredient flour is especially good for quick but nutritious dishes like vegetable quiches or open jellied pies. Flaxseed flour has the ability to absorb a large amount of liquids. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that you will have to pour a little more oil and water into the dough than planned. As soon as the dough “takes” the required amount of liquids, it will immediately take on the necessary consistency, structure and taste.
Culinary Tip: Flaxseed flour works great as a natural thickener.
What is gluten and is it in flaxseed
Adherents of a healthy diet are ringing the bells about the dangers of gluten and convicting manufacturers of the widespread addition of this unsafe component. Gluten is found in grains, so flour, cereals and other foods are considered “infected”. Why is gluten dangerous and is it worth giving up flaxseed flour, cereal and seeds?
Gluten is gluten, a special protein found in cereal grains. The concept itself has existed for a long time, but the problem of gluten received worldwide publicity only 5 years ago.
What is the danger of the plant component?
- celiac disease This is an autoimmune genetic disease. It occurs in 1 case out of 500 (in some countries the rate is reduced to 1:100), which is a fairly high rate. In celiac disease, it is forbidden to consume gluten, as it impairs the quality of life of the wearer. Celiac disease is a medical diagnosis. If your doctor still hasn’t given you the news, then there’s no need to worry (and be afraid of gluten, too).
- There is a very small percentage of people in the world who are allergic to gluten. This is the most common form of allergy that can develop to anything: even gluten, even oranges. To detect an allergy, it is enough to take a blood test.
- Modern man is prone to secondary (acquired) sensitivity to gluten. Unpleasant symptoms appear after a product containing gluten has been eaten. Such food intake is fraught with headache, chronic fatigue and even hospitalization.
None of the forms of gluten intolerance can be treated medically. The only way out is to follow a strict diet for the rest of your life.
It seems that absolutely healthy people have nothing to be afraid of gluten and can safely consume cereal derivatives. But it’s not. Modern manufacturers add gluten everywhere (even in sausage) to increase the shelf life of the product and improve its commercial characteristics. If earlier humanity consumed a few milligrams of vegetable gluten (from flour, cereals and seeds), today this figure is calculated in kilograms.
An excess of gluten is fraught with a decrease in efficiency, skin problems / acne, depression, deterioration in the functionality of the nervous system, and frequent headaches.
To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is better to abandon direct carriers of gluten (wheat, rye and barley) in favor of gluten-free products. There is no gluten in flaxseeds, porridge and flour. Therefore, flaxseed products are absolutely safe for health.
Pay attention to ingredients and packaging. Even originally pure flaxseed meal can be artificially fortified with gluten.
In addition to the absence of gluten, flaxseed flour has several other obvious advantages: the absence of direct contraindications, low cost and minimal consumption. Improve your eating habits and be healthy!