5 Reasons to Eat More Linseed

 

Bag of milled linseed with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries and chia seeds

I’ve noticed that Lidl are selling packs of milled linseed (which as it turns out is just another name for flaxseed) with various other nuts and seeds added and I was very curious to try some out, having heard about what a fantastic superfood it is. The variation I chose was Milled linseed with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries and chia seeds – a mighty combination!

Reason 1) Alpha-Linolenic Acid

Without sounding too much like a GCSE chemistry teacher, linseed contains this important nutrient which is an omega-3 fatty acid – i.e. GOOD fats (so much so that in the 127 world’s healthiest foods, linseed comes out at #1 for omega-3s!) Just one tbsp contains 2g protein and 100% of your recommended ALA intake which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Reason 2) Fibre

Fibre helps regulate blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol, as well as helping you poo, but the fibres in linseed also contain lignans, which especially help protect against breast and colon cancers and are a powerful antioxidant.

Reason 3) Metabolism

Yep, these wonderous beauties also can make you thinner, increasing metabolism rates, just by including 15-30g per day of linseed into your regular diet. For a food thats over 70% fat in terms of calories, it seems surprising, but in just 3 months (apparently) they can improve your metabolism by 20%. I’ll keep you posted!

Reason 4) Cheap and Available

The linseed I’ve bought was about £1.99 from Lidl, and as you only need 1-2 tbsp per day, it’s going to last a while! There are different varieties and flavours and it comes in a resealable bag too.

Reason 5) Taste

They taste pretty good and give a soft nutty texture to foods. ALA is stable when cooked at oven temperature for up to 3 hours, so you can easily add hem to breads and cakes, or put in a spoonful into your smoothie, sprinkle on your breakfast and my favourite at the moment – stir into some hot raspberry porridge!