Flax Seed Nutritional Information

Whole flax seed nutritional information

As a grain flax will last for years if held under cool conditions and without a lot of humidity. Milled it will only last for a few weeks before it starts to turn rancid. The type of flax used in the Amaranth Delight products is in its whole grain state. There are so many health benefits of utilizing flax in the diet that it would be hard to find another ingredient with the attributes of flax. The flax in the Amaranth Delight formulations helps account for the seemingly high fat content. The fats are the healthful polyunsaturated type.

What Is Flax?

Flax is a blue flowering crop grown on the Prairies of Canada and in many parts of the United States for its oil-rich seeds. The seeds of flax plant are tiny, smooth and flat, and range in color from light to reddish brown. People have eaten flaxseed since ancient times. Taste -- a pleasant, nutty flavor -- is one reason. Good nutrition is another.

Flax seed As a Food

Because of its link to good health, flaxseed is fast becoming a new food in many diets. Bakers and commercial food companies use flaxseed as a unique ingredient in everything from yeast breads, to bagels and cookie mixes.

Omega-3 enriched eggs from hens fed rations containing flaxseed are also very popular. These eggs contain eight to 10 times more omega-3 fatty acids than regular eggs. Humans readily utilize the fatty acids contained in flax seeds.

Flax seed As a Good Medicine

Current nutrition research continues to identify various substances in foods that appear to act as protectors against chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease and cancer. Flax seed, a popular food ingredient in Europe and Canada, is no exception.

The reasons are many

• Several flax seed nutritional studies confirm that flaxseed can be a cholesterol-lowering agent like oat bran, fruit pectin and other food ingredients that contain soluble fiber. By packaging both omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber together, flaxseed presents two ingredients that favor healthy blood lipid patterns.
• Flaxseed contains healthy amounts of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Scientists at the American National Cancer Institute singled out flaxseed as one of six foods that deserved special study. The reason: flaxseed shows potential cancer-fighting ability. Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of lignans, a type of phytoestrogen which may protect against cancer, particularly hormone-sensitive cancers such as those of the breast and prostate.

Flax Seed Nutritional Profile

The Flax helps increase and balance out the amino acid profile of the Amaranth Delight products. While flaxseed is rich in protein, research suggests that its health benefits probably have more to do with its fatty acid and fiber profile.

• Proximate100 grams (3 œ ounces)
• Food Energy - 450 Kilocalories (Calories)
• Fat* - 41.0 grams
• Total Dietary Fiber - 28.0 grams
• Protein - 20.0 grams

*Analysed by the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS ) Official Method Am 2-93, which is based on the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations Ltd. (FOSFA) Official Method. The American Organization of Analytical Chemists (AOAC International) Method 996.06 will produce a slightly lower fat content.

Fatty Acids in Flax Seed

Part of the reason fats and oils have earned such a bad reputation in recent years is because people eat too much fat, particularly too much saturated fat. (Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk for heart disease.) Although about 41% of flaxseed is oil, very little of that is saturated. More than 70 per cent of fat in flaxseed is of the healthful polyunsaturated type. In fact, a unique feature of flaxseed is the high ratio of alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) to linoleic (omega-6 fatty acids).

Nutritionists consider these two polyunsaturated fatty acids as essential because the body cannot manufacture them from any other substances. (Normally, the body converts carbohydrates, proteins and fats into fatty acids as needed.) That means they must be eaten as part of the diet. While other plant seeds -- corn, sunflower, and peanuts -- contain omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, flaxseed is the only one that contains so much of the essential omega-3 fatty acids. Understanding how these two types of polyunsaturated fat differ, can help underscore why flaxseed has so many unique health benefits.

Flax seed is a source of lignan, which has been shown in crosssectional studies to be associated with better cognitive functioning in older women.

We hope that flax seed nutritional information has been helpful to you.

Flax seeds are used in All Aztec Power Food cereals

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