You’ve probably read plenty of articles that advocate the importance of nuts and seeds in the diet, because they’re a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids and Omega 3 fatty acids which in turn help keep your cardiac system healthy. The humble flax seed which sits unassumingly on most supermarket shelves packs a great punch of nutrients for both men and women. Keen to find out how you can maximise your nutrient intake from just 50gm of flaxseed daily? Here’s how!

Firstly, make sure that you consume the golden brown seeds as a whole, or if you really want to grind them and use it as a flavouring agent in your sandwich or salad, make sure that you grind up only the required amount. Buying ground up flax seeds, storing them in your fridge or even cooking them causes the vitamins present to oxidise and turn rancid. Instead add them whole to your morning cereal, for added crunch in your sandwich or even in place of sesame seeds on cooked meats. Here’s how those little seeds work hard to protect your body from within:

– Flax seed could help women fight cancer because of the high content of insoluble fiber and alpha-linolenic-acid content present. In fact, it also helps reduce various symptoms associated with PMS and enhance the health of the fertility system.
– Flax seed has been proven to have cholesterol reducing properties. Its combination of omega 3 fatty acids and fiber has been proven to affect lipid patterns in the blood.
– Got skin problems like eczema and acne? The anti bacterial properties in flaxseed may be just what you need.
– Flaxseed can aid in lowering high blood pressure, boosting immunity, enhancing the function of the liver and help the body absorb calcium better also.
– It can help ease the symptoms of arthritis and research is being conducted to analyse if flaxseed can also solve the problem of male infertility.

Who knew flaxseed could even help your appearance but it’s been proven to contain anti-aging properties and help in the growth of healthy nails and lustrous hair. So the next time, you crave a healthy snack, say no to junk or processed food and yes to fruit yoghurt with a tablespoon of flaxseeds added to it. It will give you all the benefits you need for a healthier you.