Monday, February 11, 2008
Be good to your heart, try some flaxseed
Since 1963, February has been appointed National Heart Month. This month has been designated to urge Americans to join in on the battle against the No. 1 killer, heart disease. By now, most us know that not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, as well as reducing the saturated and trans fatty acids in our diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
More recently, the American Heart Association has updated recommendations for consumption of omega-3 fatty acids for further prevention of heart disease. Omega -3 fatty acids in the diet include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Recommendations specifically include 1 gm of EPA and DHA per day, preferably from fish oil. Currently there are no exact recommendations for ALA for heart disease prevention, although the heart association suggests that intake is beneficial.
Flaxseed is a very rich plant source of alpha-linolenic acid. We should be encouraged to replace oils such as corn oil and safflower oils with canola soybean or flaxseed as well as incorporating flaxseed and walnuts into our diets.
Flaxseed has been used in the diets of humans for thousands of years. The Babylonians cultivated flaxseed as early as 3,000 BC., and millennia later, in 650 BC., Hippocrates used flaxseed for the relief of intestinal discomfort.
Flaxseed can be purchased at many supermarkets.
Ground flaxseed provides more nutritional benefits than whole seed. That’s because the seeds are hard, making them difficult to crack, even with careful chewing, therefore they may pass undigested through the body, reducing the nutritional advantage of eating it in the first place. Ground seeds are available as well as the whole seed. The seed is easy to grind at home by using a coffee grinder, food processor or blender. Like coffee beans, you can grind flaxseed coarsely or fine, but generally recipes call for finely ground seeds.
Once the flaxseed is ground, there is greater risk of it developing an off flavor taste. That is why it is best to grind whole flaxseed as you need it. This ensures its freshness. Either after grinding or purchasing already ground, the flaxseed should be refrigerated or freezed in an airtight container and will keep for up to 90days.
Add flaxseed to your baking for a pleasant nutty taste. It not only adds flavor, it adds extra texture and good nutrition to your breads and other baked goods. Try sampling flaxseed in everything from bread, waffle, muffin and cookie recipes. Sprinkle it into your cereal or on top of yogurt or salads. You can use flaxseed as a replacement for some or all of the oil, butter, margarine or shortening in a recipe. Recommendations include 3:1 substitution ratio. For example, 3 Tbsp. of ground flaxseed added to a recipe can replace 1 Tbsp. of the fat. When flaxseed is used instead of oil, the baked good will tend to brown more rapidly.
So during this month of February, as we are reminded to be good to our heart, go ahead and indulge in some flaxseed and you can say you had a dose of alpha-linolenic acid for the day and feel good about it.
Sarah Hospod is a registered dietitian in the Food and Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Hospod and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
More recently, the American Heart Association has updated recommendations for consumption of omega-3 fatty acids for further prevention of heart disease. Omega -3 fatty acids in the diet include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Recommendations specifically include 1 gm of EPA and DHA per day, preferably from fish oil. Currently there are no exact recommendations for ALA for heart disease prevention, although the heart association suggests that intake is beneficial.
Flaxseed is a very rich plant source of alpha-linolenic acid. We should be encouraged to replace oils such as corn oil and safflower oils with canola soybean or flaxseed as well as incorporating flaxseed and walnuts into our diets.
Flaxseed has been used in the diets of humans for thousands of years. The Babylonians cultivated flaxseed as early as 3,000 BC., and millennia later, in 650 BC., Hippocrates used flaxseed for the relief of intestinal discomfort.
Flaxseed can be purchased at many supermarkets.
Ground flaxseed provides more nutritional benefits than whole seed. That’s because the seeds are hard, making them difficult to crack, even with careful chewing, therefore they may pass undigested through the body, reducing the nutritional advantage of eating it in the first place. Ground seeds are available as well as the whole seed. The seed is easy to grind at home by using a coffee grinder, food processor or blender. Like coffee beans, you can grind flaxseed coarsely or fine, but generally recipes call for finely ground seeds.
Once the flaxseed is ground, there is greater risk of it developing an off flavor taste. That is why it is best to grind whole flaxseed as you need it. This ensures its freshness. Either after grinding or purchasing already ground, the flaxseed should be refrigerated or freezed in an airtight container and will keep for up to 90days.
Add flaxseed to your baking for a pleasant nutty taste. It not only adds flavor, it adds extra texture and good nutrition to your breads and other baked goods. Try sampling flaxseed in everything from bread, waffle, muffin and cookie recipes. Sprinkle it into your cereal or on top of yogurt or salads. You can use flaxseed as a replacement for some or all of the oil, butter, margarine or shortening in a recipe. Recommendations include 3:1 substitution ratio. For example, 3 Tbsp. of ground flaxseed added to a recipe can replace 1 Tbsp. of the fat. When flaxseed is used instead of oil, the baked good will tend to brown more rapidly.
So during this month of February, as we are reminded to be good to our heart, go ahead and indulge in some flaxseed and you can say you had a dose of alpha-linolenic acid for the day and feel good about it.
Sarah Hospod is a registered dietitian in the Food and Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Hospod and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
# posted by ----------------- @ 4:40 PM 
