Yes, yes. You can replace eggs with flax seeds. You will see this suggestion on many egg-free recipes. Let's do a deeper dive.
What is flax seed?
Flax is a blue-flowering plant, grows best in cool climates with long periods of daylight. Canada represents 40 % of the world flax seed production. While in the past they were used in textiles, flax seeds are now produced for human food consumption.
The healing properties of flax seeds has been documented since Hippocrates. I did not grow up eating flaxseeds but the benefits are too great to ignore - so now I ground the seeds quite frequently!
Ground flaxseeds often work better than medicines and are effective against a ton of illnesses. They are most known for healthy omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. The seeds are set apart by their lignan content - it is said that they have a hundred times more lignan than many other foods.
What is Lignan?
They are phytoestrogens that can dampen the effect of the body's own estrogen. That's why flax seeds are often prescribed for menstrual breast pain.
In the book 'How Not To Die', authors Dr. Michael Greger and Gene Stone quote several medical studies to justify the use of flax seeds in our daily lives.
Scroll down for study links.
Here are some benefits of flax seeds:
Flax seeds are effective against breast and prostate cancers.
- In terms of breast cancer risk, eating a tablespoon of ground flax seeds daily can extent a woman's menstrual cycle by about a day. This means that she will have fewer periods over the course of a lifetime, and therefore less estrogen exposure and reduced breast cancer risk
- A 2010 study found that sprinkling a few spoonfuls of ground flaxseeds on your oatmeal or whatever you are eating during the day may reduce the risk of breast cancer
- Lignans in flax seeds have been shown to slow the growth of prostate cancer cells in lab experiments. Evidence suggests that flaxseeds are a safe, low-cost source of nutrition and may reduce tumor-proliferation rates
Flax seeds help with reducing blood pressure.
- In addition, they control cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation and also treat constipation.
- Ground flaxseeds alone can induce one of the most potent blood pressure lowering effects even achieved by a dietary intervention. Eating just a few tablespoons a day appears to be 2-3 time more powerful than adopting an aerobic endurance exercise program (not that you shouldn't do both!)
Note 1: Do not have them whole because they will pass right through you without adding any nutritional benefits to your body. Grind them into powder!
Note 2: How to do they taste? Flax seed powder is light and nutty. It does not have a strong taste which makes it easier to sprinkle it on so many things.
Note 3: What is the best way to consume flax seeds? Sprinkle it on cereals, salad or soups. Bake them into your muffins. Make your own crackers or flax seed bars. Add them to your smoothies.
Replace eggs in baking (1 egg = 1 tablespoon of flax seed powder and 3 tablespoons of water)
Studies quoted, click on the links to review them:
Flax and flaxseed oil: an ancient medicine & modern functional food. Find the Journal of Food Science and Technology article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152533/
Effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle. Find The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism here: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/77/5/1215/2649961?redirectedFrom=PDF
Reduction in Ki-67 in Benign Breast Tissue of High-Risk Women with the Lignan Secoisolariciresinol Diglycoside. Find the Cancer Prevention Research journal article here: https://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/3/10/1342.long
Flaxseed Supplementation (not Dietary Fat Restriction) Reduces Prostate Cancer Proliferation Rates in Men Presurgery. Find the Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2703189/
Potent Antihypertensive Action of Dietary Flaxseed in Hypertensive Patients. Find the Hypertension journal article here: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.02094
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