LINWOODS
Organic Milled Flaxseed
LINWOODS
Organic Milled Flaxseed
Here’s another product that I’ve used for a very long while and recommended hundreds of times to other people. I never cease to be amazed at how much positive feedback I get from patients when they begin to use Linwoods Flaxseed. If you suffer with an irritable bowel, diverticular disease or just plain stubborn constipation, then do try this easy to take superfood, either in the plain version or one of the mixes of milled and blended seeds, berries & nuts. Begin slowly with small amounts, no more than one or two teaspoonsful (see important notes in red at the foot of this page).
Most people, when they're advised to increase their intake of dietary fibre, will automatically reach for bran cereals. However, wheat is a common source of irritation and gut sensitivity. Lniwoods Organic Milled Flaxseed, on the other hand, is gentle, effective and far more nutritious. There's more on the importance of the right kind of dietary fibre on pages 88-104 of Good Gut Bugs. You might also like to read the article Why We Need Good Gut Bugs.
Good quality flaxseed is an excellent source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids, nutrients we normally associate with fish and which most people know are good for heart and circulation. Flax is not only a great vegetarian source of Omega 3, it’s also rich in iron, calcium and some very special nutrients known as lignans.
Lignans are a group of protective plant nutrients which contain phyto-oestrogens, best known for helping to ease the symptoms of the menopause and are also being studied as an important possible defence in the fight against certain types of cancer. Lignans are strongly antioxidant and research suggests they could reduce the risk of heart and circulatory disorders, cholesterol levels and cancers not only of the colon, but also breast and prostate, as well as helping to reduce inflammation, improve bone density and ease the symptoms of diabetes and the menopause.
Lignans are available from other food sources including grains, peas and beans, broccoli, cabbage, soya beans, oats and berry fruits and seeds, in particular, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds but flaxseed is still nature’s richest known source.
Linwoods make a whole range of excellent products including flax with goji berries, flax with sunflower and pumpkin seed, flax with almonds, brazils and walnuts and one with berries and cocoa. And there's a nutritious hemp seed version, too. For more information, go to their website:
www.linwoods.co.uk
Very Important Notes:
1. NEVER take any kind of dietary fibre without increasing your fluid intake. To work properly and safely, fibre needs fluid. So, for example, if you're using flaxseed on your breakfast cereal or with other food, then always make sure that you drink a glass of water at the same time. I usually advise my patients to take their flaxseed with a large glass of water just before or with their breakfast. For the elderly, and for anyone not used to a fibrous diet, I would very strongly recommend that you begin with only one teaspoon of Linwoods milled flaxseed once a day and that all important large glass of water. After seven days, increase to two teaspoons of flax with your glass of water. If you're comfortable with this, then increase again to three level teaspoons in week 3 and stay with this as your daily dosage. There's more on the importance of the right kind of dietary fibre, and on flax and probiotics in Good Gut Bugs. You might also like to read the article Why We Need Good Gut Bugs.
2. The type of linseed sold in ordinary (usually see-through or flimsy) packaging, sometimes found in the baking section of supermarkets, is NOT the quality therapeutic flax that I'm talking about here. A good way to tell the difference, if you're unsure, is to remember this: If what you're looking at in the store seems really cheap or a real bargain price, and isn't in an opaque, vacuum-sealed pack, then chances are it isn't the quality you need and it's very unlikely to have the beneficial action of organic seed. It certainly won't contain those all-important lignans.
1. NEVER take any kind of dietary fibre without increasing your fluid intake. To work properly and safely, fibre needs fluid. So, for example, if you're using flaxseed on your breakfast cereal or with other food, then always make sure that you drink a glass of water at the same time. I usually advise my patients to take their flaxseed with a large glass of water just before or with their breakfast. For the elderly, and for anyone not used to a fibrous diet, I would very strongly recommend that you begin with only one teaspoon of Linwoods milled flaxseed once a day and that all important large glass of water. After seven days, increase to two teaspoons of flax with your glass of water. If you're comfortable with this, then increase again to three level teaspoons in week 3 and stay with this as your daily dosage. There's more on the importance of the right kind of dietary fibre, and on flax and probiotics in Good Gut Bugs. You might also like to read the article Why We Need Good Gut Bugs.
2. The type of linseed sold in ordinary (usually see-through or flimsy) packaging, sometimes found in the baking section of supermarkets, is NOT the quality therapeutic flax that I'm talking about here. A good way to tell the difference, if you're unsure, is to remember this: If what you're looking at in the store seems really cheap or a real bargain price, and isn't in an opaque, vacuum-sealed pack, then chances are it isn't the quality you need and it's very unlikely to have the beneficial action of organic seed. It certainly won't contain those all-important lignans.