Topical oils are all the rage these days to achieve beautiful skin and for good reason. I’ve written about them and I use them, sometimes under sunscreen, sometimes over a night-time serum. They provide phytonutrients that protect skin from the sun, emollients for moisturization, and other plant chemicals that can add a glow and lighten dark spots. But what about including oils in your diet for your best skin?
Healthy fats are essential for great skin but it can be difficult to get enough through foods alone. You can eat your nuts and seeds, avocados etc…but especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan, you might be leaving your skin parched without knowing it.
Flax Oil is possibly the best oil to add to your diet for silky skin, while the ground seeds provide additional gains and here’s why:
FLAX: Essential Fatty Acids and Fiber
Flax seed has long been recognized as a health food, and I mean long! The ancient Greeks and Romans used it for a healthy gut and now we know why. It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in the bloodstream, thus lowering cholesterol and sugar. Lowering sugar prevents a process called glycation, in which sugars attach to collagen fibers and destroy them. Since I’d rather keep my collagen as long as possible, I kind of like that idea. Insoluble fiber speeds digestion, and each benefits the entire body, including skin.
Flax is best known for its essential fatty acids which protect arteries and nerves. It is one of the richest sources of vegetarian EFAs, along with chia seed. If you don’t eat fish, you need to eat plenty of plant-based sources of EFAs. I stumbled upon (pun below not intended) flax oil in my thirties because I was a bit of a hypochondriac.
To be fair to myself, I was definitely experiencing symptoms. I was waking up with tingly feet and fingers, and I was unsteady on my feet at times, especially in very hot weather. Lay doctor that I am, I decided it had to do with my nerves so I began researching.
Turns out, these are symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. OMG. Did I have MS? I found a popular little book by a scientist named Johanna Budwig and that’s the first time I’d heard of flax. The essential fatty acids in flax, especially the omega 3s but also the omega 6s, protect the myelin sheath around the nerves. I started taking a tablespoon a day and no more tingling or swaying! A welcome side-effect was that I noticed my skin was never itchy. Instead it was glowy and moist all day long.
In addition to fatty acids and soluble fiber, the insoluble fiber in flax benefits the entire body. It provides a feast for the bacteria in our intestines. And how can a healthy gut benefit the skin? The acids in our stomach aren’t capable of breaking down fiber, so the critters in our bellies take up the slack with glee. This enables digestion to run smoothly, nutrients are better absorbed, and our skin benefits from the goodness. If you have an abundance of healthy bacteria, your skin will show it.
Summary of skin benefits of flax:
- The soluble fiber in ground flaxseed lowers insulin resistance, reducing blood sugar, thus protecting collagen from breakdown.
- The omega 3s concentrated in flax oil protect nerves from damage as well as moisturize the skin.
- The insoluble fiber in ground flaxseed feeds the gut microbiome, speeding digestion and increasing absorption of healthy nutrients that make your skin glow.
NOTE : You must grind the seeds before use (or buy it already ground), otherwise they leave the body undigested. I enjoy ground flaxseed in smoothies, in yogurt, with oatmeal or in cookie recipes.
IMPORTANT : Do not heat flax oil. This will destroy the beneficial EFAs. Buy it in a fresh bottle and keep it in the refrigerator. There should be an expiration date. You could take it as a capsule supplement but it’s not as fresh that way so I’m not sure you can achieve the same benefits. I love flax oil and I also put a tablespoon or two on top of yogurt or oatmeal, rice or salad. I even eat it by itself in a spoon. It is delicious!
Spectrum Essentials has good quality flax oil and seed products, but you can find others like Barleans in your health food store.
To read more on the benefits of flax, see my article Delicious Gluten-Free Oat/Buckwheat Pancakes: Focus On Flaxseed
If you’d like more in-depth information on Flax, you can read the wonderfully-researched book Total Breast Health, by Robin Keuneke.
Are you a flax fan? Let me know in the comments section below!
