Background: I first became aware of flaxseed and flaxseed oil years ago when I read a small book by a German biochemist – Johanna Budwig.
She is well known for her protocol on cancer, and she also talks about the ability of the fatty acids in flax to protect the myelin sheath of the nerves. I’d been having some symptoms like prickly hands and feet, and unsteadiness, so I thought it might be nerve-related. I started taking a tablespoon a day of flax oil and I’ve been doing it for years now.
Health Benefits of Flaxseed:
Whether or not you have an issue with your nerves, there are plenty of other good reasons to make flax oil or ground flaxseed a part of your diet. Studies have shown that “Dietary flaxseed has the potential to reduce tumor growth in patients with breast cancer,” as shown in this study from the National Institutes of Health:
Early puberty, cancers of the breast, ovaries, and prostate are all linked to hormonal disturbances in our bodies from environmental toxins.
The lignans in flax are phytoestrogens said to be anti-estrogenic because they prevent the buildup of estrogen mimickers (or xenoestrogens) in the body, which could be the cause of the hormone-related cancers we see today.
Plant (phyto) estrogens are beneficial because they occupy estrogen receptors that would otherwise be filled by estrogens from petrochemical toxins, like those derived from foods packaged in plastics that have been heated, for instance.
It’s like there are only so many seats on the bus, and if they are already filled, nobody else can sit down. Fill your estrogen receptors with healthy phytoestrogens and the toxic endocrine disruptors that mimick estrogen have nowhere to settle.
The list of xenoestrogen sources is very long, but includes chlorines used in things like pesticides and drycleaning, phthalates in cosmetics, and growth hormone given to cows and pigs. In my opinion it’s best to eat well and prevent these toxins from doing harm since it would be impossible to avoid them all.
Beauty Benefits:
Flaxseed is also a great source of omega 3 fatty acids which is especially important today to balance out the omega 6s from packaged foods in the modern diet. It will give you soft skin and shiny hair. Oat and buckwheat flour are great sources of fiber and protein. Buckwheat flour has 4 grams of protein per 1/4 cup.
Aside from the benefits above, flaxseed oil and ground flaxseed is delicious. I put the oil on oatmeal or toast instead of butter, or in salads. I love ground flaxseed in smoothies and because it’s filling it can help to stave off hunger.
In this recipe for oat/buckwheat pancakes, I use 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed in place of eggs and it works very well to add moisture and texture. If you are not vegan you can use eggs from pasture-raised chickens instead.
(I also use flaxseed in my chocolate pudding recipe that you can find in my post “Why Don’t People Like Soy?”)
Note: always use ground flaxseed, because the whole seeds pass through the colon undigested and you won’t get the benefits. Don’t worry if they don’t look exactly like wheat- flour pancakes. They taste delicious.
Pancake Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Oat Flour
- 1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour
- 2 flax “eggs” (or real eggs) To make the flax eggs, simply mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons water and let gel in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes.
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1-2 cups almond or soy milk (I like them thin so I add a lot of milk.)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients. Heat oiled pan until drop of water sizzles. Use large kitchen spoon to drop dollops of batter into the hot pan. Heat each side about 2 minutes.
Serve hot; top with flax oil and maple syrup for the best taste!
Do you use oat flour or buckwheat in your recipes? Let me know in the comments section below.
