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Healthy Diet Plans >>  Diet and Weight Loss >>  Flax

Flax For Weight Loss


These days, everyone is on the lookout for ways and foods which will help to lose weight. Flax is one such food that can aid in weight loss. Flaxseed health benefits are many and these include losing weight. Read on to find out more about how eating flax for weight loss can help. Eating flax to lose weight helps because of the beneficial nutrients in flax.
These nutrients are fiber, healthy oils along with other essential nutrients.
  • Flax is extremely high in fiber. Research has shown that one ounce of fiber contains 32% of the daily amount of fiber a person should have. It is a well known fact that fiber helps in weight loss. This is due to the fact that a high fiber food has low energy density. This simply means that such high fiber foods are lower in calories as compared to the weight of the food. The other benefit of eating fiber is that it creates a feeling of fullness. Fiber is also absorbed slowly into the body and therefore a person feels full for a longer period of time. Flax is even more filling than other high fiber foods as after eating it, it swells and becomes a gel like substance in the intestine. This substance helps to delay the passing of foods from the stomach.
  • Eating flax for weight loss also helps because flax contains a great deal of insoluble fiber as well. Insoluble fiber is needed for the proper functioning of the digestive system and for regular digestive movement as well. This insoluble fiber helps to remove the buildup from the walls of the digestive tract. Many times, this buildup in the walls of the digestive tract prevents people from losing weight. The buildup also prevents nutrients from being absorbed into the digestive tract. All this leads to food cravings which make people eat more and therefore put on more weight. The fiber content in flax is just one way by which eating flax for weight reduction works.
  • You now know one of the reasons why eating flax to lose weight works. The other reason why eating flax for weight loss occurs is due to the healthy fats it contains. 42% of flaxseed is made up of oil. 70% of this oil contains healthy polyunsaturated fat or the good fat. The fat content in flaxseed helps the body to work well. These fats also help to prevent and reduce the body’s food cravings. Polyunsaturated fats like the ones found in flaxseed also help to give one a person the feeling of being full without the additional harmful effects that saturated fats carry with them. The kind of fats and the amount that is found in flaxseeds also helps to increase the metabolism and helps the metabolic system to work more effectively. This helps to burn even more calories. Another reason why eating flax for weight loss is effective is because flax contains two essential fatty acids. These are Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids. The combination of these two acids produces prostaglandins that also aid in weight loss. Read more on home remedies using flaxseed

Experts advise that flax intake for weight reduction should be at least three times a day, with each meal. The maximum amount you should eat is about 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds daily. Ensure that you reach this maximum amount slowly, especially if you are not used to eating this amount of fiber daily. Consuming flaxseed oil for losing weight is recommended as well. Simply, mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of this oil to a large glass of water, and drink one glass of this daily for best results.

How Does Flax Benefit In Weight Reduction?


There are many flax benefits in weight loss. These are due to certain properties that flax contains. Firstly, flax is a rich source of fiber which helps with regular digestive movement. Fiber also gives one the feeling of being full for a longer period of time and thus helps to reduce food cravings. Flax also helps to keep and stabilize blood sugar levels which help to keep the energy we get from eating, last for longer periods of time. This also wards off food cravings. Flax also contains essential omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids as well as healthy polyunsaturated fats. All these help to lose weight.

Precautions while consuming flax:

Keep the following precautions in mind while consuming flax. Flaxseed can act like the estrogen hormone; therefore pregnant women should consult their health care providers before eating flaxseeds. If you decide to start eating flax for weight loss, it is advisable to eat not more than 1-2 tablespoons daily. Start eating the flaxseeds in smaller quantities and then gradually build up to this amount. Whole flax seeds stay fresh for up to a year, if they are stored correctly. You can store the seeds in the freezer or refrigerator.

Submitted on January 16, 2014