12 Steps to Whole Foods

Avoiding Bad Fats, Enjoying Good Fats
Why Should I Eat Flaxseed Oil?
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are the unsaturated Omega-3 (alpha-linoleic acid)
and Omega-6 (linoleic acid) fatty acids called “essential” because the body
cannot manufacture them and therefore must be supplied by diet. (Your body
can produce adequate Omega-9s if enough essential fats are available.) These
fats support many of the body’s systems, including the nervous, immune,
cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. EFAs are used by the body to make
and repair cell membranes and eliminate waste from cells. They also produce
prostaglandins, which regulate blood pressure, clotting, heart rate, and fertility.
EFAs are particularly critical for babies, pregnant women, and children for
neural development.
Americans are Omega-3 deficient. We need a ratio of between 1:1 and 4:1
Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids, but most Americans get between 10:1 and
25:1. Deficiencies in Omega-3, as well as inappropriate Omega-6 to Omega-3
ratios, have been linked to many of the diseases the U.S. leads the world in:
depression, cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, lupus, diabetes, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s. Americans get too
much Omega-6 partly because of our reliance on processed vegetable oils, which are high in damaged, lowgrade
versions of that nutrient.
If anyone experiences symptoms of depression or anxiety, the first thing I recommend trying is flax seed or
flaxseed oil in the diet every day, which can create dramatic improvement by addressing Omega-3 deficiency.
Yet another reason to enjoy foods rich in EFAs is that they have the effect of combating damage done by the
“bad fats.” The phytoestrogens in flax have a documented result of balancing hormones for women: too-high
estrogen counts tend to come down and too-low estrogen counts tend to come up when eating flax seed. And
compounds in this power food are well established tumor inhibitors, so anyone with a history or risk for cancer
should take note.
The American Cancer Institute acknowledges 27 different compounds in flax seed that are anti-carcinogenic.
In particular, a diet containing flax inhibits breast and colon cancers. In recent years, a hot topic of research is
the lignan compounds, a special carbohydrate known to prevent both cancer and heart disease, as well as other
inflammatory conditions. Virtually all of our modern diseases are inflammatory diseases. Flax has the highest
known concentration of these lignans, 75 times higher than the next-highest food!
Possibly the best way to get EFAs is in the form of flax or hemp seeds. However, two cautions are in order.
First, smell them when you purchase them (and look at the expiration date to make sure that they are fresh).
You can usually tell if they smell rancid. Grind them in your high-powered blender only just before using them,
as they oxidize quickly once ground. Second, whole flax seeds that aren't broken down pass through the
intestine doing little other than absorbing liquid—so chew flax very well if you eat it whole, or grind it instead.
You can get your EFAs easily from high-quality flaxseed oil, which must be purchased refrigerated in dark
bottles at health food stores. Barlean’s and Udo’s are excellent brands that use organic flax and refrigerate it
from production to point of sale. One tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily provides an adequate quantity of EFAs
with the ideal Omega 3:6 ratio. Including the whole seed in your diet, however, will be less expensive and will
add dietary fiber. Use about 2 Tbsp. a day of flax seeds. If you eat flax crackers, eat a few small crackers, not a
cup of them. We will focus more on flax seeds again in Chapter 7 (page 199).
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 97