🟤 Flaxseeds – small but mighty: a wonderful superfood that costs next to nothing

Let me make one thing clear straight away – in Ukraine, flax really does cost next to nothing. Before the war, I used to buy it at our local market for 30–40 hryvnia a packet. At the pre-war exchange rate, that was about 1 pound per kilogramme. Here in England, however, it costs considerably more – roughly the same price as the rather pricey chia seeds – about £1.80 for 200 grams. Admittedly, it’s already ground. But it’s worth it, because if you’re keen to support the health of your digestive system, hormones, brain and your whole body in general — flaxseeds will be a welcome addition to any diet. They’re often underestimated, and that’s a real shame!

Why they’re super-healthy (and not just for vegetarians):

🔸 1. Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 supports the health of the heart, blood vessels and brain. Everyone knows about the enormous benefits of these magical acids, but far from everyone gets them from natural sources – from flaxseeds, for example. After all, just one tablespoon of flaxseed will cover the body’s daily requirement for these essential fatty acids.

🔸 2. Fibre and digestion

Flax is a rich source of soluble and insoluble fibre.

It gently cleanses the intestines, regulates peristalsis and helps prevent constipation, especially if your diet contains a lot of pulses.

Or simply unhealthy food – fast food, fried food and all that sort of horror. Well, if your diet is free of such horrors, so much the better for you – after all, the flax won’t have to go into overdrive to cleanse your system – and so it will bring your body even more benefits of all kinds,

🔸 3. Hormonal balance (phytoestrogens)

Flaxseeds contain lignans – plant compounds that regulate oestrogen levels in the body.

This is beneficial for PMS, the menopause, and more. Flaxseed generally offers a host of benefits for women’s health.

💡 Studies show that flax may reduce the risk of breast cancer and help regulate the menstrual cycle.

🌀 How to eat them and get the full benefit:

Make sure they are ground. Whole seeds will simply pass through your system without providing any benefit.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container – the oil in them oxidises quickly.

Don’t even think about frying them! When heated, the omega-3s break down, all the goodness evaporates, and in the end, instead of benefits, you get nothing but harm. And nobody wants that!

🥄 Ideas for adding them:

To any porridge or steamed oats – 1 tbsp

In a smoothie – as well as being healthy, it will give your drink a pleasant, thick texture

In baking – by the way, if you like, you can even use it to replace eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water = 1 ‘vegan egg’). Or you don’t have to replace them at all; just add a little ground flaxseed to any type of dough.

In yoghurt, granola or any kind of salad (it actually works quite well in a salad with sour cream)

Here are a couple of interesting facts about today’s hero:

🧴 Flax was used to make… natural glue!

If you soak flax seeds for even a short while, they release a clear, gel-like substance – in the past, this was even used to stick up wallpaper. Today, it’s a fairly popular ingredient in natural cosmetics too. In Ukraine, I used to go to the sauna regularly with my friends, and every time we’d take natural face masks with us. One of them was a mask made from soaked flax, and thanks to that very natural gel, it stayed on the face perfectly, and after using it, my skin felt as soft as silk!

📜 Flax is one of the oldest crops.

Flax seeds have even been found in Egyptian tombs. The Egyptians used it both as food and as a material for making fabric, products of which are highly prized all over the world to this day. Pythagoras, for his part, considered flax a sacred plant. And now we know that there was clearly a good reason for that!

The conclusion from our discussion today is clear: flax seeds are a readily available, and above all, a worthy superfood. Don’t be lazy – make sure you try adding this wonderful product to your diet every day for at least a month, and you’ll really feel the difference!