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Nikki Hawkes

Medical Herbalist, specialist in Gut & Thyroid health

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general health

What is flaxseed good for?

January 13, 2020 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

what is flaxseed good for?

This small, nutritious seed is full of good fats and fibre. But do you know what flaxseed is good for in terms of your health?

What is flaxseed?

Flaxseed, also known as linseed, is the seed of the common flax plant. The same plant that provides the material for the production of linen. Importantly, the seed is a rich source of the omega-3 essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid.

Essential fatty acids are “essential” because they can not be made in the body. But they are crucial for our health. Other important sources of alpha-linolenic acid include chia seeds and walnuts.

We now know that the type of fat that we eat is more important than the amount of fat that we eat. Alpha-linolenic acid is an example of a polyunsaturated fatty acid. This type of fat is a “good fat” and we should be including more sources of it in our diet.

Flax oil or seed?

We can buy flaxseed in various forms. For instance, most of the larger supermarkets sell either the whole seeds or ground seeds, also known as milled. It is also possible to buy pure flaxseed oil.

The standard serving size of whole flaxseed is one tablespoon and this amount provides 2.4g of alpha-linolenic acid. Whereas a one-tablespoon serving of the oil provides 7.3g of alpha-linolenic acid.

At first glance, it might seem like the flaxseed oil is the best choice. But, whole or ground flaxseeds also contain other beneficial nutrients such as lignans and fibre that are not found in the oil.

There are also plenty of baked products such as muffins, cakes and bread that contain flaxseeds. You might also find plenty of recipes for making these yourself at home. But, often these might contain ingredients that are not so good for your health, such as sugar.

I have now found a great alternative. One that includes all the fat and fibre goodness, as well as tasting delicious, flax milk.

Flax milk

It’s easy to make our own delicious and healthy flax milk. This is an excellent alternative to dairy milk that can easily be made at home. Simply blend two tablespoons of whole seeds in 200ml of filtered water in a high-speed blender. You can also add a few drops of vanilla extract or a sprinkle of cinnamon powder to make it extra tasty. Store your flax milk in the fridge or drink immediately. Though you might want to build up to this amount per day for the reasons I mention later.

Flax milk is gluten-free and contains no cholesterol or lactose. It contains all the good fats and fibre of the whole seed. What’s more, it has more health benefits than almond milk.

The health benefits of flaxseed

The health benefits of flaxseed are many and varied. But, most of the research has been focussed on cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Cardiovascular disease

Though there are some studies on people, at the moment much of the research is on animals. Nevertheless, researchers say that dietary flaxseed displays powerful protection against cardiovascular disease in humans. For instance, lowering blood pressure on average by (10 mmHg). According to researchers, this was enough of a reduction to halve the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Flaxseed and Cancer

In both animal and human studies, flaxseed showed significant protection against breast cancer. Furthermore, on reviewing ten human trials researchers found flaxseed reduced tumour growth in women with breast cancer.

Further evidence supports the use of flaxseed to prevent the occurrence of breast cancer. And also to reduce the risk of death in women living with breast cancer.

The whole seed rather than the oil may be important here. Researchers say the lignan component of the seed is metabolised by intestinal bacteria into enterolactone. And, studies of postmenopausal women show that higher blood concentrations of enterolactone reduce the risk of breast cancer. Not only that, but higher enterolactone levels promote better survival times.

But, researchers say that the evidence also supports a protective effect of flaxseed or enterolactone on other cancers, including:

  • colon
  • prostate
  • gut
  • lung
  • liver
  • ovary
  • endometrium
  • cervix

Protection against menopausal symptoms

The lignans may also provide protection against menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. This is because they have a similar structure to oestrogen. This similarity means these plant oestrogens (or phytoestrogens) can have oestrogen-like effects. Though of course not anywhere near as powerful as our own oestrogen.

Yet, postmenopausal women have much lower levels of oestrogen. Therefore, adding in these weak plant oestrogens may provide some benefit. This has been confirmed in studies, with a reduction in the frequency and severity of hot flushes in postmenopausal women.

It has to be said that not all the studies showed a clear benefit with flaxseed. But, given that there are plenty of other health benefits to eating this seed why not give it a try?

Gut health

Flaxseeds are a source of prebiotics. Prebiotics are the fibre-rich foods that probiotics feed on. As such, they help to promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Scientists say this might help to prevent colon cancer. Whilst also beneficially increasing insulin sensitivity, an important factor in type 2 diabetes.

In another trial, flaxseed was superior to psyllium seed as a remedy for constipation. No doubt due to its high fibre content.

Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes

Further to the finding of improving insulin sensitivity, research shows benefits for people with diabetes. In studies, flaxseed lowered blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes and also those with prediabetes. Again the lignan component is thought to be important for this effect.

Can you eat too much flaxseed?

So, there are plenty of good reasons to include flaxseed in your daily diet. But, can you have too much of a good thing?

Whilst no toxicity has ever been reported for flaxseed, it might be important to incorporate it into your diet gradually. This is mainly because of the potential for changes in bowel habits from an increase of prebiotic fibre. I recommend building up to between 1-2 tbsp flaxseed per day.

Furthermore, it is a good idea to drink plenty of fluids if you are consuming flaxseed. Of course, if you are going to have your flax in the form of flax milk then you are going to get plenty of fluid right there.

Filed Under: general health

Why I have a food first approach to optimum health

August 17, 2019 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

People that know me well know that good food is essential to me. I even chose my daughters’ school based on the food they offered. It is the same with my patients. My patients know that I am very interested in what they are eating. I have a food first approach when it comes to achieving optimum health in my patients since proper nutrition is fundamental to feeling and functioning your best.

The importance of good food has as much relevance for unhealthy people as for those with good health, if not more. Right from the start of my practice I knew that if a chronically ill person was not eating well, they just couldn’t get better. Herbal medicine could only get my patients so far on their healing journey. Since no amount of supplementation is going to achieve optimum healing without also getting the foundations right. [Read more…] about Why I have a food first approach to optimum health

Filed Under: general health Tagged With: diet, Health, herbal medicine, herbs

An intro on adaptogens for stress

February 25, 2019 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

stressed woman

Modern life is inherently stressful. The funny thing is that we don’t all respond to stress in the same way. Of course there are situations that we all might struggle to cope with, like the death of a loved one. But in the day to day hurdles of life, it is often the case that what might distress us, someone else may see as a challenge or opportunity. 

This is why stress management techniques can sometimes really help. And I’ve talked about these before. It’s not that deep breathing exercises or doing yoga daily is going to make everything easy, but it can certainly help to change your perception. And it is often the case that how we perceive our stress that affects our body’s response to a stressor. 

Make no mistake, stress can be very tough on the body. Especially when the stress goes on and on. Chronic stress can cause inflammation in the body, and inflammation is at the root of almost every chronic disease.  [Read more…] about An intro on adaptogens for stress

Filed Under: Chronic fatigue, general health Tagged With: herbalist, herbs, stress

What to eat on the Mediterranean diet

February 9, 2019 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

Mediterranean diet photo

As I have discussed before scientific studies suggest that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest way to eat. There are hundreds if not thousands of studies that support the use of this way of eating for improving health as well as reducing the risk of developing a chronic disease, potentially reversing chronic disease and for increasing life expectancy.

The Mediterranean diet should really be viewed as a concept based on a collection of traditional dietary habits that might have been followed by people in the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, before the mid 1960s.

But do we know exactly what to eat on the Mediterranean diet? For instance, does this suggest that eating pizza or pasta with a cheese sauce are healthy food choices? In fact, pizza is not a traditional Mediterranean food. [Read more…] about What to eat on the Mediterranean diet

Filed Under: general health Tagged With: chronic disease, diet, Food Pyramids, Health, Healthy Diet, Mediterranean diet, Mediterranean Food

Should you eat more whole grains?

January 21, 2019 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

barely whole grains

In the news last week we saw many articles similar to this one from the BBC website. These articles relate to a World Health Organisation (WHO) funded review in the Lancet that looked at the amount of dietary fibre people eat and how it relates to their health and risk of disease.

The general impression of the WHO review suggests that we all need to eat at least 25g of fibre per day to lower our risk of disease. And, that whole grains can form a substantial portion of this amount.

I have been talking about the benefits of eating a diet rich in fibre for years. And I’m sure that many people are aware that eating more dietary fibre is good for their health. [Read more…] about Should you eat more whole grains?

Filed Under: general health Tagged With: chronic disease, diet, Mediterranean diet, microbiome

Why a low fat diet is not the way to go

December 3, 2018 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

 

It’s not surprising that sometimes people get confused about the healthiest way to eat, whether it’s a low fat diet or low carb or something else. There are far too many contradictory messages in the media about the healthiest type of diet. But, as I’ve been telling my patients for quite some time, nobody is ever going to say that olive oil is unhealthy, right? Well, imagine my surprise this week, when I watched a TV documentary in which several people said just that.

These people were so scared about eating fat, that even solid evidence that olive oil has numerous health giving properties was waved to one side. But why are some people afraid of dietary fat.

Fear of dietary fat began in the 1960s and 70s when, following some dubious science, governments started to recommend low fat/ high carbohydrate diets to lower the risk of heart disease. Over several decades the public responded accordingly and total fat intake decreased considerably. [Read more…] about Why a low fat diet is not the way to go

Filed Under: general health Tagged With: diet, Mediterranean diet

Are group appointments the answer to the healthcare crisis?

October 11, 2018 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

group sessions might ease the healthcare crisis

The BBC recently reported a story about the success of group appointments within the NHS. The article said that both patients and GPs benefited. Patients enjoyed peer support. And, GPs said they saved time and did not need to repeat their advice. But are group appointments really the answer to our healthcare crisis? [Read more…] about Are group appointments the answer to the healthcare crisis?

Filed Under: general health Tagged With: functional medicine, medical herbalist

Simple strategies for preventing a common cold

October 1, 2018 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

garlic cloves and sliced garlic

Are you one of the lucky ones that never seems to catch a cold? If not then you might want to read on. This article is for those people who want to know about some evidence based strategies for preventing a common cold.

Of course there are plenty of remedies for reducing the symptoms and duration of a cold, but isn’t it true that prevention is better than cure? In fact, in traditional medicine systems such as herbal medicine, the ability to resist infections comes down to the innate health and vitality of the individual. A person in robust health is more able to resist infections such as the common cold. So, a herbalist would seek to support the vitality or vital force of the person so that they are less liable to infection and better able to resist disease. [Read more…] about Simple strategies for preventing a common cold

Filed Under: general health, herbal medicine Tagged With: diet, green tea, herbalist, herbs, immune system, probiotic

Pesticides linked to autism and other chronic diseases

August 20, 2018 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

crop spraying with pesticides

In my article Could indoor toxins be making you ill?, I discuss how the constant exposure to household and workplace toxins can mean these chemicals accumulate in the body. And, how this build up of toxic chemicals may be one factor underlying the rapid increase we are seeing in chronic diseases, such as heart disease, dementia and autoimmune diseases.

Unfortunately it is impossible to completely avoid environmental toxins such as pesticides. Yet studies show that these toxic chemicals are affecting long term health. For instance, in 2014 this study reported that an increased exposure to pesticides was linked with an greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Before the 1970s halogenated organic compounds such as DDT, DDE (a metabolite of DDT) and PCBs and other persistent pollutants, were widely used in developed countries. DDT was used as an insecticide, whilst PCBs were used in transformers and electrical equipment. [Read more…] about Pesticides linked to autism and other chronic diseases

Filed Under: general health, Mind and mood Tagged With: autism, chronic disease, environmental toxins, Health, pesticides

Do you have allergies? Or, is it histamine intolerance…

May 7, 2018 by nikki hawkes Leave a Comment

histamine intolerance has many of the same symptoms as allergies

Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical that has many effects in the human body, including an important role in allergies. In a person with an allergy, the immune system responds to their allergen by releasing histamine, which causes various symptoms depending on the location. For example, in someone that has hayfever, exposure to pollen causes the release of histamine, which produces symptoms of an itchy, runny nose, with congestion and sneezing. However, sometimes histamine can produce allergy-like symptoms in the body that are not due to an immune response. These symptoms are the result of histamine intolerance.

The symptoms of histamine intolerance

Histamine has many functions and is found in nearly all the body’s tissues. Therefore, the symptoms of histamine intolerance are many and varied. These symptoms can be mild to severe, but they don’t all occur in the same person. [Read more…] about Do you have allergies? Or, is it histamine intolerance…

Filed Under: Allergy, general health Tagged With: allergies, histamine intolerance

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