Homesteader Depot

Tag: nutrition

  • The Health Benefits of Flaxseeds

    The Health Benefits of Flaxseeds

    Flax seeds are a pretty popular health item as of late. They can be bought either ground, in seed form, or in a highly nutritious oil.

    As the healthy fat craze continues, flax seed has proved itself to be a desirable form of healthy omegas-3s. I have always enjoyed it ground on top of yogurt or in multigrain bread, while I enjoy the oil in salad dressings.

    However, what I did not learn until recently is that flax seed oil is also used as a natural remedy. While it’s great for day-to-day health maintenance, it’s also a great natural health first aid item too, and I’m always looking for ways to diversify my healthy medicine chest.

    Of course, health and diet are so interrelated, that it should come as no surprise that something that is amazingly healthy for you is also effective at alleviating and even curing many maladies. Here are some of the wonderful health benefits of flax seed and flax seed oil:

    Assist Healthy Digestion 

    First of all, besides the beneficial omega-3s, flax seed is also very high in fiber, which is an essential nutrient for many bodily functions. For this reason, it can promote digestive regularity, and help to detoxify the body. This is due to its high level of mucilage gum content. Mucilage is a type of fiber that forms as a gel, and because it is water soluble, it is incredibly beneficial to the intestinal tract. It helps regulate digestion as well as maximize nutrient absorption.

    If you are struggling with any digestive health issues, flax seed can be very helpful.

    Anti-Inflammatory 

    Flax seeds are also very anti-inflammatory and are often used as a natural remedy for arthritis. The beneficial omega-3s in flax seeds, which make up 50% of the fat content of flax seeds is a natural enemy of pro-inflammatory compounds. Ground flax seed is a great source for these healthy omega-3s, but flax seed oil is even better. Ground flax also contains lignans, a certain kind of plant chemical which can also combat inflammation of the joints.

    Cancer-Fighting

    Lignans are also well-known for fighting cancer. In tests, flax seed containing high amounts of lignans have shown to considerably reduce cancerous tumors on mice as well as significantly help men with prostate cancer see a reduction in symptoms.

    Ease Symptoms of Menopause 

    These amazing plant chemical lignans you now know so much about also help to ease the symptoms of menopause. Once absorbed, the lignans convert to plant estrogen in the body, which can help reduce hot flashes. For this reason, they are also linked to lower rates of breast cancer as well as reduction of breast cancer tumors.

    Lower Cholesterol 

    The high fiber content of flax seeds, along with the powerful flavonoids they contain, all contribute to lowering “bad” cholesterol in the body.

    How to “Use” Flax Seeds 

    At this point you’re probably wondering, well, how do you I use this amazing nutrient to gain these health benefits?

    If you’re not used to consuming flax seed as part of your regular diet, don’t worry! It’s very easy to integrate into a normal diet, and it’s relatively neutral, nutty flavor doesn’t need much getting used to, it’s quite subtle.

    First of all, it’s worth nothing that if you are struggling with any of these issues, from poor digestion to cancer, that simply introducing flax seed to your diet might not be enough. No matter what you’re dealing with, nothing is worth more than an all-around healthy diet, one that is balanced, full of plant-based nutrients, healthy fats, and lots of whole foods, preferably organic and antibiotic-free. Lots of naturally fermented foods and raw dairy are excellent as well. If you do have any health issues, you might be avoiding anything from dairy to meat to carbs, not everyone has the same dietary needs or desires, but anything that contains reasonable portions of whole foods with enough vegetables tends to work for almost everyone. Read our Ultimate Guide to Health Diets for more.

    Integrating flax seeds into your diet can be a great way to transition to healthier foods, though. Here are some ideas for how to eat it on a daily basis. Keep in mind that the best forms of flax seeds are either freshly ground or in oil form; pre-ground flax doesn’t have as many of the benefits as freshly ground.

    Ways to use flax oil: 

    For the most part, you can use flax oil as you would any other oil. But since it can be rather expensive and you are going to health benefits, you’ll probably want to eat it straight, added to dishes by the teaspoon or tablespoon. Here are some ideas:

    • in salad dressings
    • drizzled over toast or on sandwiches
    • in bulletproof coffee
    • stirred into or drizzled over yogurt
    • as a marinade or cooking oil for meat
    • stirred into hot cereal
    • by the spoonful

    Ways to use ground flax:

    If you are serious about regularly consuming ground flax, buying a small coffee grider and the whole seeds is the easiest way to do this. That way, you can grind them up as needed and reap all the benefits! Here are some ways to use them:

    • sprinkled over yogurt
    • in a smoothie
    • in muffins or breads
    • as a coating for lightly fried chicken
    • stirred into pancake batter
    • in meatloaf (in place of breadcrumbs)
    • in cold or hot cereal

     

    Hope this has given you some great ideas for how to use this amazing super food! Start boosting your health easily and naturally by incorporating flax seed into your diet today.

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  • What’s The Deal With Healthy Fats?

    What’s The Deal With Healthy Fats?

    You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz over the last few years concerning “healthy fats”. However, mainstream diet wisdom has for years been that reducing fat intake is the best way to lose weight and stay healthy.

    So what is it, is fat good or not?

    I think part of the confusion comes from a misunderstanding and misuse of the word “fat”. Fat simply sounds like it will make you fat, so many people assume that “low-fat” would, naturally, make you less fat.

    The problem isn’t in the macronutrient fat, the problem is in the type of fat, the recommendations for how much fat one should eat, and the way many low-fat foods are produced.

    Types of Fat

    First, let’s talk about the different types of fat. Saturated fats, the kind found in butter, whole milk, cream, and other full-fat dairy, was for years demonized as unhealthy and fattening. But recent research has revealed that saturated fats are actually quite healthy for you. Polyunsaturated fats, hydrogenated fats, and trans fats are the types of fat that are very unhealthy, and these should be avoided completely. Vegetable oil, margarine, non-dairy creamer, and fried foods are examples of food loaded with bad fat.

    Whole Food is Always Best

    When it comes to any kind of food, really, the closer to the whole, original source, the better. So the same stands for fats. Whole milk, butter, plain yogurt, oils like olive, coconut, flax, and avocado, tallow, etc., are all forms of minimally-processed, whole sources of good healthy fat.

    Moderation is Key

    Healthy fats should still be consumed in moderation. Here is the aspect of healthy fats you won’t often hear from the whole foods community: fat is still fattening. Fat is an important aspect of any diet, and there are diets that focus on consuming lots of healthy fats to lose weight. But these diets all reduce carbohydrate intake and limit calories. The key to understanding healthy fats is that these sources of fat are the best sources of fat to consume. Unhealthy fats should be avoided completely, rather than simply limited, because they increase cholesterol, as well as risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

    But healthy fats can still cause weight gain if consumed at too high a volume. Fat is, and always will be, highly caloric, so it’s not actually hard to meet your daily requirement for fat with a few servings of one of your favorite clean sources. Or, if you are eating a high-fat diet, you should be counting your calories and reducing carbohydrates. There are so many diets out there, and everyone has different health issues they might seek to confront with a diet change, so consult a nutritionist or naturopath to determine which diet is right for you.

    There is, however, one consistency with all successful diets: they all limit intake of food. Moderation as well as whole, healthy ingredients, with lots of vegetables, is almost always the key to a healthy diet, no matter what your macronutrient percentages are or what foods you choose to avoid.

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    The Trouble With Low-Fat and Fat-Free

    Low-fat diets were the normal recommendation for weight loss and improved health for several decades, but this is going out of fashion as scientists affirm that fat (healthy fat) is an important part of any diet, including a weight loss diet.

    The thing is, not only is a low-fat diet lacking in necessary fatty acids that the body needs to burn fat as well as perform it’s normal functions, low-fat food products are really, really unhealthy. They are normally highly processed and replace fat with sugar. Sugar is highly caloric, and, unlike healthy fats, those calories are almost entirely empty.

    For foods that aren’t packed with extra sugar, they are so processed they’re rendered entirely nutritionally deficient. For instance, you’ve probably heard for years that skim milk is bad for you, but it is really the process of removing the fat content from the milk that makes it bad for you. The natural fat content of milk is highly nutritious, yet without it, milk is mostly just lactose, or sugar. Doctors have also found a correlation between the consumption of skim milk and weight gain, mostly due to the fact that, without the healthy fats to fill you up, you’ll end up consuming more, and since it’s mostly just sugar at this point, you consume more empty calories as well.

    Full-fat dairy has been consistently linked to, paradoxically, less obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and stroke in countries such as France and Italy where cream, butter, and full-fat milk are a regular part of the diet. However, in the US, as fat consumption has plummeted over the last century, the obestiy epidemic rages on. It’s no wonder, when we’re replacing essential fat with sugar!

    Diet sodas are entirely different. Free of sugar, they are replaced instead with horribly toxic chemical artificial sweeteners. Studies have shown that these sweeteners are actually highly addictive, so many people actually end up drinking far more diet soda than they ever would have regular (which is unhealthy enough on it’s own!). This can of course, ironically, cause more weight gain as well as a multitude of other health issues.

    Healthy Non-Fats? 

    All this being said, it’s important to keep in mind that there are foods that are naturally low or non-fat that are perfectly healthy to consume: lean meats, fish, and legumes. These are a great part of any diet, and it’s important to get enough protein, which is perhaps now the most neglected macronutrient of our time. But athletes know, protein is essential!

    The Bottom Line

    It is clear that “factory fats” and over-produced low/non-fat foods are the problem, not fat or carbohydrates alone.

    You will often hear people say “eat lots of healthy fats!” which can be slightly irresponsible. I think these people mean well, but it would be more helpful to say “eat only healthy fats!”, because eating too much fat is easy to do. We should be banishing unhealthy fats completely from our diet!

    It’s up to you to find the diet that’s right for you, but don’t ever rule out the importance of choosing the best sources for fat in whatever diet that might be!

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  • The Health Benefits of Raw Milk

    The Health Benefits of Raw Milk

    Raw milk is simply amazing. Most milk you will find in grocery stores, however, has been pasteurized, losing many of the benefits raw milk has. Raw milk has been under attack in recent decades, highly regulated and even illegal to sell in some states. But if you’re lucky enough to live in one of the many states that still allow the sale of raw milk for human consumption, you can reap its health benefits. Here are just a few reasons to find a local farmer to buy some from today.

    It’s only milk

    Milk in stores often contains additives, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics and added synthetic vitamin D. Raw milk is just milk, right from the cow, often within a few days of your purchasing it. Not to mention, it’s typically organic. As you’ll read more below, raw milk from small farms is normally grazed and organic.

    Farm fresh and local

    Most raw milk comes from dairy cows at small family farms, meaning they are pastured. Grass-fed meat and dairy is far superior to the more common industrial grain-fed alternative, as grass is what cow’s stomachs were designed to digest and there are far more nutrients available to them in fresh grass. It’s also very environmentally-friendly; grass-fed milk has a much lower carbon footprint than a feedlot farm cow.

    Raw milk is also local-most likely very local-and you can buy from the farmer directly. It is very cool to hand the person who milked the cow that you’re buying the milk from your money-a locavore’s dream.

    It’s nutritious

    Raw milk contains the enzyme lactase which helps our bodies break down the lactose in the milk. This enzyme is no longer available in pasteurized milk. So when we digest pasteurized milk, the enzymes already available in our stomach are often depleted which can wreak havoc on the digestive system. Gut health is crucial for overall health, so this is why consumption of dairy is often attributed to a multitude of health issues-but raw milk counteracts this. It also contains healthy fats, bioavailable vitamins that are also often depleted during pasteurization, and has been known to reduce allergies in many happy drinkers of raw milk. Read more about the nutritional benefits of raw milk here. 

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