The fall season is now upon us which means that Esther and Mark Hylden are preparing once again to promote the health benefits of Golden Valley Flax at the annual Holiday Showcase events hosted by the North Dakota State Department of Agriculture. Please see https://www.prideofdakota.nd.gov/ Our farm continues to produce the highest quality flaxseed and we are committed to telling the story about how the golden omega flaxseed can help you live a healthier life. A recent article about women’s health published by Harvard Medical School https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/why-nutritionists-are-crazy-about-nuts includes a part of the report that shows flaxseed as the best of all nuts and seeds for providing the highest amount of life saving omega-3 essential fatty acid.
Mounting evidence suggests that eating nuts and flaxseeds daily can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease and may even lengthen your life.
Highlights from Harvard Medical School report show flaxseed is the best
A review of the study includes a list of the nuts and seeds consumed in the report along with a chart that shows that flax is the best source of life giving omega-3s. Those findings add to evidence from a 2013 study conducted by Harvard researchers. “We found that people who ate nuts and flaxseeds every day lived longer, healthier lives than people who didn’t.” said study co-author Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. You can review his work at https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/frank-hu/publications/ This study will most certainly be a part of what we share at the upcoming ND Ag Department events. We want to inspire you to be healthy by encouraging you to include Golden Valley Flax in your diet everyday. https://www.goldenvalleyflax.com/ Here is the summary of the report that should help you to include Golden Valley Flax in your diet and we will give you another great way to use flax in the recipe section at the end.
Why nuts and flaxseeds are good for you, after all.
Nuts and flax haven’t changed; they are still high in healthy fat and in energy producing calories. However, research has determined that certain fats common in nuts and flaxseeds – mono- and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids — actually reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, hence the term healthy fat. The FDA now allows nut and flaxseed producers to claim that a diet that includes 1 ounce of nuts and flaxseed daily can reduce your risk of heart disease. Nuts and flaxseeds have also been shown to do the following:
Improve cholesterol profiles. The unsaturated fat in nuts and flax helps to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.
Prevent arrhythmias. One type of unsaturated fat — omega-3 fatty acids — appears to prevent the development of erratic heart rhythms. Please see https://www.goldenvalleyflax.com/flax-facts/health-research-articles/metabolism-omega-3-6-fatty-acids/
Reduce blood clotting. There is some evidence that omega-3s may work much the same way as aspirin does to keep blood from clotting, thus reducing the risk of heart attacks. Other studies show that flax also reduces the risk of stroke for much the same reason.
Relax blood vessels. Nuts are rich in arginine, an amino acid needed to make a molecule called nitric oxide that relaxes constricted blood vessels and eases blood flow.
Raise levels of glucagon-like peptide 1. This hormone helps to control glucose levels and to lower insulin levels in people with prediabetes.
Contribute to satiety. Nuts and flax are rich in fat, fiber, and protein, all of which are more likely than foods high in carbohydrates to make you feel full. For that reason, people who eat nuts and flax regularly — especially those who substitute nuts and flax for animal fats like butter and bacon — are less likely to be obese than those who don’t.
Great recipe with flax for your good health
Baked Oatmeal with flax
Baked Flax-Oatmeal
I discovered this recipe in the Penzey’s Spices Summer Catalog, and adapted it by adding Flax. Esther Hylden Golden Valley Flax
1 ½ cups 2% milk
1 egg
½ cup applesauce or plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 ½ cups oatmeal
½ cup ground Golden Valley Flax
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
The original recipe called for 3 cups oatmeal, I reduced this so I could add some flax and increase my Omega 3 intake.
Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 glass baking pan. Combine milk, egg, yogurt, vanilla brown sugar, oatmeal and cinnamon. Put ¾’s of this in the pan. Layer berries on top of oatmeal. Then layer the final layer of oatmeal on top of berries. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve topped with yogurt, milk or maple syrup! It is also very good warmed up a day later. Serves 6.
