Flaxseeds: tiny seeds with big health benefits

What’s inside

Inside these tiny seeds is a whole toolkit of nutrients:

• Soluble fibres feed your gut microbes, producing compounds that strengthen the gut lining.
• Omega-3 fats (ALA) help protect blood vessels and lower inflammation.
• Protein keeps you feeling satisfied and supports your muscle health.
• Lignans (especially ‘SDG’) act as powers with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The star one is secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), of which flax is one of the richest sources.

Health benefits of flaxseeds

When people eat flax regularly, studies show some really interesting results:

• Better heart health – including lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• Lower inflammation – markers like CRP and TNF-α come down, especially if they were high to begin with.
• Healthier weight – giving flaxseed to people with obesity or higher BMI made a small but real difference to weight, BMI and waist size.
• Blood sugar control – people with type 2 diabetes saw better insulin sensitivity and lower HbA1c.

The history of flax

Flaxseeds come from the flax plant, tall and slim with little blue flowers that light up the fields in summer. It’s one of the oldest crops we know. People once used the stalks to weave linen for clothes and fabrics, and kept the tiny seeds after the pods dried at the end of the season. Its Latin name says it all: Linum usitatissimum, which means “very useful”.

Those same seeds have also been used as medicine for centuries. Hippocrates wrote about them for abdominal pains and Theophrastus recommended flax mucilage (a soothing gel made when seeds mix with water) for coughs. In Ayurveda, the oil was used for skin, wounds and digestion. And in the 8th century, Charlemagne was such a believer in their benefits that he passed laws to make sure his people ate them.

Do you need to grind flaxseed?

Yes, most experts agree that ground flax is better absorbed and more effective, likely because whole seeds often pass through the gut undigested. You can:

• Buy pre-milled flaxseed (sometimes called flax meal)
• Grind it yourself in a coffee grinder and keep it in the fridge for freshness

3 ways to enjoy

I honestly add flax to just about everything! It’s that easy. Here are my go-tos:

1. Overnight oats – mix ground flax with your oats, yoghurt, fruit and a few extra seeds like chia or hemp, then leave it to soak overnight.
2. Smoothies – blitz in a spoonful to make them thicker and creamier.
3. Bake it in – add to bread, wraps or muffins for extra flavour.

So, next time you’re shopping, grab a bag of flaxseed! It is such an easy add-in and acts like a little insurance policy for your heart, your gut and your long-term health. ✅