Learn How You Can Use Flax Seeds in Different Easy Ways to Lose Weight(2021)!

Learn How You Can Use Flax Seeds in Different Easy Ways to Lose Weight(2021)!

Flax seeds, also known as 'alsi' in Hindi, have long been known for being condensed with nutrients and fibre. Flax seeds are a rich source of Omega-3 and are also an excellent source of fibre. Moreover, it's distinctive nutty flavour makes it a good option to add to your food to enhance its taste, as well as its nutritional values. You can use it whole or in powdered form. Here are some of the easiest ways you can add these to your diet without any hassle!

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Various Benefits of Flaxseeds

Good for Heart

Apparently, flax seeds aren’t just about weight loss. You should know that flaxseeds are great for your heart too. Flaxseeds help you reduce blood pressure, bad cholesterol and they can even help easing artery hardening as well. All of this helps in reducing the chances of you having a stroke, which is surely life-saving.

Helps in Digestion

Flaxseeds are a wonderful source of both soluble, as well as insoluble fibre. While soluble fibre helps in softening the stool, insoluble fibre helps in stimulating the digestive system, which promotes bowel movement and hence waste gets removed from your stomach much easily. This is simply amazing for your digestive health, as it is one of the major issues seen in adults because of a sedentary lifestyle.

Reduces Diabetes Risk

If you have a hereditary diabetes issue running in your family, then you have a way to curb it by consuming flax seeds. Apparently, flaxseeds improve the level of HA1C, which is directly linked to reducing diabetes levels. In fact, when consumed for a long period, flaxseed can also improve insulin sensitivity in your body, which is quite beneficial when you are having prediabetes symptoms.

Rich in Fibre, Protein and More

Only 2 tablespoon of flaxseeds contains 4-5 grams of plant protein, 6 grams of fibre and various other nutrients which are important for human body on daily basis. Flaxseed also contains magnesium, manganese, copper, thiamin etc. These are directly linked with improved sleep, collagen production, better skin and bone health, etc. This clearly means that flaxseeds have more benefits than you can imagine.

Easiest Ways to Consume Ground Flaxseed for Weight Loss

If you are wondering how to consume flaxseed for weight loss in the simplest way possible, then there is a way (or two). You can simply consume ground flaxseed with water to kick start your weight loss journey. All you need to do is take one glass of hot water and mix 1 teaspoon of freshly ground flaxseed in it. Further mix some lemon juice in it for some added flavour. Drink this once in a day to lose weight quickly. You can also ground the flaxseed in advance and refrigerate them to keep them fresh.

The other simplest way of consuming flaxseed is by taking oral flaxseed supplements, which are easily available in market. These tablets contain flaxseed oil, which may have less fibre content as compared to raw flaxseed, but it is surely a convenient way to consume flaxseed especially when you are travelling.

Recipes Including Flaxseed for Weight Loss

Banana Oats Flaxseed Smoothie

If you are looking for a healthy and delicious way to figure out how to use flaxseed for weight loss then you should totally try this banana oats flaxseed smoothie here. It is quick to make and so much nutritious too.

Ingredients:
  • 1 banana and 1 date
  • 2tbsp instant ground oats
  • 1/2 apple and 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds

How to Make It
  • Chop date, banana and apple and toss them into the blender.
  • Now, add ground oats and milk into it and blend until everything comes together.
  • Pour the smoothie into a glass and add 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, stir and enjoy.

Flaxseed Raita

If you are looking for a healthy and delicious way to figure out how to use flaxseed for weight loss then you should totally try this banana oats flaxseed smoothie here. It is quick to make and so much nutritious too.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup thickly grated bottle gourd and salt to taste
  • 1 cup fresh beaten low fat curd and 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves and ¼ tsp roasted cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp black salt and 1 ½ tbsp. roasted and coarsely ground flax seeds

How to Make It:
  • Cook bottle gourd with ¼ cup water until the water evaporates and then set aside to cool down.
  • Take a deep bowl and combine all the ingredients and refrigerate the raita for at least 1 hour.
  • Serve with some coriander leaves on top.

Flaxseed Ragi Mathri

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If you are looking for a healthy and delicious way to figure out how to use flaxseed for weight loss then you should totally try this banana oats flaxseed smoothie here. It is quick to make and so much nutritious too.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup ragi flour and ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds and ½ tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 whole dry Kashmiri red chilli and 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds and 1½ tbsp. oil
  • Oil for deep frying and salt to taste
  • Water for kneading

How to Make It:
  • Dry roast Kashmiri red chilli, coriander seeds and garlic for 2-3 minutes and then grind them to make a coarse powder.
  • Dry roast flax seeds separately and crush coarsely in a grinder.
  • Combine wheat flour, ragi flour, powdered coriander, crushed flaxseed flour, chilli, garlic, salt, 1½ tbsp. oil in a bowl and knead in a dough using water.
  • Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and make balls out of it. Use a rolling pin to make small puri like mathris from them.
  • Make 4-5 holes in each mathri and deep fry them on low flame for 4-5 minutes. Enjoy with the dip of your choice.

Spinach Tuna Flaxseed Salad

Replace your lunch with something healthier which can also help you in losing unwanted weight. Try this Spinach tuna flaxseed salad and let your body consume all those nutrients in it.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup baby spinach and ½ cup smoked tuna
  • 1 tbsp milled flaxseeds and ½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1tbsp chopped garlic and 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of half a lime and salt to taste
  • 1tbsp Dijon mustard and 1/2tsp black pepper

How to Make It:
  • Boil water in a saucepan and add salt when it comes to boiling.
  • Add baby spinach and garlic into it and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Strain spinach and garlic and transfer them into a bowl of ice-cold water.
  • Meanwhile mix extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and prepare the dressing.
  • Transfer spinach and garlic into another bowl and add smoked tuna and cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)
  • Pour the dressing and mix it all well. Finally sprinkle flaxseed powder on top and enjoy.

Chia and Flax Seed Bowl

Do you want to know how to take flaxseed for weight loss? You should try this breakfast recipe of Chia and flaxseed bowl. This recipe is quick to make and it is quite fulfilling too. You can also try it either warm or cold.

Ingredients:
  • 3tbsp white chia seeds and 2tbsp golden flax seeds
  • 1tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1-2tsp organic cinnamon and 2/3 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes and golden kiwi fruit
  • 3-4 prunes chopped and 8 almonds toasted

How to Make It:
  • Add chia seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon and coconut milk in a jar stir well, seal and leave in fridge to swell overnight.
  • Next morning remove it from fridge and stir well. Add a little more coconut milk for desired consistency.
  • Take a small sauce pan and add coconut shaving and almonds and toast them a bit.
  • Add chia seeds mixture in a bowl and place almonds, coconut shavings, prunes and kiwi fruit on top of it and enjoy.

Flaxseed Shakarpara

You just need to spare 5 minutes of your precious time to make this healthy and very delicious flaxseed snack item. It is a high-fibre and high-energy apricot bar snack, and you can feed to your kids too.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup coarsely powdered flax seeds
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1tbsp olive oil
  • 1tbsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1tsp dry red chilli flakes and salt to taste

How to Make It:
  • Take a deep bowl and combine all the ingredients to knead a dough using as much water as required.
  • Let this dough rest for 15 minutes then divide into 2 equal portions.
  • Roll a portion into 8 inch circle and trim to get a square.
  • Prick lightly with a fork and cut into diamond shapes.
  • Repeat these steps to get shakarpara out of the whole dough.
  • Bake these shakarparas in a preheated oven at 180C for 15 minutes, let them cool and then enjoy.

Lentil Soup with Flaxseeds

You just need to spare 5 minutes of your precious time to make this healthy and very delicious flaxseed snack item. It is a high-fibre and high-energy apricot bar snack, and you can feed to your kids too.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup yellow lentils and 2tbsp flaxseed powder
  • Chopped tomato and onion – ¼ cup each
  • 1 ½ tsp chopped garlic and handful of coriander leaves
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper and salt to taste
  • 3tsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 cup water

How to Make It:
  • Heat extra virgin olive oil in a soup pot and add chopped garlic after 30 seconds and fry till they turn brown.
  • Add onions and cook for a while then add tomatoes, pepper and salt and then cook for a minute.
  • Add lentils and 1 cup of water and cook with the lid closed for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the pot from flame and add flaxseeds powder and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves to serve.

Flourless Fudgy Brownies with Flaxseeds

You just need to spare 5 minutes of your precious time to make this healthy and very delicious flaxseed snack item. It is a high-fibre and high-energy apricot bar snack, and you can feed to your kids too.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder and ½ cup golden flaxseed meal
  • 1tsp baking soda and ½ tsp fine Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk and 1 egg
  • 1tsp vanilla extract and tbsp. raw honey
  • 1tbsp sunflower seed butter and ¼ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

How to Make It:
  • Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a 9 inch square silicon pan.
  • Now, mix cacao powder, baking soda, salt and flaxseed meal in a bowl.
  • In a separate bowl mix coconut milk, egg, honey, sunflower seed butter and vanilla.
  • Now, mix dry ingredients into wet and form a batter then fold chocolate chips.
  • Pour the mixture in the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes and your brownies are ready.

Flaxseed Apricot Bars

You just need to spare 5 minutes of your precious time to make this healthy and very delicious flaxseed snack item. It is a high-fibre and high-energy apricot bar snack, and you can feed to your kids too.

Ingredients:
  • Raw almonds and dried apricots – 1 ½ cup each
  • 1 cup dates pitted
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and 3 tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon zest and ½ tsp ground cinnamon

How to Make It:
  • Crumble raw almonds in a food processor then add apricots, dates, coconut, lemon zest, flaxseed and cinnamon, and process everything until it is fully combined.
  • Get everything incorporated fully and line a baking dish with parchment paper.
  • Take the mixture and press it on the baking dish evenly.
  • Place the mold in fridge for 20-30 minutes to harden the bars.
  • Once solidified, cut the bars from this mixture in required size and store them in fridge.

Side Effects of Flax seeds You Should Know About

So, that was all about how to use Alsi for weight loss, which is popularly known as flaxseed. However, there are always some precautions which must be followed when you are consuming anything (even organic). Flaxseed is no different and can cause some side effects, which are important for you to know. Some of these side effects are mentioned right below:

Abnormal Bowel Movement

There is no doubt in the fact that flaxseed aids your digestive system, but you should be quite cautious when consuming it. Apparently, consuming flaxseeds in large quantities can cause serious troubles in your bowel movement. It increases the bowel movement, which can lead to diarrhea, too. Also, if you are already having intestinal issues then you should totally avoid consuming flaxseeds.

Intestinal Blockage

If you aren’t consuming ground flaxseeds, then you need to be very cautious about it. Raw flaxseeds can cause blockage in your intestine if you aren’t gulping down enough liquid with it. This situation can lead to some serious issues in your digestive system. So, make sure you are consulting a professional nutritionist for it.

Not Suitable for Pregnant Women

You should know it completely about how to use flaxseed for weight loss if you do not want to endure its side effects. If you have some special condition then you shouldn’t consume flaxseeds without professional advice. For example, pregnant women shouldn’t consume flaxseeds at all. As flaxseeds increases estrogen production, which further induces menstrual bleeding. This is why it isn’t considered good for expecting women, as it may induce early labour.

Allergic Reactions

Flaxseeds can cause allergic reactions too like swelling, itching, vomiting, redness, nausea etc. These allergic reactions can be seen when you are consuming flaxseeds over quite some time. So, if you experience any of such symptoms then you should right away stop consuming flaxseeds.

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Shelf Life Of Flax Seeds!

Whole flax seeds can be stored on room temperature, but in an air-tight jar for as long as up to 2 years, whereas ground seeds have to be refrigerated in an air-tight jar, and even then they should be consumed within a month. The best way to tell if the flax seeds have gone bad is a smell test, as expired product have a rancid smell. In that case, it should not be consumed at all!