Are you looking for a way to increase the fiber content of your gluten-free baking mixes? Or maybe you are sensitive to eggs and looking for a good replacement? Or perhaps you just want to try to pack in a little more nutrition to your smoothies, cereals, and salads? Believe it or not, there is one food that can do all of these things – Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseeds.
Flaxseeds are very small seeds that have a lot of nutritional value. They are a wonderful source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, supporting digestion and healthy cholesterol levels. They contain a considerable amount of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. What really makes flaxseeds unique is that they contain more plant lignans than almost any other food. Lignans are plant compounds that encourage healthy hormone production in both men and women, supporting the health of breast, prostate, and reproductive tissues. They are also great antioxidants.
Flaxseed is very versatile and can be used in a number of different ways. Mix 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg replacer that will bind beautifully in any recipe. You can also substitute 25% of your baking mix or gluten-free flour with flax seed to add extra flavor, fiber, and nutrients to foods like breads, muffins, and pancakes. Try adding a tablespoon or two of flax to your smoothies, cereals, salads, or yogurt. It has a mild, nutty taste that is really yummy.
Flaxseeds come in two different varieties – brown and golden. The nutrition benefits are essentially the same for both, but some people prefer to use the golden flaxseeds because their color can appear more appealing in baked goods. To get the full nutritional benefits from flaxseeds they need to be ground. You can buy flaxseeds pre-ground (also referred to as flaxseed meal) or you can buy the whole seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder at home. It is best to store ground flaxseeds in your fridge or freezer as the omega-3 fatty acids are prone to rancidity. The flaxseeds available from Bob’s Red Mill are processed in a gluten-free facility and tested to ensure that they have less than 20 ppm of gluten.
Adding flaxseed to your diet is a simple way to increase fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and lignans, and the stuff from Bob’s Red Mill is very gluten-free. Try some today!
Tiffany Godwin, MNT