The simple truth about flaxseed

Flaxseed is often hailed as a super-food in the nutrition community. However, what are the real benefits of adding flaxseed to your diet? Here's a brief guide to flaxseed:

No. Flaxseed contains a type of omega-3 fatty acid, but the fatty acids in fish pack more punch.

• The omega-3s in flaxseed and other plant foods, like walnuts and tofu, come in the form of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid).
• Human cells need ALA to function properly, and your body can't manufacture the stuff, which means you have to get it from food.
• If you've never tasted flaxseed or let tofu pass your lips, you may wonder how you've survived this long. The fact is, ALA is also present in smaller amounts in many common foods, including bread, pasta, beef, pork and chicken.
• The omega-3s in fish oil, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are the ones that are good for the cardiovascular system and have other well-established health benefits.

Omega-3s are an important part of your diet. However, flaxseed does not present the same omega-3s that fish and other sources do.

• Your body can turn ALA into DHA and EPA, but very inefficiently.
• Some estimates suggest that less than one percent of the ALA you consume becomes EPA, while an even tinier portion — less than 0.1 percent — converts to DHA.
• Nevertheless, organizations such as the American Heart Association want you to keep eating flaxseed, tofu, walnuts and other ALA-rich foods.
• They have few downsides, and some evidence suggests they may have benefits of their own.
• For instance, several studies have found that people who have high levels of ALA in their blood tend to have lower levels of inflammatory chemicals.
• To add flaxseed to your diet, buy it in bulk at a natural foods store — and pick up a coffee grinder while you're at it.
• A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that eating crushed or ground flaxseed raises blood levels of lignans two to four times higher than eating whole seeds.
• Sprinkle ground flaxseed on breakfast cereal or salads or add it to baked goods.

So there you have it -- flaxseed is a good addition to your regular diet, but definitely does not replace the benefits of eating fish. Be sure to balance your diet with both.