Flaxseed to the rescue

I have recently discovered an allergy friendly superfood.  Flaxseed.  Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

Before food allergies, I ate the same breakfast everyday.  One egg, a piece of toast or half engligh muffin, OJ, and coffee.  Once I learned about my food allergies, that breakfast became a fond memory.  (After hearing about my allergies, a friend even said to me,”You are allergic to eggs?  But you eat one everyday!”  My thoughts exactly.)  I discovered Van’s gluten free waffles thanks to my mother (who always has a knack for the delicious), and soon discovered that most Chex cereals are also gluten free.  Ok, so two choices for breakfast now.  Chex cereal and soy milk are perfect for the morning rush, but cereal just doesn’t hold my hunger until lunch like the protein- filled egg breakfast I used to eat.

Enter flaxseed.  I have heard about flaxseed before as well as its health benefits.  So, while at Whole Foods, I decided to give it a whirl.  I bought some and sprinkled it on my cereal.  Doesn’t taste like anything, but those seeds sometimes get caught in my teeth.  What if I put them in the food processor?  Instant flaxseed powder.  I sprinkle a few tablespoons on my cereal, and I am seriously full at breakfast.  Just adding that tiny ingredient has made all the difference in my breakfast.  It must have super powers.

Actually, upon recent research, I realized that flaxseed does have super powers. It helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure, it helps prevent cancer, it aids your immune function, it expands in your belly and can help with weight loss, and it helps balance women’s hormones.  The list goes on.  Here are some helpful articles (article 1 and article 2) I found about the benefits of flaxseed.  Who knew this seed has been around for centuries and we are just now realizing how great it is for us?!

Once I realized how great flaxseed is for our bodies, I started to notice it in more food items- my Van’s waffles have ground flaxseed in them (no wonder they are so delicious!), the granola I put in my yogurt has flaxseeds in it, gluten free flours sometimes have ground flaxseed in them, and now I sprinkle it on my cereal and sometimes in smoothies.  One of the best secrets I have discovered about flaxseed is that if you combine flaxseed powder and water in a ratio of 1 to 3, you can use it to replace one whole egg in any recipe.  Flaxseed to the rescue!