What is Flax?

Flax is one of the oldest fibre crops in the world.

The derivative name of Flax is Linum Usitatissimum – pretty fancy schmancy with the big verbiage there, so it is also referred to as linseed or just common flax. It is part of the Linaceae family which is a family of flowering plants.

It is a fibre crop and food that is cultivated in the areas of the world that boast a cooler climate. If you ever wondered where the light feels and groovy textile stylings of linen come from – this is your plant that dials that in.

The Benefits of Flaxseeds

This vintage good vibe has a variety of characteristics that support optimal health. It is great for your heart and chock-full of those good omega fatty acids.

It contains something called Lignans which contains both plant antioxidants & estrogen and apparently, flax seeds contain a significant amount more lignans than any other foods derived from plants.

It is also our fave for up in here for our needs of the smoothpoops because it contains both soluble and insoluble fibre.

Alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA) is predominantly a plant based omega 3 fatty acid and is an essential fatty acid to your physiological health, that your body does not naturally produce. Ingesting flax is a stellar source to dial this in. The soluble fibre content of flax slows digestion in the stomach. This process acts as a catalyst for the triggering of a range of hormones that make you feel full and control your appetite. This is good news for any parent looking to realign any excess weight issues that may be present in your child’s experience.

Cholesterol levels have shown to be reduced with the implementation of flax into the system.

Old school is the best school no doubt with this empowering and good feels ingredient!

Flaxseed is a Versatile Ingredient

There are numerous ways that you can implement flax seeds into your diet.

It proves to be a very powerful and versatile ingredient.

This good vibe ingredient is essential to optimal gastrointestinal health and can be dispersed amidst your consumables in fun and creative ways.

Sprinkle it over your morning cereal – this works for both cold cereals and hot items like oatmeal.

Include it in a smoothie! Yay! That’s us up in here at smoothpoops for kids!

Incorporate it into salads – you can sprinkle seeds on a salad or even create a tasty vinaigrette with the linseed oil.

Create a parfait with yoghurt and fruit and top with flax seeds.

Good eats, good taste, empowered living!

Any recipe that requires breading is a great opportunity for you to throw in some of these good feels that come in the form of flax seeds. Replacing a portion of your flour when baking bread (if that’s your jam – kudos to you!) or even combined with crushed nuts and sprinkled as a crust.

If you eat meat and make homemade burgers or meatloafs or the like, then adding some flax seeds in the ground up meat dails in a dose of all the good vibe benefits mentioned above.

As with all aspects of life, balance is key.

Too much of one thing can prove to tip the scales of balance in your digestion, so ensure that quantities of flax that you dial into your little one’s smoothies are not in any way going to prove to disempower them.

We here at smoothpoops use various sources of reference that indicate the appropriate consumption of flax and have found a general guideline that is consistent across various sources.

The guidelines are determined by age. Something to keep in mind and to have trust in is that you have the intuitive feels of knowing your child and their bowel habits and behaviours.

You are the ambassador here for your child’s well-being.

Guide Them Towards Empowering Choices.

Lead by Example.

They will follow your example & emulate you in most everything they see and absorb around them.

Make it a good vibe and become knowledgeable about the consumables in which you are providing them with nourishment.

I didn’t know at first that flax could prove detrimental if consumed in quantities that are not mindfully regulated until I did the RESEARCH and gained KNOWLEDGE.

Knowledge really is power and self knowledge is self empowerment.

This is a good spring board in which to dive from when it comes to raising healthy, confidant and empowered little humans and even grown and expand as adults.