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(ARA) – After years of emphasis on cutting back on fat, now the experts are recommending you get it back into your diet. Not the saturated fats like those contained in animal products and margarine, but essential fatty acids (EFAs) like those found in fish oils, nuts and seed plant oils like flaxseed.

Essential fatty acids are involved with a host of essential body functions, including blood flow and blood clotting, heart and gastrointestinal health, nerve transmission and the immune system. Because our bodies do not naturally make the essential fatty acids known as omega-3 and omega-6 we must obtain them through the diet.

However, some health experts estimate that as much as 80 percent of the United States population consumes an insufficient quantity of omega-3 fatty acids while consuming an overabundance of omega-6; thereby upsetting the balance of essential fatty acids required for good health.

Many health experts recommend a ratio of 2 to 1 for omega-6 to omega-3. However, the standard American diet has a ratio of between 20 to 1 and 40 to1 for omega-6 to omega-3. Clearly, the American diet is lacking in essential omega-3 fatty acids.

The widespread deficiency of omega-3 essential fatty acids is blamed on commercial refinement of fats and oils along with an over consumption of omega-6 fatty acids in the form of soybean, cottonseed and sunflower oils. In other words, instead of healthy portions of fish, nuts, and plant seed oils like flaxseed, people are getting their fat calories from saturated fats -- margarine, processed foods and animal products, or from hydrogenated oils which contain unhealthy heart-clogging trans-fats.

According to the National Research Council, a diet high in saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, cancer and other degenerative diseases. On the other hand, diets rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids fight disease and contribute to overall better health. Over 60 health conditions have been shown to benefit from essential fatty acid supplementation.

If you don’t want to eat fish, spinach and nuts every day, there is an alternative. You can get omega-3 essential fatty acids back into your daily diet by eating flaxseed and taking flaxseed oil. “Flaxseed is a great source of fiber and lignans, which are good for the digestive system and flaxseed oil is the world’s richest plant source of alpha-linolenic acid which is part of the omega-3 essential fatty acid family,” says Kaye Effertz, executive director of AmeriFlax, a group which represents U.S. flaxseed producers.

Flaxseed has been part of human and animal diets for thousands of years in Asia, Europe and Africa, and more recently in North America and Australia Ninety-six percent of the flaxseed grown in the United States is grown in North Dakota because of its cooler climate and wide open spaces.

Flaxseed is available in several forms: whole, milled and oil. “You need to incorporate more than one into your diet to get the plant’s full benefits,” says Neil Blomquist, President and CEO of Spectrum Organic Products, the leader in organic and natural culinary and nutritional oils. Here are some easy to prepare recipes that incorporate flaxseed and flaxseed oil:

* Healthy Start Crunchy Breakfast Topping (makes 2 cups)

Store this tasty, healthy topping in your refrigerator and each day, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons onto your morning cereal or yogurt, or add it to your smoothie. It’s great with oatmeal, and it’s wonderful sprinkled on ice-cream. (recipe By Chef Claire Criscuolo)

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions: Place the almonds into a blender cup, cover and blend on chop for 30 seconds until it looks like a fine cornmeal. Turn into a bowl. Add the Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed and cinnamon. Whisk together to combine. Turn into a covered jar or sealed plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator.

* Melon Smoothie (Makes 2 servings)

Everybody loves cantaloupe and this smoothie is like cantaloupe in a glass. (recipe by Chef Claire Criscuolo)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups organic milk

1 cup cubed cantaloupe

1 small ripe banana

2 teaspoons Spectrum Essentials Flaxseed Oil

Directions: Measure the ingredients into a blender cup. Cover and blend for about 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with a melon cube.

* Garlic & Herb Dressing (Yields 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Spectrum Essentials Flax Oil

1/4 cup Spectrum Naturals Olive Oil

1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons Spectrum Naturals Red Wine Vinegar

1 tablespoon Mirin, white wine or sherry (Mirin is a rice vinegar that can be substituted for white wine)

1/4 cup unsweetened ketchup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon crushed garlic (in the jar)

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions: Blend together all the ingredients. For a thinner dressing add more Mirin. For a slightly spicier flavor add a dash or two of hot sauce. Serve on salads and steamed vegetables such as broccoli and kale.

For more information about the benefits of flaxseed and flaxseed oil, log on to www.spectrumorganics.com. Spectrum Organic products can be found in most natural health food stores.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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