Essential fatty acids are vital for physical and mental wellbeing. Many people choose to use fish oil supplements in order to get their essential fatty acids but vegetarians may want to get their essential fatty acids from another source. Flax seed is often the most useful substitute for vegetarians.
Flax seed oil is high in omega 3 essential fatty acids while being a plant food source suitable for vegetarians. Flax seed oil contains the essential fatty acid ALA. This fatty acid is broken down into EPA and DHA which are the essential fatty acids found in fish oil. Unfortunately in diabetics and schizophrenics this break down does not occur efficiently and so vegetarians who also suffer from one of these diseases will need to take separate DHA and EPA supplements.
Flax seed can be incorporated into the vegetarian diet in a number of ways. The best way is to include raw flax seed as besides being rich in essential fatty acids it also contains lignan and mucilage along with various other vitamins and minerals. The essential fatty acids are broken down by cooking whereas extraction of the oil reduces the lignan and mucilage content.
Raw flax seeds may be ground and sprinkled on cereals, salads and used in smoothies. In addition flax seed may be added to water and drunk immediately as the mucilage from the flax seed tends to solidify the water. In addition to including raw flax seed in your diet you should also take flax seed oil supplements to further boost your essential fatty acids intake.
Flax seed provides vegetarians many health benefits. The essential fatty acids are good for heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression and attention deficit as well as many other disorders. The lignan has antioxidant and anti-cancer properties while the mucilage is a mild, natural laxative and useful for detox.
By including raw, ground flax seed in their diets and supplementing their diets with flax seed oil supplements vegetarians can ensure that they get their supply of essential fatty acids in most cases. Unfortunately some vegetarians will not be able to get their required essential fatty acid needs from flax seed such as diabetics and schizophrenics. In most cases however flax seed oil may be considered as an alternative to fish oil for essential fatty acid supplementation in the vegetarian diet.
Glossary:
Lignan: A plant chemical that acts like estrogen and has antioxidant properties
Mucilage: a gel like substance in plants with medicinal benefits