While there isn’t a single weight loss suggestion that is “the” answer for healthy dieting, I’ve found that using fresh ground flax seed twice daily has proven to be very helpful. It helps me jumpstart a diet as well as helps me maintain my plan (see the first link below re making a plan). For those who just do it, the recipe is two or three tablespoons of freshly ground mixed into a cup of grape juice.

If you like a little more information, let’s begin small. It may be that starting with one tablespoon of fresh ground flax seed per day and working up to three tablespoons per day would be easier on some people’s systems. While I like the antioxidants in the grape juice and I have no problem drinking it down for a quick snack so I can get on to other things but not everyone wants that two times a day.

My friend makes a meal out of hers in a blueberry smoothie everyday for breakfast. My aunt eats hers with a smashed banana because she doesn’t like anything but clear liquids. Replacing a meal with fresh ground flax seed is as easy as it is smart. You can mix it with a high quality fruit-filled yogurt for a very quick and healthy meal. Stirred into applesauce with dried fruits and nuts makes for some variety if you are using flax to replace a meal each day. As well, mixing it with low-fat cottage cheese and fresh or frozen fruit is a great easy meal. Sprinkling it into a green or a fruit salad adds both flavor and nutrition but I would not like to use more than one tablespoon ground flax seed on a salad.

Using ground flax seed as a healthy snack is a great way to work through a diet plan that requires eating something small every few hours. Simply grinding it and stirring it into a cup of juice as I do provides energy for that mid-day slump as well as the right nutrients for the body’s diet mode.

Flax seed can be used in many ways and its benefits are well worth chasing a few tiny shiny strays around the kitchen. Any type of cooking will break down the nutritional benefits so I always use it raw. A great article detailing tremendous nutritional benefits of fresh ground flax seed can be found in the second link below. Most people prefer the lighter flavor of the golden flax seed to the brown’s stronger taste.

Among the many benefits of consuming fresh ground flax seed is that the fiber, so filled with nutrients, stimulates a sluggish system that is carrying extra weight. Also some dieters experience inflammation from increased exercise. Flax seed’s inflammation fighting properties have made me a permanent fan.

A few important things to remember when adding ground flax seed to your diet:

Grind it to a fine powder and consume it while still fresh, immediately if possible, before the nutrients oxidize. The body cannot break down the hard shell that packages the nutritional benefits of flax seed.

Once flax seed is ground it should not be kept at room temperature. Eating it immediately after grinding it solves this problem, but don’t forget, once ground it can become rancid, even in the refrigerator. Storing the whole seed at room temperature is fine. It was designed for long-term storage in its own shell.

Always be sure to drink an extra glass of water after eating or drinking ground flax seed.

Adding flax seed to the diet can enhance efforts to drop some pounds quickly. A balanced diet that includes ground flax seed along with an exercise program will yield very satisfying results. Deciding your strategy for weight loss and incorporating fresh ground flax seed are great first steps to getting where you want to be in the fastest way possible.

Any changes to your diet for the purpose of losing weight should be discussed with your doctor. Getting the advice of a physician is your safest start to a new diet.

Another helpful use for the versatile flax seed will be the focus of an upcoming article.