Flax Seeds Good For You

[Guest guest]

Flaxseeds, Sunflower seeds and of course the king, sesame seeds are the best

 

 

 

 

 

 

----Original Message Follows----

Diane Holmes <diane_j_holmes

rawfood

rawfood

[Raw Food] Flax Seeds Good For You

Fri, 25 Oct 2002 07:40:27 -0700 (PDT)

 

Dear Listmates,

 

Recently someone posted information that flax seeds

were toxic and you should throw them away. (Sorry, I

don't remember the name!!) He refered us to an

article on the Internet.

 

I have tried to research this issue, as the

information is contrary to what nutritionists,

experts, and the general raw-food community believes.

 

I ended up writing Gabriel Cousens. His reply is

below. Also, the entire conversation which I included

in my email to him (in reverse, of course) is

included.

 

Best,

 

Diane

 

 

Dear Diane,

 

Wherever you got the information, it seems to have

been reversed; cooked flax can become rancid and

toxic. Raw is recognized as incredibly healthful

and safe.

 

Gabriel

 

Tree of Life Health Practice

Tel: 520-394-2520, ext. 207

Fax: 520-394-2099

e-mail: healing

website: www.treeoflife.nu

 

 

Diane Holmes [diane_holmes]

Tuesday, October 15, 2002 3:50 PM

tlrc; healing

Flax Seeds

 

Dear Dr. Cousens,

 

I am searching for an expert opinion on Flax seeds.

In fact, I posed my question over at the

www.rawfoods.com discussion board and your name came

up. The basic question is this: are flax seeds

toxic? Someone on a raw foods list has claimed this.

 

I am including my full post to rawfoods.com. (See

Below.) If you have any answer or can point me in the

right direction I would truly appreciate it!

 

Best,

 

Diane

 

Hello,

 

I'm on a raw foods list, where one of the members told

another to throw all flax seeds out because they are

" toxic when raw. "

 

He went on to say:

 

> Seed - raw or cooked. The seed contains 30 - 40%

oil, which comprises

> mainly

> linoleic and linolenic acids. The seed also contains

cyanogenic

> glycosides

> (prussic acid). In small quantities these glycosides

stimulate

> respiration

> and improve digestion, but in excess can cause

respiratory failure and

> death.

> Cultivars low in these glycosides have been

developed and large

> quantities of

> the seed would need to be eaten to achieve a harmful

dose.

>

> And from

http://www.coconut-info.com/facts_on_flax.htm

 

I talked to my vegan-partly raw nutritionist, and she

says, " I don't know about this without more research. I

do know that you should never heat flax because the

EFAs are so sensitive to oxidation, so the fact that

he

recommends cooking with it concerns me. I 'd have to

do some research on the toxins he's talking about...of

course he doesn't mention a source. Perhaps writing to

David Wolf or some at the rawfoods.com site ...maybe

they've researched it...they recommend flax

seeds..... "

 

 

So... I'm turning to you for some information!

 

Thanks so very much,

 

Diane

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Diane;

" I have tried to research this issue, as the

information is contrary to what nutritionists,

experts, and the general raw-food community believes. "

 

I don't believe you can get nutritionists to agree on anything, and

it seems to me that the " raw food community " , in general do not

believe that flax seeds, or for that matter any seeds are good for

you. This is a very old idea (eating seeds or nuts) as a way to

replace the protein in a cooked food diet. The fact is that humans do

not need protein, and in fact excess protein causes cancer. Remember,

mothers milk is only 2% protein, and this is for a baby that doubles

its size and weight in 180 days. It would be very difficult to eat a

diet of fruits and green leafy vegetables and keep your protein down

to 2%. Also when you eat seeds you are eating the embryo of a plant,

and consuming all of its hormones. All grain consuming life forms

have gizzards and very short intestines. Primates, typically, do not

eat seeds. There is an excellent article in Just Eat an Apple

magazine volume 2 no.1 Winter 2002. on the problems of eating seeds

and nuts. Living Foods For Optimum Health by Brian R. Clement talks

about the danger of protein and cancer.

 

I am not the one who wrote the post on the dangers of flax seed. I

don't believe flax is any worse than any other seed they are all bad.

Again I am addressing this only to people who are detoxified and

finished transitioning. If you are still transitioning and raw

germinated seeds help, by all means eat them.

 

Doug

[Guest guest]

Dear Doug,

 

Thanks for the interesting reply.

 

It is an intersting concept that you can reach a sort

of transformed health, and then your body functions in

sort of a " pure " state. I am so very far from this,

that it seems like a fantasy. <grin>

 

Best,

 

Diane

 

 

 

 

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