Welcome to our Health Column, presented by Clinical
Nutritionist Hema. She comes with a rich experience of having
worked in leading hospitals in Chennai and shares her
expertise with our readers.
Hema will be taking up a single food item and explore not only
its nutritional value but also give easy recipes to be made with
it.
Read on for a healthier tomorrow…
Discover goodness of flax seeds
Indian foods offer powerhouse nutrition through whole grains, spices and
colourful veggies but certain cooking methods like too much roasting,
deep frying and prolonged boiling destroy key nutrients.
Cooking methods like steaming, fermenting, mild roasting, soaking and
sprouting unlock better nutrition absorption.
Let’s see about health benefits of Flax seeds today and the best
way to consume it.
Flax seeds are nutrient dense seeds, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids,
protein, fibre and antioxidants lignan. Omega-3 fatty acids and fibres
make it more beneficial for heart health; fibre, protein and low GI load
support better sugar control.
Flax seeds contain soluble and insoluble fibres which promote gut health
and immunity by acting as pre-biotic. Lignans, a potential plant-based
antioxidant present in flax seeds, aids in cancer prevention due to its
exemplary anti-inflammatory properties.
Vitamin-E, protein, zinc & lignans works best for skin and hair health with
anti-aging properties. Magnesium & high fibre help in reducing stress
level and help in weight loss.
Sprouting or grounding to powder are the best forms to consume it;
however, soaking overnight or mild roasting are also considerably better
forms for consumption.
Some of the better options include sprouted flax seeds dosa, flax seeds
idli podi, sprouted flax seeds sundal, sprouted flax seeds rasam, etc.
Flax seed powders can be mixed with chappathi dough, chutneys,
poriyals and healthy ladoo preparations to include in daily meals.
Here is a simple recipe with optimised preparation tips for better nutrition
absorption:
Dry roasted flax seeds idli podi or poriyal podi
Dry roast ¼ cup of sprouted or plain flax seeds, ¼ cup of groundnuts
along with chillies. Blend them in mixer with asafoetida and salt. Store it
in an airtight container and you can include it in poriyals, vatha
kuzhambu and rasam or simply eat this as a side dish to idli or dosa.
Sprouted flax seeds dosa for kids
1 cup rice, 1 cup urad dhal, 2 tbsp sprouted flax seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek
seeds. Wash thoroughly and soak everything for 8 hours, grind them to
a fluffy batter and ferment it overnight. Make dosa in desired shapes.
This method will not have a bitter taste making it a tasty option for the
kids
Sprouted flax seeds sundal for adults
Wash thoroughly and steam cook the sprouted flax seeds. Season it
with oil, red chillies, coconut, salt, oil, curry leaves and asafoetida.
Sprouted flax seeds rasam for elderly
Dry-roast 2 tbsp sprouted flax seeds with 1 tsp cumin, ¼ tsp pepper, 2
garlic cloves and 2 red chillies until aromatic. Blend with tamarind extract
(small lemon-sized), 1 chopped tomato, turmeric, salt and 3 cups water
into a coarse mix. Cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes, temper with
gingelly oil, mustard, curry leaves and asafoetida.
–Hema, Clinical Nutritionist
