The easiest source to obtain your essential fatty acids (EFA’s) from is oily fish or supplementing fish oils. It is a general consensus that to obtain the ideal amounts of your EFA’s you need to consume less amounts of fish/fish oil than flaxseed! – so why bother going to the trouble to buy flax seed?

There are some very good reasons:

• Obviously if you are a vegetarian or vegan – or don’t like the smell or taste of fish!
• If you do not want to eat fish, Flax Seeds are out of all seeds, the provider of the highest amounts of omega 3 (alpha-Linolenic acid) so more “bang for your buck”
• Flax seed fibre: Flaxseeds benefit you also by providing you with dietary fibre – soluble fibre which helps decrease cholesterol and insoluble fibre which helps move contents through your bowel.
• When you consume Flax seed you are also obtaining other essential nutrients in your diet, namely Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc etc – you don’t obtain the same amounts when you consume fish oil capsules.
• Another benefit when you buy flax seed is that flax seed provides flax lignans (although some manufacturers add these to their fish oil supplements) – they are a chemical compound (a major class of phytonutrients) that are estrogen like chemicals and also acts as an antioxidant.
• When consuming fish oils you have the added hassle of ensuring they are PCB free (Polycholinated Biphenyls), an industrial chemical that pollutes our oceans – obviously not a great addition to your body – you don’t have to think about this when you buy flax seed.

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