Foods for better blood sugar: flaxseed

Teeny-tiny, shiny brown flaxseeds are a great way to help your blood sugar as well as your heart. If you haven't tried them yet, it's time for a trip to the store.

• Buy ground flaxseed or grind it yourself in a food processor or coffee grinder.
• If you don't see it in your supermarket, look in a natural foods store.
• Using flaxseed may be a mystery to you now, but it's simple once you know how.
• It has a pleasant, nutty flavour.
• Flaxseed is rich in both protein and fibre with more than two grams in each 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of ground seeds.
• It's also a good source of magnesium, a mineral that's key to good blood sugar control, because it helps cells use insulin.
• Several large studies have found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes skyrockets when magnesium intake is low, so get your fill.
• Even if you already have diabetes, getting plenty of magnesium can help.
• Ground and blended into other foods, 15 to 30 millilitres (one to two tablespoons) could do wonders for your blood sugar control and overall good health.
• You can also mix 15 or 30 millilitres (one or two tablespoons) of ground flaxseed into a glass of water and drink it.
• The lignans in flaxseed are much better absorbed by the body if the seeds are eaten ground or crushed. Whole seeds, on the other hand, tend to pass right through your body undigested.
• Because of its high fat content, flaxseed will spoil if you grind it but don't use it right away. The solution:  buy whole seeds in bulk and grind them only as you need them.
• Whole seeds will last up to a year stored at room temperature.
• If you buy ground flaxseed, keep it in the fridge.

• Flaxseed oil provides the omega-3 fatty acids that flaxseed does, but not the fibre or lignans.
• If heart health is your main concern, you may want to consider taking either flaxseed oil or fish oil daily to get more "good fats" into your diet.
• Because flax thins the blood, talk to your doctor before taking it if you're on aspirin therapy or taking blood-thinning medication.
• Dosages range from five to 15 millilitres (one teaspoon to one tablespoon) once or twice a day.
• The oil goes rancid easily, so keep it refrigerated.
• You can use it in salad dressings, add it to steamed vegetables after cooking or sprinkle it over grain dishes, but don't cook with it, since heat destroys its nutrients.

There you have it -- a simple way to incorporate this super-food into your diet. For most people, there is virtually no downside to adding flaxseed to your daily diet. It's a great source of fibre and magnesium, and the healthy benefits are undeniable.