Foods For Women's Health Part 2/5- Flaxseed

Flaxseed

Bakers use this nutty-flavoured seed mainly to add flavour and fibre. But scientists see the tiny reddish-brown seed, rich in oestrogen-like compounds called lignans, as a potential weapon against breast cancer. An exciting report at last year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that adding flaxseed to the diet of women with breast cancer effectively slowed tumour growth. You can flavour your muffins with flaxseed, but the easiest way to get the beneficial lignans is to sprinkle a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed on your morning cereal. Look for the seeds in health food shops. They’re easy to grind in a blender or coffee grinder. But get seeds – there are no lignans in the oil.