As you can imagine, we get quite a few questions from followers. Our philosophy is that if someone asks a questions chances are there are many others out there with the same question. So every now and then we will post some of these questions as well as our answers back. Feel free to chime in with your our advice our experiences!
QUESTION:
I was reading one of your blogs and I had been thinking about adding flax seeds to smoothies. When I went to look at them at the stores I saw the chia seeds. Do chia seeds have the same benefits as flax seed?
Thanks
ANSWER:
Both flax seeds and chia seeds are wonderful superfoods and should be included in a healthy lifestyle. They are both very comparable and have become popular due to their high source of Essenital Fatty Acids (EFA’s) particularly their Omega-3’s. They are both high in nutrients and a just a little each day goes a long way. The nice thing about flax seed is that is widely available and much cheaper than chia seeds. The down side (for some) is that in order to receive the full nutritional benefit, the seeds need to be ground before consumption (they should also stay refrigerated). The chia seed on the other hand has a different molecular make-up and they do not need to be ground or refrigerated. They are also becoming more popular because they do not contain the phytoestrogens that flax contains. I personally don’t really worry about that at all, but some do. All in all, if you are choosing between flax seeds or chia seeds, you are on the right page. I do think variety is very important and the ideal scenario would be to rotate through flax seed, chia seed and hemp seed.
Hope that was helpful!
QUESTION:
Since our last class on dairy I have been wanting to ask you a couple of things. The video we watched made it sound like dairy for adults was bad because we are not going through ‘rapid growth’. Does that mean that some dairy for children is ok?
Also, is there information on the difference in health benefits of reducing dietary animal products vs eliminating them all together? It seems to me that keeping a reduced amount of meat might be ok. I haven’t read all the books so maybe you know more about this.
Thanks!
ANSWER:
Dairy – There is ample evidence to suggest that our children are better off WITHOUT it. They are not lacking anything by not having dairy in their diet. That said, if you don’t think you want to give it up all together, my suggestion would be to just limit it. My kids still have ice cream sometimes, and when I make home made pizza, I will occasionally put “real” cheese on it. So we certainly haven’t eliminated it as a food group. However, it is no longer a staple in our home. No more yogurts or gogurts for snacks. No more cheese sticks or Mac n Cheese. No more cow’s milk for cereal (although my husband does buy it now and again). So I think the main things is to put it into that 10% category of your diet (remember the 90-10 rule).
Now for the meat. I can answer that almost the exact same way. There are many arguments for both sides. The doctors that I subscribe to would say that there is not any need for meat in our diets. All the nutrients we need can be achieved through a plant-based diet (although a B12 supplement would be needed and that’s mainly due to soil conditions than anything else). That said, I also keep meat in that 10% category. Even the research from The China study showed that there was no cancer patients in the test rats when they were fed a 5% diet of animal products. So my personal opinion is that a little is just fine. The main point is to make sure we’re getting all the other stuff that is so important. I’ve seen meat-eaters that are healthier than vegetarians because they’re eating lots of whole foods and no junk. There are plenty of vegetarians that are “junkitarians”. So if you and your family are filling your 90% with nutrittious whole foods, then I really wouldn’t worry too much about the 10%.
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Source: WFM 1-10