Chew on this...

A diet that includes a couple of tablespoons of flax seed could help you fight that cholesterol problem.

Flax seed. Looks like? Not sure. Sounds like? Laxative? Acually it is one. But that's just the start of it. Suddenly flax seeds are being hailed as the ultimate health food. And unlike the fatiguing debate on fats vs carbs, there's actually complete unanimity on this one.

Flax is not a new agefood. It is said Hippocrates used flax seed regularly for relief to his irritable intestines. And ask your bai for traditional uses of flax seed; she is guaranteed to have a supply of them including a chutney made from grinding together red chilli, garlic and flax seed.

So how did something that was such an intrinsic part of our diet suddenly disappear from our collective urban intelligence. Now some nutritionists and scientists believe that it could be the most important health-promoting supplement next to multi-vitamins.

Apparently, one would be hard-pressed to find a food more rich in highly soluble and insoluble fibre. It is also a storehouse of vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, protein, and zinc. More importantly, it will dump a truckload of Omega-3 fats into your system.

Something us Indians should really take note of, considering we are notoriously prone to high levels of cholesterol "" Omega-3 will wage war against that. You could consume fish oil, but there's that nasty aftertaste.

Kavita Mukhi, a Mumbai-based nutritionist, says that flax seed is really easy to incorporate in your diet because by itself the seeds don't have an overriding flavour. "It adds texture more than anything else," she says.

Someone said flax seed is great because she sneaks it into tasty things like muffins and her kids don't even notice. The suggested daily intake is about two tablespoons. Mukhi suggests adding toasted flax seed in your chapati dough or as seasoning in your salad or dal.

There are remarkable theories on how flax can fight a range of illnesses from cancer to heart disease, and researchers are yet to come upon harmful effects of excessive consumption.

The only warning available is that if consumed whole they tend to pass out the way they went in. So the suggestion is to toast the seeds and then crush them. Also in oil form, it will never contain the fibre.

There are even entire cookbooks dedicated to recipes using flax seed. While that might be excessive, flax seed, as a super food, looks like it is here to stay. And oh, keep it away from heat and light.