LSA: A Powerful Nutritional Booster

I was checking out a recipe for power bars the other day and came across an ingredient with which I was not familiar. Along with lots of other healthy-sounding ingredients such as dried fruit, whey protein powder and organic peanut butter, this recipe called for ½ cup LSA. So I went on a Google hunt to learn more!



LSA is a blend of flax seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds and carries quite a nutritional punch! The product, LSA, is not available in the United States, but appears to be a staple in Australian homes for healthy eaters. By following this simple recipe, though, you can have LSA to add to your diet, too.



Ingredients



3 parts whole flax seeds

2 parts sunflower seeds

1 part almonds



For my first batch I used 1 cup flax, 2/3 cup sunflower and 1/3 cup almonds which produces 2 cups of LSA)



Preparation



Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind to a fine mixture. Put in air-tight container and store in the refrigerator. It is suppose to last for a month.



From my first blending experience, I’d caution you that as these seeds contain a high quantity of oil, your blender blades may need to be cleaned and the whole mixture shaken up before completion. In my Magic Bullet, the mixture tended to clump up around the blades and the edge of the cup. I just cleaned off the blades, broke up the clumps and blended it some more. It worked out in the end.



The nutritional value of this little mixture is powerful! 1 tablespoon contains 72 calories which breaks down into 52 calories of fat, 11 calories of carbs (mostly fiber with only a little sugar) and 9 calories of protein. However, the real value comes in the form of the actual nutrients such as vitamins of all kinds, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, etc. Just Google any one of the three ingredients above for nutritional content and sit back and read the accolades!



By now you must be thinking, “So okay, what do I do with the stuff?” Good question. The real answer is that I’m still experimenting, but here are some easy-to-use initial ideas.



1. Add a tablespoon of LSA to boost the nutrition content of various foods such as oatmeal, yogurt, other cereal, smoothies, etc. If you taste it, you will see that, as anticipated, it’s just a nice nutty blend that will not significantly alter the flavor of whatever you add it to. Of course, it is grainy in texture, so if you add it to something smooth such as yogurt, you will notice the graininess when you eat it. I don’t find this to be a problem, but we all have our peculiarities about food textures.



2. From what I’ve read, it looks like LSA is often used as a substitute for flour in whole or in part when making things like muffins or brownies. I haven’t experimented with this yet, but will report on my results when I do.



3. LSA is a great ingredient to add to homemade power bars or granola bars. I am planning to make peanut butter power bars later today and will report back on the results and provide the recipe if it turns out to be a good one.



In summary, I think this is a powerful nutritional booster and am currently pursuing options for integrating it into my diet. As I learn more about it, I will share this via my blog, both pros and cons as I find them. In the meantime, I’d urge others to try it out and let me know via comments what you think about LSA. Perhaps you already use it and would like to share a recipe or two!