General Questions

We think our Waihi Bush Organic Farm Flaxseed Oil are simply the best!   

• We are passionate about our products and have developed rigorous production and quality control processes to protect the fragile EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) so that the oil reaches you in perfect condition.
• Our climate gives us exceptionally high levels of Omega-3
• Our geologically young soils contribute to an exceptional flavour

Waihi Bush Organic Farm Flaxseed Oils are a concentrated form of EFAs that your body needs to take in through your diet :

• We have formulated in a number of different blends, allowing you to tailor your EFA intake
• Contain Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9
• Taste fresh - not bitter which is a sign the oil has started to oxidise
• Contain naturally occurring Vitamin E
• Are free from cholesterol and trans fatty acids
• Are raw, cold pressed and unrefined
• Are a vegetarian source of Omega-3 (excluding our Traditional Gel Capsules)
• Are certified organic by AsureQuality and are produced using sustainable systems and do not contain toxic residues
• Are controlled by Functional Whole Foods New Zealand Ltd from seed to product dispatch, with complete traceability
• Are manufactured in a GMO free process
• Are manufactured in a facility with a HACCP Food Safety Programme

Ours is a clear, golden oil with a pleasant nutty flavour.   Added to food such as porridge, mashed potato, yoghurt or smoothies, it gives a delicious creamy texture.

Flaxseed Oil which had not been extracted with care will taste bitter on first opening or within a few days.

Flaxseed Oil is very versitile becasue its nutty taste and it imparts a creamy texture, it is delicious mixed into your food, and can enhance the flavour..

Try these ideas to instantly improve the nutritive value of your meal:

• Drizzle over hot vegetables
• Use to mash potatoes instead of butter or milk
• Mix into soups or stews (after cooking is finished)
• Add to porridge
• Blend into smoothies
• Stir into yoghurt or cottage cheese with fresh fruit (the sulphur containing proteins combine with Omega-3 to help the transport of oxygen in the body)
• Add into fresh fruit or vegetable juice
• Use as a dipping oil for fresh bread
• Drizzle over hot pasta
• Mix into butter for spreading

Flaxseed Oil can be used on cold, warm and hot foods just prior to serving, but should never be cooked or fried as this destroys their health giving properties.   

Do not reheat food containing Flaxseed Oil

Flaxseed Oil contains the Omegas 3,6 & 9.   Because we are regulated as a food, we are not permitted to state the Omega-6 level on our label unless it contains more than 40% of Omega-6.   For example in flax original there is 61% Omega-3, 17% Omega-6 and 14% Omega-9.

We recommend 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil a day (15-30ml).

When first taking Flaxseed Oil, we advise that you start off slowly with a small amount (e.g. 1 teaspoon a day), and build up the amount over time.   Excessive amounts of Flaxseed Oil may cause diarrhoea or nausea. For some people taking Flaxseed Oil on an empty stomach can cause nausea.  Remeber it is a natural product so your body will tell you what is the right amount.

If you prefer to take Flaxseed Oil Capsules, we recommend 2-5 1000mg capsules, up to 3 times per day for an adult; 1-2 capsules, 2 times a day for a child 3-18 years old. Be aware that small children can choke on these large capsules.

Certain Fatty Acids are defined as 'Essential' because:

• The body cannot make them from other fats
• They are required for normal cell, tissue, gland, and organ function
• They must be provided from outside the body, through food or supplements
• Lack of them in the diet results in progressive deterioration of health

According to the above definition there are only two EFAs. One is the Omega-3 EFA ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid). The other is the Omega-6 EFA LA (linoleic acid).

The body converts these 'primary' Omega-3 and Omega-6 EFAs into several 'secondary' fatty acids, which have important functions in the body.   Secondary Omega-3s include SDA SteariDonic Acid), found in blackcurrant and some hemp seed oils and EPA (EicosaPentaenoic Acid) and DHA (DocosaHexaenoic Acid) (found in high fat, cold water fish).   Secondary Omega-6s include GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) found in blackcurrant seed oil, and EPO (evening primrose oil); and AA (Arachidonic acid) found in meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as in fish).

Flax Boost contains flaxseed, blackcurrant seed and EPO oils for a superb fatty acid profile consisting of both the primary Omega-3 and Omega-6 EFAs and their 'secondary derivatives'.   This makes it easy for the body to utilise.

Flax Original only contains flaxseed oil, providing around 3.5 times as much Omega-3 as Omega-6 - good for topping up deficient Omega-3.

Flax Balance contains flaxseed and safflower seed oils, providing equal amounts of the Omega-3 and Omega-6 EFAs - for a long-term balanced intake of the EFAs.

Flax Magic contains seed oils from flaxseed, hemp, safflower, blackcurrant.   This blend has been carefully balanced to provide optimum health for young bodies.

Flax Bloom contains seed oils from flaxseed, pumpkin, safflower, blackcurrant, evening primrose and coconut.   This blend will ensure both mother and child receive the correct balance of EFAs for healthy brain, eye and nervous system development of the foetus and ongoing good health for the mother during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are Essential nutrients that your body cannot make, so they must be obtained from your food.

They perform the following functions in the body:

• Energy Production. They may help with endurance, recovery from exercise and mental stamina
• Brain Function. Benefits include elevated mood, lifted depression, increased calmness, better handling of stress, less hyperactivity, better focus, better mental processing, faster learning, increased intelligence, better concentration, and improved motor coordination.   EFAs are also required for vision
• Skin, Hair, and Nails. EFAs are required for healthy skin and hair, and are required for normal nail growth. They moisturise skin and prevent dryness
• Cardiovascular Health. Omega-3 fatty acids can modulate many cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including arrhythmia, high triglycerides, blood pressure and platelet stickiness
• Insulin Function. Omega-3 helps to modulate insulin sensitivity in diabetics
• Weight Management. EFAs help modulate fat production in the body. They also modulate fat burning and heat production in the body, and shift the body from burning glucose to burning fats
• Digestion. EFAs improve gut integrity, modulate gut inflammation, and modulate 'leaky gut' that can lead to allergies
• Allergies. EFAs may modulate the symptoms of allergies
• Inflammation. Omega-3 fats modulate the inflammatory response
• Immune System. Omega-3 fats help to modulate the immune system and can help with both low immunity and an over response of the immune system (autoimmunity)
• Injury. EFAs modulate the healing of injuries
• Bone Minerals. Omega-3 fats modulate bone mineral retention, thereby modulating the development of osteoporosis
• Stress. EFAs modulates the stress response. People report feeling calmer, getting stressed less easily, dealing with stressful situations more calmly, and losing their temper less often. EFAs improve sleep in some people
• Hormones. EFAs can modulate hormone function
• Reproduction. EFAs are required for sperm formation, the female cycle, and pregnancy

We need to consume adequate amounts of the Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs), and for optimum health they need to be consumed in the right balance

Firstly, what amount is adequate?   In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has not defined a recommended dietary intake for the EFAs. It is prudent to ensure the regular consumption of foods containing both the EFAs and we recommend a serving size of 15ml or 1 tablespoon per day

The ideal balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 has been shown by various studies to be in the range of 1:1 and 2:1. Measurment of the diet of hunter-gathers show that we eveolved on a ratio of 1:1 and this is also the ratio present in a healthy brain.    Theere is a consensus that the typical Western type diet is too high in Omega-6 and low in Omega-3, which is impacting on our heath.

The reasons for this imbalance are:

• Many of the foods we eat are manufactured using polyunsaturated vegetable oils, which are high in Omega-6.   In the past, saturated animal fats were used instead. This has decreased due to the now outdated health advice warning the population to reduce their intake of animal fats and also due to the economics of cheap vegetable oil production
• The types of foods we eat have changed.   Convenience foods such as chips, pastries and biscuits are more likely to be consumed, and are cooked using Omega-6-rich vegetable oils or margarine.
• We do not eat as many Omega-3 containing foods as we did when we were hunter-gatherers - i.e. fish, wild game and large amounts of fresh green matter

Dietary sources of Omega-3

• Flax seed oil (60%)
• Hemp seed oil (20%)
• Blackcurrant seed oil (17%)
• Walnut oil (5%)
• Wheat germ (5%)
• Oily fish

Dietary sources of Omega-6

• Pastries, biscuits, crackers, cakes
• Crisps, chips, pizza
• Margarines, sauces, mayonnaise
• Most vegetable oils
• Most nuts
• Many processed foods, takeaways
• Meats and other animal products

For many people it is therefore appropriate to re-establish a dietary balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats by increasing Omega-3 intake.   Flax Boost and Flax Original are designed with this in mind.

For those on a diet which is not high in Omega-6, Flax Balance may be a better choice as it provides the1:1 ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 required for long-term health maintenance.

No cell, tissue, gland, or organ can function normally without EFAs - they are nutrients Essential for good health.   According to Udo Erasmus, one of the pioneers promoting the importance of EFAs to human nutrition, symptoms of deficiency or imbalance include:

• Dry skin
• Constipation
• Low energy levels
• Brittle hair and hair loss
• Poor nail growth
• Deterioration of liver and kidneys
• Behavioural changes due to brain deterioration
• Imbalanced immune system, resulting in more infections, poorer wound healing, and increased cancer
• Digestion problems, inflammation, bloating, allergies, autoimmune conditions
• Bone mineral loss
• Reproductive failure in males and females
• Slowed growth of children
• Tingling in arms and legs due to nerve deterioration
• Vision and learning problems
• Insulin resistance
• Increased risk of overweight
• Increased cancer risk
• Increased cardiovascular risk
• Decreased ability to cope with stress
• In mental illness, increased symptoms
• Decreased lung function
• Decreased tissue oxygenation

Fats fulfil many important functions in our bodies and we cannot survive without them.   Fats are blamed for many health problems, but it is now clear that this is a dangerous over-simplification.   Some fats and oils are healthy; many others are unhealthy.

Healthy fats include oils containing the two EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid - Omega-3) and LA (Linoleic Acid - Omega-6), which must be obtained from the diet and are both present in flaxseed oil. Other healthy oils include the Omega-9 oils, unrefined Olive or Avocado Oils, Coconut oil and Grass-Fed Butter.

As EFAs are sensitive to light, air (oxygen), and heat, they need to be pressed, packaged, stored and used with care. Otherwise they become oxidised (rancid), which makes them taste really bad and are potentially toxic.   Waihi Bush Organic Farm Flaxseed Oils are treated with the utmost care during pressing and bottling, and are tested for freshness prior to bottling, so you can be confident that they are health-enhancing.

Fish oils are often recommended because they contain the secondary Omega-3 derivatives EPA (EicosaPentaenoic Acid) and DHA (DocosaHexaenoic Acid), rather than the primary Omega-3 - ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid) found in Flaxseed Oil.   The thinking is that if these derivatives are taken directly, the body does not have to make them from the precursor.

It is however beneficial to directly consume some ALA because it does specific functions in the body.

While there is some misunderstanding about the efficiency of the body's conversion from ALA to EPA and DHA, many studies demonstrate that a healty body is fully capable of making all the EPA and DHA it needs.

There are factors which may contribute to having a compromised ability to convert the primary Omega-3 and Omega-6 into the seconadary derivatives.

These include:

• Stress
• Poor diet
• Vitamin/mineral deficiency
• Smoking
• Alcohol intake
• Hormone imbalance
• Allergies
• Diabetes

As a vegetarian/vegan alternative to fish oil we have formulated Flax Boost, Flax Bloom and Flax Magic.   These products contain SDA and GLA, the secondary Omega-3 and Omega-6s derivatives that by-pass the first step in conversion. This is the only problematic step, which is controlled by the D6D (Delta 6 Desaturase) enzyme.

Flax Boost and Flax Bloom are appropriate for use by anyone with a chronic health condition because their metabolic systems are likely to be less efficient. Flax Magic is ideal for small children. Flax Bloom is recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Our Flaxseed Oil blends are superior to fish oils on a number of counts:

• Our Flaxseed is grown organically and is free of pesticides and other toxins so there are no concerns about the contamination with dioxins, PCBs or heavy metals that occur in low quality fish oils
• Flaxseed is sustainably farmed and depletes no resources
• Flaxseed contains the primary Omega-3 ALA, from which all secondary Omega-3s are made
• Flaxseed also contains Omega-6 and 9 which fish does not
• Both Blackcurrant, some Hemp Seed Oils and fish contain secondary Omega-3s, which by pass the first step in the conversion from primary to secondary Omega-3. Blackcurrant also has secondary Omega-6 as does Hemp Seed Oil.   (These are contained in Flax Boost, Flax Bloom and Flax Magic.)
• Waihi Bush Organic Farm Flaxseed Oil products are a vegetarian source of Omega-3
• Flaxseed oil is less fragile than fish oils, which oxidise extremely readily. Furthermore, we handle our products with special care to protect their integrity
• More versatile - it can easily be added to your daily foods
• Pleasant flavour enhances foods - no fishy burps!
• The Flaxseed used to create our products is grown here in New Zealand, and all manufacturing is done in New Zealand.