Flax seed

[GuitarDeb]

Hey everyone.
I read somewhere that you have to crush flax seed to get the benefits out of them. Is this true? If so, then what's the trick to smashing them? I tried a mortar and pestel but it took FOREVER!
I'm ready to wimp out and buy flax seed oil.

[aprildawn]

Buy Barlean's flax seed oil. It's pretty good. You can drink it straight. I'll post the link once I get back to my own computer. You can buy it at natural foods stores.

[freaker]

I don't like the taste of flax seed oil and it seems like such a rip-off compared to how much flax seeds cost. Not to mention you get fiber and protein with your flax seeds. There are 2 easy ways to grind up flax seeds. You can either use a coffee grinder or you can attach a bell jar to your blender blade and base. I use the bell jar with the blender.

[GuitarDeb]

A coffee grinder! What a great idea. I'll try that.
Thanks!

[tcs1366]

I agree with freaker on the seeds. the oil is really expensive compared to seeds - and get them at a health food store, not GNC - I pay about $2 per pound, maybe $2.30 for the golden flax

you get the benefit of the fiber, which we all need


grind the seeds as you need them and they go rancid pretty quickly - i read somewhere once to use them within 15 min of grinding - but I honestly have no idea how long it takes to go rancid... but if you grind a bunch at a time, store the meal in the freezer - that is where I store my seeds anyway.

I bought a cheapy coffee grinder at Walmart - I got tired of having to clean my regular coffee mill daily, since i grind both seeds and coffee every day.

I've also tried the blender and food processor, but the coffee mill did the best job.

[freaker]

I've never had ground-up flax seeds go rancid, and often times they'll be in a tuperware container for well over a month before I eat them. Maybe I'm just getting cheap flax seeds, I only pay $0.79 a pound.

[aprildawn]

Here's the link for Barlean's:

http://www.barleans.com/locator/index.html

[Roxie]

Originally posted by aprildawn
Here's the link for Barlean's:

http://www.barleans.com/locator/index.html

Bump on AprilDawns suggestion. It is THE BEST tasting Flax out there and has other oils in it that us women need as well...

[aprildawn]

Originally posted by Roxie
Bump on AprilDawns suggestion. It is THE BEST tasting Flax out there and has other oils in it that us women need as well...

You mean the Women's formula right? I just bought the regular Barlean's b/c the Women's one was almost twice as expensive. But it does taste pretty decent.

[Roxie]

Originally posted by aprildawn
You mean the Women's formula right? I just bought the regular Barlean's b/c the Women's one was almost twice as expensive. But it does taste pretty decent.

Doh...so true...the Barleans Women's is more expensive...but the regular tastes pretty good as well

[gbat]

Question:

How much oil is in flax seed? I mean, how much ground flax seed would you have to eat to get a tablespoon?

[freaker]

It depends on the density of the flax seed. With the one that I use now, you would need 1/3 of a cup. With the one that I used before, you only needed 1/4 of a cup, different strains I guess. Not only will you get 14g of good fat, but you'll also get close to 14g of fiber, and 7g of protein.

[gbat]

Thanks for the info! Now to try to find a good local source and if I can't, go to the internet.

[Sanosuke]

freaker what do you mix the mush with? and does it have a flavor? just curious

[freaker]

It's not a mush, it's a powder. I just throw it in my mouth and wash it down with water. It doesn't have musch of a taste, kind of nutty or seedy if anything.

[gbat]

Tried grinding flax seeds this morning. Took 1/2 cup and ground em up. Then I made the mistake of trying to eat it like cereal with cream on it. Turned into a nice doughball! I ate it anyway, not that bad.

[Cocklebur]

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forum. My husband posts on the site. Some of you may know him - tofu_guru. Well, I'm 21. I've been interesting in weight training for about a year now. Overall, my gains are:
- lost 40 lbs - went from 155 to 115 (that was b/c I got sick. I'll explain later. Long story)
- went from a size 12 to a 4. (again due to illness)
- went from a DD to a high B cup (also due to illness)
- increased my cardiovascular health by leaps and bounds. If I were to do the cardio I did yesterday, a year ago, I would have fallen over after about 15 minutes. I ran about 5 miles.
- not to mention the muscle mass and toning.

My husband got me hooked on flax oil. He's been doing research on health related issues for years.

Anyway, I thought I might have something to add.

Well, first of all, flax oil is best. The woman's formula, which I take, is specially made for women (obviously), but it has things in it like evening primrose oil and several other things that are very beneficial. IMHO, it's worth the $16 I pay for it. One bottle lasts me about 2-3 weeks.

You should only buy one bottle of flax oil at a time, as a small bottle of flax can go bad w/in 3 weeks.

Also... about the flax seeds...yes, grind them in a coffee grinder. If you're looking for a good amount to use, go about it like you would with plain flax oil. My husband puts 3 T of ground flax seeds in his shakes in the morning..and that alone is plenty.

Tried grinding flax seeds this morning. Took 1/2 cup and ground em up. Then I made the mistake of trying to eat it like cereal with cream on it. Turned into a nice doughball! I ate it anyway, not that bad.

That's WAY TOO MUCH flax seeds. No wonder it turned into a dough ball. Try using tablespoon amounts.

And ONLY use Barleans - from a refrigerated case. Light and heat break down the oil and if it's exposed to it for a long enough period, it goes rancid very quickly. That's why, if you go to GNC and try and buy flax oil (OFF THE SHELF), it'll taste like sh*t and probably make you feel sick. (Sorry, I am very ANTI-GNC. The flax oil is one of many reasons.)

Rules of thumb for buying flax oil - only buy refrigerated Barlean's. Only buy flax oil in a black bottle (again, light breaks down oil) and get the freshest pressed you can, even if it means looking through the entire shelf - and yes, I have done this.

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I hope I was able to answer some of your questions.

I'm looking forward to hanging around here and finally have some chicks to talk about weight training and such.

- Cocklebur -

[tcs1366]

Originally posted by gbat
Tried grinding flax seeds this morning. Took 1/2 cup and ground em up. Then I made the mistake of trying to eat it like cereal with cream on it. Turned into a nice doughball! I ate it anyway, not that bad.

gbat,

when you grind seeds, it will double in volume - half cup will turn into a full cup of meal, or close to it.

what i will do is, 2T seeds ground (roughly a quarter cup) add to a quarter cup oats (steel cut, or even pearled barley flakes which are lower in carbs) and a scoop of protein powder.

nuke the flax meal and oats with about 3 quarter cup water, when cooked, stir and add in the protein powder, a lil sweetener and some cream.

makes a pretty decent breakfast - OH i also will add a splash of s/f maple syrup

[Amanda]

Always check out the storage conditions on flax seeds too - the oil in the seeds can go rancid just as the extracted oil can. You want you seeds stored in a cool, dry, & if possible, dark place.

You can also sprinkle ground flax seeds on your cereal.

[2006elliotg]

y not just eat them and use ur teeth to grind them???

[PinkSky]

I buy flaxseed oil and add that, as well as actual flax seeds to my morning blended shake. Not sure whether that gets the good stuff out of the seeds, but I've always liked the seeds.

[sparky141978]

I bought flax seed in the organic section at Hy-vee, ground the bag and store it in a dark cupboard in tight tupperware...probably been about a month. Should I toss it?