What to do with flax seeds

[georgevan]

for some reason I collected a whole bunch of flax seeds and don't know what to do with them. Any suggestions?

 

[larry_stewart]

When I was watching my carbs ( for medical reasons) flax seeds were something I could eat High in protein, High in fiber. I bought flax seed that was kinda milled into a rough flour and followed a recipe to make flax seed crackers. Didnt work out well. That being said, ive seen people work it into bread dough, use as a granola ingredient, sprinkle it on yogurt... I think for health and diet benefits its a winner, but for actual taste ( especially as the main ingredient) not so much ( at least in my limited experiences)

 

[blissful]

Grind them in a little coffee/spice grinder. Take 1-2 T per day, in breakfast cereal, oatmeal, cookies, breads. They taste nutty and are high in omega 3 fats. They are good for many health reasons.
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/

 

[Rocklobster]

Sometimes, I add a heaping spoonful of ground flax seeds to my smoothies.

 

[GotGarlic]

They definitely need to be ground in order to get any health benefits. Whole seeds mostly pass through the body unchanged.

 

[Linda0818]

I agree with blissful, grind them up into a flax meal. I love adding flax meal to my hot cereals (oatmeal, wheat porridge) as well as a tablespoon or two of almond flour. Turns hot cereal into yummy stuff as well as adding extra nutrients.

For example, I love Cream of Wheat. But nutritionally, it's not what they would call a "powerhouse" of sorts. But adding in ground flax and almond flour not only makes the hot cereal tasty and rich, but gives it a nutritional boost.

 

[dragnlaw]

What GG mentions is true, only birds (unless you have a gizzard) can really get any benefit from unground flax seeds.

My second advice is to use your grinder and do your seeds fresh when needed.
They've lost a lot of their beneficial power if pre-ground.

and there you have the extent of my bountiful knowledge on flax seeds.
(please don't quote me! )

 

[Skier]

Magnus Nilsson has a recipe for a thin cracker made from flax seeds. I believe the recipe is in both the original Fäviken book and his new Fäviken 4015 days book.

 

[blissful]

If you are someone that uses ground flax seed, also called flax seed meal, you might be aware of the differences in price.


Right now flax seed meal is about 3.19/lb us dollars. From the same company (both at our grocery store), flax seeds (unground) are $1.49. It's quite a savings to buy the seeds unground.


As with all seeds, nuts, and grains, these keep for a good long time unground, but once ground the fats are exposed to oxygen and slowly degrade, which can become rancid. If you've tasted rancid grain/flour, nuts or seeds, it is a bitter acrid smell and taste. Avoid eating rancid things. The oxidized fats have free radicals.



I also buy chia seeds, whole. We use them daily with flax. When I run out of ground flax and chia, I grind more. I take a pound of each, grind them in the spice grinder, mix them, and put them in shaker containers to use daily, the rest in glass jars to freeze.