Another question about Flax
 

Hi. This may have been answered already but here goes. I read on the Atkins site that if you were having constipation problems to add 3 Tblsp. of Flax seed a day. I bought a bag at the grocery store and have used 2-3 Tblsp. a day on my salad. Am I using the correct form of Flax? I am using Bob's Red Mill Natural-Raw Flax Seeds. This has helped my problem a bit but has also increased my by calories 160 per day. I have not compensated for this increase in calories. Should I? I have also noticed a substantial increase in appetite, coincidence? I was maintaing 1500 calories a day but lately have been up closer to 2000. Also, I take an Omega supplement called Coromega. Should I count these calories too? Do I need the Flax if I am taking the Coromega? I think I would like to eliminate the Flax and increase my magnesium at night instead. Any input is greatly appreciated!

Are you grinding the seeds, or have you bought ground? The outer husks of the flax seed are too hard for thebody to break down in digestion, so any flax would just come out basically. You would be missing out on the healthy omegas and other good things.

160 calories is not that much. On LC plans you need to be eating enough calories to support your metabolism anyway, and many eat too few. If 2000 is to many for you, I would look at other ways to lower it then cutting out suppliments. You might look into psyllium husks however as they are fiber and not as many extra carbs as flax.

I haven't been grinding them. I didn't understand that I was supposed to after reading the info on the Atkins site. Oops! I don't have a grinder, are they terribly expensive?

you can use a coffee grinder ($17 at target) or possibly even a blender or food processor.

I just toss them in the blender and it works fine. I don't really need another appliane to clutter up limited space :)

I thought the whole point in using them for constipation was for them to move through you unprocessed kinda like fiber does.......so wouldn't that mean eating them un blended or whatever.

I don't know either. I am so confused!

Grinding the flax seed won't destroy the fiber or render it less effective, but it will unlock the nutrients (maybe even the rest of the fiber?) and make them available to your body.

I think you get better results with grinding them, plus you can do more things with ground flax. I just use my existing coffee grinder. I make my coffee, than I grind my flax making it great for breakfast w/a little coffee flavor mmmm... Be very causious if you try to use a food processor, it makes a terrible mess...

I copied this from http://www.lowcarbcookies.com/flax.htm


Flax Seed Basics
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? Usually. But the flax plant, from seed to stem, yields a list of products and benefits that really are true! The seed from flax is a highly nutritious food, recognized for its healthful benefits long ago, even by Hippocrates himself. As animal feed, flaxseed improves skin and coat condition and chickens consuming flaxseed lay eggs that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. The oil from flaxseed is used primarily for industrial uses such as coatings, furniture finish and even linoleum floor covering. And finally, the stem fiber of flax plants is processed to make the finest paper and cloth products.

Flaxseed has been a part of human and animal diets for thousands of years in Asia, Europe, and Africa and more recently in North America and Australia. As flax gained popularity for its industrial uses, its popularity as a food product may have waned, but flaxseed never lost its nutritional value. Today flax is experiencing a renaissance among nutritionists, the health conscious public, food processors and chefs alike.

Products made from/with whole flaxseed include flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed and omega-3 eggs.

Flaxseed oil is a product made from flaxseed, which is cold-pressed with a screw press at temperatures not to exceed 100°F.
Flaxseed is 35-40% oil so a similar amount may be omitted from any recipe requiring oil. The same method is similar for ground flaxseed.
A daily dose of flaxseed oil is 1 to 3 tablespoons.
Flaxseed must be ground to get maximum benefits of the Omega 3 oil and dietary fiber.
Ground flaxseed may be kept for many months in the refrigerator or deep freeze. Whole flaxseed keeps for several years in clean, dry storage at below 0°F to 80°F.
Flaxseed can be substituted for eggs in any recipe. fifteen grams of ground flaxseed steeped in 45ml. of water for two minutes will substitute for one egg in recipes.
Flaxseed contains NO GLUTEN for those with gluten allergy.
A daily dose of ground flaxseed is about 1/4 cup or 35 grams or 3 heaping tablespoons, depending on fineness of grind. Ground flaxseed can be stirred into orange or other juices, into smoothies or added to any baked products.
Flax Nutrition Facts

The FDA has not yet determined a Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for Omega-3 fatty acids. However, a joint committee of the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization recommends an Omega-6 / Omega-3 dietary ratio between 5:1 and 10:1. The typical North American diet ranges from 10:1 to 24:1. Flaxseed provides a ratio of 0.3:1. By comparison, the ratio for corn oil is 45:1, for soybean oil 10:1, and for canola oil 25:1. Its high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acid makes flaxseed a particularly valuable component of any health-conscious diet.


All available literature tends to support that dietary fiber is important to digestion and laxation and has been a factor in preventing cancer, especially colon cancer. One ounce of flaxseed provides 32 percent of the USDA's Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of fiber.

Populations with high fiber diets and high intakes of phytochemicals called lignans have very low rates of hormone-dependant cancers, such as breast cancer. As research into the function of lignans in cancer prevention continues, flaxseed shares center stage as a high-fiber food that is also one of nature's richest sources of lignans.

Flaxseed is an outstanding source of many other essential nutrients, including: folate, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, iron, thiamine, copper, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus. Flaxseed also appears to be an anti-inflammatory and may be effective to treat inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.

More Nutrition Details
Flaxseed contains 40-45% oil, 55% of which is alpha ( ) linolenic acid (ALA)1, 2.
One ounce (28.4 g) of flaxseed contains more than 5 grams of alpha linoleic acid.
Flaxseed is, by far, the best known source of plant lignans (one group of phytoestrogens)
Flaxseed contains 28% dietary fiber.


General Baking Information
Flaxseed can be added to baked products as a whole seed, imparting a healthy appearance and increased texture quality. However, flaxseed must be ground (milled) prior to consumption to obtain the potential health benefits from the Omega-3 fatty acids and lignans.

Flaxseed is high in mucilage (gums) that can increase the water absorption properties of the dough, which can impact mixing time and dough handling characteristics. The American Institute of Baking recommends additional formula water at a rate of 75% of the added ground flaxseed by weight2. However, baking tests at the NCI show that additional water requirements are product and formula specific. Bakers will need to optimize water addition levels for individual formulas.

For most baked products, moderate to high inclusion levels of ground flaxseed allow for the reduction or removal of shortening or other added oils.

Shorter mixing times are required for certain products.

In bread products, flaxseed addition can increase fermentation and proof times. Yeast levels can be increased to compensate for this increase.

Oven temperatures may need to be decreased slightly to prevent excessive browning.

Baking with flaxseed does not reduce the quality or availability of the nutritional components of flaxseed according to published research.

Cooking at Home with Flax
When you add flax seed to your cooking, you add a pleasant, nutty taste, and more. The attractive, oval reddish-brown seeds of flax add taste, extra texture and good nutrition to your breads and other baked goods. That’s why flax has been long-used in multi-grain cereals and snack foods. Flax seed also delivers the benefits of its soluble fibre, lignans, omega-3 fatty acid mix and protein.

Flax seed can be added to your cooking in its ground or whole seed form.

Flax seed Replaces Oils
Flax seed can stand in for all of the oil or shortening called for in a recipe because of its high oil content. If a recipe calls for 1/3 c of oil, use 1 c of milled flax seed to replace the oil — a 3:1 substitution ratio. When flax seed is used instead of oil, baked goods tend to brown more rapidly.

Storage
Whole flax seed which is clean, dry and of good quality, can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. For optimum freshness, ground flax seed should be refrigerated in an airtight, opaque container.

Flax seed in Vegetarian Baking
Vegetarians substitute a flax seed mixture for eggs in selected recipes like pancakes, muffins and cookies. These baked goods are slightly gummier and chewier than normal, and the volume is decreased. When using the substitution formula, test a recipe first to determine if it meets your expectations.

The formula is:15 mL (1 tbsp) milled flaxseed, plus 45 mL (3 tbsp water) = 1 egg.

Mix milled flax seed and water in a small bowl and let sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Add to recipe as you would an egg.

Sources
Flax Council of Canada

AmeriFlax

Thanks! It's good to know I haven't been wasting my Flax seeds but I will definately start to grind them tomorrow.