The Thing About Flax
Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed With NuVal Score of 100
Flax is hot. Very hot. Everybody wants to eat stuff with flax in it. For very good reason.
The best person to tell you why is not me – I am not a dietitian and I don’t try to play one on my blog. I do work with several very accomplished dietitians and I turned to Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LD, CSSD and Manager of Nutrition Communications for NuVal for some clarification on why flax is so popoular these days. Here’s what Rachel had to say:
“Flax seeds are flying high in foodie circles and food manufacturers right now. You can find them in bulk whole or ground, in hot or cold cereal, in bread… even in cookies! So what about this mysteriously famous little seed makes it so popular? Well it turns out that these petit kernels pack a pretty significant fiber and omega-3 fatty acid punch. Two tablespoons of ground flax has about 3 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of health-benefiting unsaturated fats – most of which are omega-3’s.
But buyer beware: Your body can only get these fantastic fats from the ground form of flax. So when you see the seeds floating around on your bread or in your cereal – know you’re getting a great fiber kick, but the body simply can’t break them down to extract the omega-3 fatty acids. Also, try to avoid purchasing already-ground seeds as the fats are highly sensitive to oxygen and will go rancid quickly.”
What to do: Buy the whole seed in bulk, grind them up just before using, and enjoy!
Interestingly, when I saw these Hodgson Mill already-ground-up flax seeds at Big Y the other day, I was tempted to buy them. Rachel and I had had this flax conversation (yes, this is what we talk about around the water cooler at NuVal!) and to be honest, grinding flax seeds with my coffee grinder is not at the top of my To Do List. So, when I saw these milled flax seeds, I almost bought them. I fact, I intended to, but somehow, they did not make it into my cart.
Nor did these higher priced ground flax seeds from Bob’s Red Mill:
Bob's Red Mill Golden Flax Seed with NuVal Score of 100
But maybe it’s a good thing since now I know they will perish quickly. I mean – it’s going to take me a while to eat that bag of flax seed. Rachel did mention, by the way, in a subsequent conversation, that you can refrigerate already-milled flax seed to keep them longer.
So, to recap (it is Friday after all, and we have only so much brain-power left):
- Flax is good – REALLY good
- You don’t get Omega-3 out of whole flax seed (even though it looks pretty)
- You must eat it ground to get benefits
- Either grind and eat quickly or buy it ground and share with a friend! Refrigerate to make it last longer!
What is FNCE?
FNCE is the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo. It is the national conference of the American Dietetic Association. Yes (eligible Boston-area bachelors – take notice) – about 10,000 dietitians are about to descend on Boston, MA this weekend! About 97% of dietitians in the U.S are women (thus my note above). So, this weekend I will be working (hard!) at the NuVal booth (#2615 for all you dietitians out there) and Monday and Tuesday too. Really, it is a lot of fun, so be sure to check out my FNCE Recap next week!
Posted by: Melissa 8 comments
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 7:53 am
I keep my ground flax in the freezer, do you think that would stave off rancidity? I love it in oatmeal and on top of yogurt… mmm
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 8:26 am
Rhea – keeping your flax in the freezer is fantastic! It will definitely keep for much longer.
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 9:37 am
I keep the seeds in my pantry, but every once and a while I’ll grind about 1/4 cup of seeds and put the grinds in my freezer. When I start getting low on the grounds, I grind up some more seeds. I’ve had my seeds for almost a year and they’re fine, and I only need to grind seeds every other month or so.
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 11:12 am
What are the most common foods you would add the ground flax seeds to? thanks
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Hmmm… so should I keep my Hodgson Mill MultiGrain Hot Cereal with Ground Flax in the fridge?
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Thanks for this great information. I am going to share with my family and will pull the coffee grinder out of hibernation. Thanks again!
on Nov 5th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I haven’t seen you since the summer so I will definitely be stopping by the booth this weekend!
on Nov 9th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
I usually keep my flax in the refrig. I also put it on toast on top of peanut butter.