One of my favorite additions to my smoothie recipes is fresh ground Golden Flax Seed. This little seed is jam-packed with tons of nutrition and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. It’s the healthy lignans and the high quantity of Alpha Linolenic Acid (the Omega 3 fatty acid) that are found in Flax Seed that make it so special. Those lignans and the Alpha Linolenic Acids are thought to have antioxidant protection and can help with a wide range of health conditions:
Cholesterol problems, blood sugar imbalances, joint inflammation, constipation, menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and bone loss, and blood pressure problems. There also is plenty of research out there that suggests including fresh ground Golden Flax Seed daily can help prevent heart disease and certain cancers like prostate, breast, ovarian and colon.
Which one: Golden or Brown?
I prefer the Golden Flax Seed over the brown because it has a nutty flavor and really adds that flavor to my smoothie. Some people like to sprinkle it on cereal or oatmeal, add it to yogurt, add atop a salad and even bake with it.
What about Flax Seed Oil?
My personal preference is to always take the food in it’s most natural form. So for our purposes, I would recommend that you purchase Organic Whole Golden Flax Seeds. Because it is not advisable to consume these seeds in the whole form, it is necessary that you purchase an inexpensive coffee grinder (you can easily find one at Wal-Mart). Grinding the flax seeds fresh for each use is a far superior way to consume them. I don’t recommend the oil for several reasons; 1) there is the potential that the oil will become rancid; 2) you’ll miss out on the important fiber that you get with the whole seeds; 3) in the processing to make the oil, sometimes the lignans and the essential fatty acids are damaged.
How much flax seed do I need?
I recommend at least 3 heaping tablespoons each day. This of course can be broken into different foods; some can be put in a smoothie and then later you can add some to your salad. But the important thing to remember is to get it in! And make sure it’s fresh ground.
Tags: Natural Therapies, Nutrition/Food, Resources, Women
April 22nd, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Hello, my name is Susan Glover.
I just bought some Organic Golden Flax Seed. I make Green Smoothies in my Vita-Mix blender (it is a powerful machine).
I want to know if I need to grind the Flax Seed in a coffee grinder, or if I can just add them in my Vita-Mix when I am blending my smoothies???
What do you think if I put the (liquid) I will be using in my Vita-Mix and (just) the Flax Seed and run (the liquid & Flax Seed) for 30 seconds to 1 minute or so, will this be good enough to grind the Flax Seed??? Or do you still recomend the coffee grinder?
I have read that people put the Flax Seed in a normal blender when they are making smoothies. But, maybe they don’t get ground good?
Thank You so much, I am anxious to read your comments on this. I will pass your suggestion on to The Raw Divas group.
Susan Glover
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Hi Susan…thanks for your question! I’m so glad to hear you’re using Organic Golden Flax Seeds. They are so healthy and wonderful. I use my Vitamix everyday and love it too!
Regarding your question, I decided to try it and see. Honestly, up until this point, I have always ground my flax seeds in a coffee grinder; then added it to my smoothie recipes in my Vitamix. It just never occurred to me to try the Vitamix. But since the blade in the Vitamix is extremely powerful and has been researched at the University of Toronto for its benefits in making food more bio-available, I thought I would try it! You can read about the research study here: http://www.vitamix.com/househo.....search.asp
So here’s what I did. I took 8 oz of unsweetened Almond Milk, 2 heaping Tablespoons of Organic Golden Flax Seed and added it to my Vitamix. Put the lid on and started it up. The variable speed, even on level 10, was not enough to break apart the seed, so I had to go to High at Level 10.
The results: At High on Level 10 for 30 seconds, the Vitamix DID break apart the flax seeds. Unfortunately, because of the high speed used, the liquid spun up very high into the container and there was alot remaining on the sides of the container and in the lid itself. So there was quite alot of waste in my opinion.
So my opinion is that even though it is capable of doing flax seeds, because of the waste, I would recommend you grind them in a coffee grinder first, THEN add them to your smoothie mix in your Vitamix to blend completely. A traditional blender is not strong or powerful enough to break apart the flax seeds sufficiently so you would definitely need a coffee grinder for this. If time is a challenge to do this extra step every single day, I recommend grinding up about 8 oz of flax seed ahead of time and storing in an airtight, tupperware-type of container in the freezer. It does not freeze, so you can just scoop out the appropriate amount every morning and add it to your smoothie. Saves time and the freezer keeps it very fresh!
Hope that helps answer your question and thanks for passing it on!
Stay Healthy!
Melissa Wood, ND