Ground flax vs whole flax seeds

[Analeah]

Does anyone know if it is better to use ground flax or soaked whole flax seeds? I love to use ground flax seed as a thickener for sauces or salad dressings but I am not sure if the nutrients and benefits from the ground flax are able to be absorbed as the seeds weren't first soaked to be activated. I have read different articles, some advocating using ground flax seeds while others specifically say only to use whole soaked flax seeds. Anyone have any suggestions here? Thanks!

[thunderdancer]

hiya :)

the shop bought ground flax is almost certianly not going to have been soaked to activate it - it'll be dried then ground up. the grinding process could also be pretty hot...

this is a hard one eh - coz when you soak flax it does all glutenous and not grindable.

what if you grind up the whole seeds yourself THEN soak it? that's what i'd do.

[Analeah]

Hi Thunderdanser thanks for the reply. I just decided to put a whole bunch of flax seeds in the blender and make it into powder. I sprinkle it in salads and use in dressings or sauces as a thickener and it reminds me a little of brewers yeast. I am not really worried about the heat aspect as I make the powder myself and wouldn't buy it store bought. I am curious to know if it has enzyme inhibiters or other things of that nature if consumed without first soaking. I thought about soaking, then dehydrating, then grinding but as I have no dehydrator and would probably be too lazy to do this anyway I don't think this is a practical solution (at least for me). Also I am curious about the effects of soaking the powdered flax. Would that actually activate the enzymes or does the seed need to be soaked in its whole form? Thanks!

[thunderdancer]

ooooh I dunno :confused:
I DO know if I eat flax (unsoaked) I get digestion problems.. not with oil though (pumpkin too) - weird. I wonder if the oil is enzyme activated too in that case.. hmmm I digress (again) lol

I'm interested in the answer too.

[Jeanne]

It's best to buy the seeds and then grind them as you need them because they oxidize quickly once they are ground.