Flaxseeds/FS oil

[Amberly]

what are the pros/cons of taking flax seed oil as opposed to flaxseeds? How do you take flax seeds? Just out of the package? Soak them? Does the package have to say raw? Thanks. I've read that they are great for the fiber. Does this put them above the oil?

[Angelina]

While both forms have great benefits,the whole seeds are loaded with fiber. There are a few different ways to have them, soak the whole seeds and add to recipes or make crackers (if you have a dehydrator) or grind the seeds in a coffee grinder and make a powder to add to smoothies or recipes. I have some digestive issues so I find that if I use the whole seeds, grinding them up first is best for me.

[sport]

I understand that you get different benifits from both oil and seeds so it is best to have a little of both.
It does not need to say raw because they are always raw.
You can get no benefit from them as they are and they must be either soaked or ground.

[exurb]

In addition to the omega profile, flax hull lignans are thought by some to be beneficial (in fact the drug tamoxifen is structurally similar to the lignans). There is some thought that flax is helpful to lower incidence of breast and prostate cancer and has benefits for people with HIV. Flax is also high in an antioxidant SDG which is said to help ward off diabetes mellitus - however the diabetes thing is a mixed bag (as you will see below because other components are associated with an increase in fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes). Flax seeds are also quite high in protein, about 30g per cup. Flax is also thought to assist in preventing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries/arterial plaque formation). Just some of the benefits.

That said, there is hydrogen cyanide content in flax, so in my personal opinion after much reading and research, it is best to keep them in moderation in your diet, instead of such a major staple. There are also animal studies (as you may know it's in vogue to feed flax to chickens and cows to try to improve the omega profile of their "outputs" such as milk and eggs), studies I've read in that department start to show a negative effect on the animal after about 3% in the diet. Flax seed releases toxic hydrogen cyanide by auto-hydrolysis in the presence of water in the gut. The toxins are shown by scientific measurement to be concentrated highest in the "mucilage" around the seed. It is actually even thought that there is an additional incidental protection from cancer associated with this, said to be similar to the effect of laetrile. However, most researchers seem to suggest that flax supplementation should be modest. A report from the University of Toronto concluded that after 50g you get into unsafe territory, but a lesser amount may be beneficial to raise omega 3 fatty acids.

(two of the main symptoms by the way of chronic cyanide intoxication are thyroid consequences, and "fibrocalculous" pancreatic diabetes)

So I personally use flax in small amounts - like if I want to put a tablespoon or two in a cracker batch, but I never make crackers that are all based from flax and stay away from recipes like that. I am really concerned with fellow raw fooders having cups and cups of flax, and on a daily basis. If you really like the recipes that are almost all flax, I would suggest considering eating them gradually, and/or alternating between crackers with other bases.

The old saying "the dose maketh the poison" I think is true for flax - it seems to have many beneficial properties, and seems worth including in our diets, but I would at least do some serious research before eating a whole batch of flax crackers every day or putting them in recipes by the cupful.

In my opinion it should not be a staple food, but it also should not be excluded from the diet.

[leeleelocs]

Wow Thanks for the education. new to raw so I have been having a good old time making flax crackers and such because I missed the bread. So, thanks I will stop eating flax everyday with every meal!