Golden Flaxseed question

[rawmom]

Hello, my question is in regards to flaxseed. I have seen it referred to as golden flaxseed, while I have a dark brown version-am I correct in assuming there are two different kinds- because the label on mine simply states "natrual whole raw flaxseed?

Thanks

Rawmom

[GoingRAW]

To the best of my knowledge, the golden is raw and the dark brown is cooked. :o

[misslinda]

here is some more info on flaxseeds . I also don't recall the dark seed being cooked--I'll look into this too.

What is the difference between brown flax seed and golden or yellow flax seed? Is one better than the other?

No, one flax seed is not better for you than another. Brown flax seeds provide the same nutritional benefits as golden (or yellow) ones. Both brown and golden flax seeds have plenty of lignans and dietary fibre, and both contain more than 50 per cent alpha-linolenic acid. This is an omega-3 fat which offers you health and heart fitness.
While some people prefer yellow-coloured seed in their cooking, brown flax seeds add the same nutrition to your diet as do golden ones. This means you can choose your flax seed freely. Brown flax seed may be more commonly found than golden, as more brown than golden flax seed is grown commercially.

Note: There is another yellow seed that looks like flax, but is not flax. It is most likely solin seed, a crop developed from flax. Solin seeds do NOT provide the same nutritional benefit of flax seeds. Solin seeds contain less than one-tenth of the alpha-linolenic acid found in flax seeds. Thus, the important omega-3 advantage of flax is missing in solin.

luv,
linda

[rawmom]

Thanks for enlightening me Miss Linda-I appreciate it! I received a dehydrator for Christmas and will be making my first batch of flaxseed crackers.

Thanks again.

Rawmom

[AJ Bodine]

Hi RawMom,

Neither golden or brown flaxseed is cooked, it's just a different variety of flaxseed. I use flax every single day and credit it to be the thing that has cured my aching joints and my heel spurs. As long as I grind a little in my smoothies or mix some fresh ground with mashed banana and some coconut butter every day, I never have any joint or heel pain. It's also great for your skin and hair. I have no dry/cracking skin or hair during the winter months here in the cold midwest.

I love using the golden way more. When I've used brown, some of my family/friends have reported getting a stomach ache. I'm not sure why and they had no idea I used something different. So I stopped using brown and switched back to golden. I have a favorite brand that I'm going to post here. Ask your local co-op to carry it so you don't have to pay shipping from the website. It is hands down the best seed I've ever seen. Very plump, shiny and clean. And no, I don't work for this company! :) AJ


http://dakotaflax.com/ (http://)

[misslinda]

AJ, thanks for leaving that post, I've been using flaxseed oil and raw seeds for awhile and notice the stomach getting alittle upset. I'm going to try the golden seed instead.


luv,
linda

[Curtis]

I have seen the golden at Whole Foods and am going to try it in crackers and see if there is a taste diff!

[rawmom]

A.J.-thanks for posting the website, I will check that out. Does anyone have an actual ingredient amount when making flaxseed crackers? I was wanting to try the banana flaxseed as well as just plain flaxseed crackers. I would appreicate amounts if anyone would care to chime in on this.

Thanks

Rawmom

[AJ Bodine]

MissLinda, you are welcome. I'd bet those stomach aches could be due to the brown seed. My cousin and son both got stomach aches within an hour of eating the brown. And it was kind of a nauseaus stomach. I've switched to golden only and neither one of them report any problems after eating the flax. I think there is a taste difference too, golden is better.

RawMom, it's a really easy ratio. 1:1 is how I mix my seeds. To make crackers, there are many different ways. I've been experimenting a long time, but the best way I've found is to mix 1 cup (or how ever much you want to make) to 1 cup of water. Then add all your veggies, seasonings, and the mix to your food processor. The food processor won't be powerful enough to grind your seeds down, but it must nick the hull just enough to let some of the silicon out and your crackers get much more crunchy, than if you don't put them in the processor. For a little more solid of a cracker, you could grind half of your seeds 1st in a coffee grinder, then add that to your whole seeds and appropriate amount of water. After you take your mix (seeds, water, veggies, seasonings) out of the food processor, let them sit in a bowl for a few hours or even overnight in the fridge. When you go to spread this out on your teflex sheets, it will be very firm. Mix it up a little more and then scoop it out onto your sheets. You could use a cookie dropper to make round balls and the wet the bottom of a flat glass everytime you swirl the top of the balls to make them thin and flat. Or, use a wet spatuala and just spread it thin all over the sheet to make one big flat cracker to break up later.

Does that all make sense? If you have anymore questions about flax, please ask. I'm sure I'm not the best cracker maker, but I've been using flax a long time.

BTW, I never use flax oil. It doesn't stay fresh very long and I've purchased enough bottles where it's already rancid when I open it. I only use the seeds, that way I know it's fresh.

[Olive]

I like the taste of the golden better too. It's kind of lighter tasting, maybe less bitter. Plus, I love the color!

[ehartmanf]

I always put a couple tablespoons of ground falx seeds in my smoothies. YUM!

[AJ Bodine]

Me too Edda, it's one of the easiest ways to get your flax in for the day I think. It makes the smoothies nice and thick too.

AJ

[rawmom]

Thanks for the ratio A.J.! I am really looking forward to making them-I am hoping I will love them since I crave a crunchy snack from time to time!!

Thanks again for all the infor.

Have a great day!

Rawmom

[AJ Bodine]

Rawmom, let me know when you've made your first batch and how they turned out. I'm going to start some crackers here tonight too as I'm really craving a crunchy snack.

AJ

[askcassyfirst]

I love flax crackers, I typically add sesame seeds, chopped peppers and garlic. I love to smear them with avocado.

Thought I would throw in my two cents about the brown versus golden. They do have the same nutritional makeup, in terms of what you get when you eat them. I know that at one point some companies selling mail order were spreading the word that the brown is animal feed type. In all the years I worked in Health Food stores, I heard that alot. I think that was a marketing trick, to be honest. I mean, I eat a lot of foods that are safe for my animals, but I wouldn't necessarily dream of feeding them something deemed unsafe for human consumption....I don't know. Perhaps they were referring to taste. If so, then perhaps they knew what most people think, and that is that the golden have a lighter taste. A bit nuttier, or milder taste. That is what I always shared with my customers. The brown sometimes seem to "turn" rancid quicker.

However, if one is getting ill feeling from eating any type of nut or seed, I would definately take a second to think that they might have been rancid. Although seeds are typically "safe" in thier own little "package' until they are cracked, there is always the case that they were broken up, or contaminated in processing. Flax oil, the oil gained from cold pressing the flax or linseed is very easily affected by heat and light. You will notice that most companies refridgerate it even before it is opened...

I like the golden seeds, but I lived for several years in a place where they didn't sell them. (a foreign country.) The flax seeds they did sell, however, were almost twice the size of your typical seed found here stateside. I think I miss them!

Cassy

[rawmom]

A.J.-I've had my crackers in the dehydrator since 10 am yesterday and I just flipped them over. I think I should have pulverized the seeds before I mixed them with the other ingredients. I'm hoping maybe someone else will chime in on this and let us know if the seeds should be ground before mixing with everything else. I made apple/raisin/cinnamon and those smell great, I also made avacado/garlic and those are not hitting me with the smell. Just my first impression. I'll let you know when I taste them.

Have a great day!

Rawmom

[AJ Bodine]

RawMom, are you drying them on the teflex still? There's a point in which I peel them off the parchment or teflex and let them dry on the slotted screen. They dry faster that way. I've made plenty of crackers where I don't grind any of the seeds and they turn out great!

I like Mexican crackers the best with cilantro, onion, tomato, lime, sea salt and maybe some mexican seasoning. That's my favorite combination.

Don't stop experiementing. I've made crackers that don't come out very good, but then I learn what I don't like!

[rawmom]

Thanks A.J.-I still have them on the teflex!! Silly me! The kind you mentioned also sounds yummy! I've been picking at the slightly moist apple/cinnamon-they are good!

Thanks again for the info.!

Rawmom