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flaxseed in a bowl

Ground Flax, Whole Flax and Roasted Flax

  1. Flax From Farm to Table
  2. Flax in the Grocery Store
  3. Ground Flax, Whole Flax and Roasted Flax

Buying Flaxseed

Find brown or golden flaxseed at your local grocery store or health food store.

  1. Whole flaxseed is in the packaged grains or bulk food section.
    • Whole flaxseed adds colour and crunch to foods. You can sprinkle flaxseeds on top of home baking or mix them into dough. However, to obtain maximal benefits from flaxseed, you should grind them first because whole seeds will pass through your body undigested.
  2. Ground flaxseed is usually found in the packaged grains or bulk food section.
    • Grinding whole seeds breaks their tough outer shell, creating a light-coloured powder. Ground or milled flaxseed is available for purchase, or you can make your own in a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor. Making your own has the added benefit of maximizing freshness. Milled flaxseed can be sprinkled on cereal or added to doughs, batters, casseroles and other cooked foods. Mix some into your salad dressing or onto your fruit and cottage cheese for a crunchy flaxseed punch. Stir it into thicker soups such as lentil or bean varieties or into pasta sauces just before serving. Another option is to use it in burgers, meatloaf, and fish or vegetable patties as a healthy filler.
  3. Roasted flaxseed is usually found in the packaged grains or bulk food section.
    • When flax is roasted, the crunchy seeds can be chewed easily without the need to grind them. However, non-roasted raw flax seeds need to be ground to obtain maximum benefits as chewing doesn’t fully break down the tough outer shell. If you don’t grind them, they will simply pass through the body undigested.
  4. Flaxseed oil is found with other bottled oils or in the refrigerated section.
    • Flaxseed oil is sold in bottles. The oil is extracted from whole flaxseeds using a cold-press process specially developed for plant oils. Pour flax oil onto fresh salads. The amount of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid is higher in purified flaxseed oil than whole flaxseed, but the oil does not contain the beneficial fibre or lignans.

DYK: Golden and brown flaxseed are nutritional the same and can be used interchangeably. It’s really a matter of choice, but be assured that you can substitute golden for brown and vice versa without sacrificing any of the natural goodness in flaxseed. Flaxseed can also be found in numerous ready-to-eat products, including snack bars, trail mixes, muffins, pancakes, cereals, waffles, breads, pastas, pizza crusts and more.

How long does flaxseed keep?

If you buy whole flaxseed, don’t be afraid to keep a jar of it handy on your kitchen counter. Whole flaxseed is naturally wrapped in a perfect package — a hard seed coat that preserves its goodness for up to a year or longer. If you grind flaxseed yourself (for example in a coffee grinder), it is best stored refrigerated in an opaque container and will keep for at least 90 days. Because ground flaxseed flows readily even when frozen, many users choose to store ground flaxseed in the freezer for even longer shelf life.  

Overall the storage of milled flax is similar to other whole grain flour or raw nuts. Roasted flaxseed should also be refrigerated or frozen. Flaxseed oil should be refrigerated and usually has an expiration date about four months after pressing.

Ground Flaxseed

To get the most nutritional benefit from flaxseed, it must be ground. Nutritionally, whole seed has the same nutritional profile as ground flaxseed, but the nutrients are much more available to your body if the tough seed coat is ground up!

Source: Healthyflax, Canadianfoodfocus

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