flax oil

I just got some flax oil. I was very happy to find locally produced organic oil (yes, they do grow flax on the Canadian prairies!). But I wonder what's a reasonably amount to consume. It's obviously got a ton of calories - it's oil after all - but what's a good balance between calories and nutrition?

I take a flax seed oil pill.  It has 10 calories, so if you can measure how much would make it only around there, you'd probably be getting enough.  My fiance takes fish oil--which I think does the same thing and his is 25 calories, so I am going to assume up to that would be fine also.

The dosage I found was 1000mg per 100 lbs of body weight.  1000 mg is about a tablespoon.  And you can adjust downward if you have other sources of omega-3s in your diet, as it can be a mild laxative.

I prefer to get my omega 3s from the whole flax seed (which I grind into meal) rather than just the oil.  It has the added benefit of lots of good fiber and other nutrients too. 

clairelaine ~ how do you grind it into meal?

I'm not claire, but I use a coffee grinder/electric spice mill. You could also buy pre-ground flax meal in sacks in the grocery store, but I believe it loses its potency quicker than the whole seeds.

That's what I use too marconi

Other than the natural fat in nuts and legumes, dairy and other packaged products, the amount of oil you should put in your diet(basically through adding on salads or cooking)  is about 3 teaspoons. When you are trying to maintain your weight, you are allowed to eat 6 teaspoons. But for weight loss, its 3 teaspoons. its not advisable to use saturated fats, like clarified butter or butter.

One cool thing about using Omega-3's instead of other fats is the fact that your body utilizes Omega-3's better than others.  The membranes of your celss are made of lipids, aka fats.  Your body wants to use the least saturated lipids for your membranes so your cells stay healthy.  Flax seed oil is one of the least saturated fats, so your body utilizes flax seed oil in the production of cell membranes instead of storing it.  Basically, your body with store butter, but use flax seed oil.  So don't feel so bad about the calories, your body will thank you.

Has anyone tried hemp hearts? They are really yummy, better than flax, and give you your omegas. As far as I know you don't need to grind them either. I get them in bulk at the organic supermarket, and have them on yogurt in the morning.