flax seed

I've been eating flax seed for a little over a year now, every morning on my cereal. So until I started counting my calories I didn't really notice that 2 tbsp= 80 cal. and I was using 4. So I've decided to cut back to 2. Is this going to affect me?

Should I change to flax meal...

I am assuming you are eating it for the EFAs?  -Omega 3 fatty acids as a nutritional supplement?  If so, you can get Flax oil and it will be more concentrated than the seeds or meal.  I put it in my yogurt or in 2 oz of juice.  You can also buy fish or flax (both Omega 3) capsules- NOW makes good supplements- then you won't have to taste it.

wow - 4 tbsp is a lot of flaxseed!  i put 2-3 teaspoons on my cereal.  it's high in calories because of the oil, but at least it's omega-3.

cinnamon has loads of fiber and very few calories.  you could put some of that on your cereal.  i do sometimes.  flax is nicer, but cinnamon is good, too.

i don't know about flax meal, but things described as "meal" are often not the best quality foods.  depends what you want to get out of it, i guess.

Flax seed should be used in the oil form or ground (freshly) for your body to actually absorb the omega-3's from it. Because the seed is so small it normally doesn't get chewed up in our mouths. And to get the good stuff out, the hull has to be cracked. You can grind it up in a coffee mill, just plus for a couple of seconds and you will crack the hulls. Don't by the already ground flax seed meal, cause anything beneficial will have disappeared from it by the time you go to eat it. Hope this give you some more information

I will only disagree with one thing - the preground flax seed (which is what I buy) does not loose all its benefits. 

I use flax seed to control my cholesterol (it works amazing by the way, I have been able to do this instead of medication on the referal of my Dr.)

And it works wonderful, so the pre ground works well also :)

Flax meal = ground up flax seeds. As mentioned, grinding flax seeds is necessary so the body can absorb the nutrients. Otherwise, they just pass right through.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

i don't know about flax meal, but things described as "meal" are often not the best quality foods.  depends what you want to get out of it, i guess.

 how about "oatmeal"?

Something I have wondered - if it has to be ground to get nutrients, does that mean out bodies don't absorb the calories in whole flax seeds? I use the whole seeds in bread, for texture, but I wonder if I should not include them in the calorie count of the bread....or use the ground stuff instead and forget the looks.

I take capsules and love it! 2 capsules have a whole lot going for them and only 20 calories total.

Flax seeds, ground flax seeds, flax seed oil, etc.  are all recommended by doctors and often consumed by the doctors who recommend them.  I have used two kinds of flax seeds, cold pressed ground flax seeds which I keep in the freezer, but they should not be put in baked or cooked things initially.  They work great on salads, egg whites, oatmeal, etc, which I put on AFTER the cooking is over.  I also use milled flax seeds (once I open them I keep in the freezer, also) which can be used in baking.  The cold pressed flax seeds are 45 calories per tablespoon, while the milled flax seeds are only 30 calories per tablespoon.Some people recommend fish oil gel capsules over using flax seed items, but I have done enough research to conclude that either one is a good supplement.