Anyone use milled flaxseed?

[Eden]

Any thoughts on if you need to grind them up, or is chewing good enough?

The first time I used them I had whole seeds - not that I was examining too closely, but they did seem to go right through intact for the most part.... I get the feeling that ground you will get more good from them.

[kelownagirl]

I read something the importance of freshness. In buying them, storing, them, and grinding them yourself immediately before use. I'm sure if you google it, you can find out specific data.

[Blueberry]

My understanding is that you have to eat them ground, or you don't get any nutritional benefit. I believe the outside isn't digestible. I don't recall the details, but they're quite hard to grind - I don't think I had the proper equipment in my kitchen...

CA

[Thorn]

Grind 'em up and toss 'em on my oatmeal in the AM. I have hereditarily high cholesterol. The rest of the family is on pipe-cleaner drugs, but I refuse to submit (long story, but Mom had the muscle reaction to the drugs before they admitted there was a reaction--she never recovered).

I've managed to control my cholesterol through diet (and, of course, exercise). I cannot tell you which thing worked, but in the year I got it to drop 40 points, this is what I did....

+ Killed the donut and bagel breakfast habit and replaced it with a serving a vanilla yogurt with 1/2c dry oatmeal, 1/4c each of walnuts, cashews, and a dried fruit (mmmm...dry blueberries). Add to that 2T of ground flax seed. I mix up a week's worth of the toppings on the weekend so it isn't a lot of work during the week.
+ Killed the coffee and cream habit (my grandmother taught me to drink coffee--half cream and half coffee). I replaced it with tea. Periodically, I'll still have chai, but with 2% milk, not cream.
+ Glass of red wine every evening.
+ Cut back on my cheese consumption. I'm already a vegetarian, but I live in Wisconsin--cheese is the state dish! Cheese and crackers is now a treat.
+ Cut out my afternoon candy bar and replaced it either with dark chocolate and some almonds or a Luna bar. This was the hardest.

After more than a year on this, the really wierd thing is I can walk by the donut table at work. The donuts just don't taste good anymore and candy bars and M&Ms are too sweet. Times like that I think I've damaged myself.

[Thorn]

Oh, and the nutritionist column on Velnonews this week is on heart-healthy eating. You might want to check that out.

[OakLeaf]

Flax seeds grind just fine in a spice grinder or mini-chopper. They tend to be both glutinous (in consistency, they don't contain gluten) and oily, so choose a grinder that will let you immerse and thoroughly wash all the parts. (couple of suggestions: Kitchen Aid spice grinder; Braun stick blender with chopper attachment.) Everyone needs a stick blender anyway - my #1 favorite kitchen appliance!

Whoops... so much for my comment in the gratitude thread about not abusing my access to electric power Okay, take two. It's breakfast time anyway (getting out the marble mortar and pestle). <grind - grind - grind - return to computer scarfing oatmeal with raisins and flax seeds> That works just fine. I'd compare the "grindability" of flax seeds to cumin seeds. I don't think I'd try to grind them with a wooden pestle.

Personally, I'm skeptical of "miracle food" bandwagons, though I'm not above supplements. I'll eat (eat, not "use") freshly ground flax seeds on my breakfast cereal or smoothie for some healthy anti-inflammatory fats a couple-three days a week. My cholesterol has been very healthy when I've had it checked (been a while though), which I actually attribute to a combination of genetics, exercise, and a fair amount of soy foods in my diet.