Now that you know all about how flax seeds can promote health from my post on the health benefits of flax, you have hopefully purchased some flaxseed meal from your local grocery store. In the last post, I suggested consuming 1-2 tablespoons regularly. Now you're probably wondering "how am I supposed to eat this?"
Not to worry... cancer dietitian to the rescue! Here are some ideas on how to use flaxseed. First you need the basics of buying and storing them, and one precautionary note:
Buying and Storing Flaxseed
- You can buy the ground up seeds, known as flaxseed meal or buy the seeds whole. If you buy them whole, grind them in a coffee grinder. Whole flax seeds are definitely cheaper, but I choose the ground ones for convenience.
- Once ground, store them in the freezer so that they do not go bad.
- You should not eat whole flax seeds if you have digestive problems including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's Disease, and other small and large intestine conditions. If you have any of these conditions, you may be able to eat VERY FINELY ground flaxseed. Start with 1/2 teaspoon per day into your diet, and see how you tolerate it. If you have any pain or bloating, you should stop using it.
Here are some foods that you can add flax to:
- fruit smoothie
- oatmeal
- yogurt
- cereal
- salads
- frozen yogurt or other desserts
- fresh or frozen fruit
- soups and stews (stir in flaxseed after cooking is done)
- Try cold cereals that contain flaxseed. Look for these products in the health food section of your grocery store.
Baking with Flax:
Flax is also great to bake with. Ground flaxseed can be substituted for shortening or cooking oil at a rate of 3 to 1 in baked foods. In other words, 3/4 cups of ground flaxseed can replace 1/4 cup of butter in a recipe. Feel free to try the substitution in your bread or brownie recipes. I would start with replacing half of the butter or oil and see how it goes.
Here's a flax muffin recipe for you to try!
Whole Wheat Flax Banana Muffins
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg white, beaten
2 chopped bananas
3 Tbsp Canola oil
1/2 cup skim milk
Blend dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine egg, Canola oil and milk. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in bananas. Batter will be thick. Fill well-greased muffin cups 2/3 full. bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until top springs back when touched. Makes 12 muffins.
Nutrition info: 145 calories, < 1g saturated fat, 24g carbohydrate, 3g protein, 2g fiber.
Enjoy!!
- Julie
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