Flax Seeds

I was wondering, how come we all eat flaxseed oil and not the flaxseeds directly? It would take three tablespoon to get the equivalent amount. Is it a question of bioavailability or what?

Most people probably use oil because of convenience and taste. I actually take both the seeds and the oil. The seeds must be ground first (a coffee grinder or Vitamix work great) to get through the hard outer shell before consuming. I mix the ground flax powder in my MRP’s and tuna and sometimes in cottage cheese. But honestly it doesn’t taste very good. However it is cheap (I get mine for $.99/lb) and it does provide fiber too.

I´m a bit worried about the fact that flax lingans contain estrogens. I don’t know if these plant estrogens are bad for your testosterone levels like estrogens in soy. I eat whole flax seeds when I’m dieting, but when seeds are eaten they just go trough you.

I posed a question about phytoestrogens on the digest and got a response from (I believe) John Berardi that said that the phytoestrogens in flaxseeds may have the opposite effects of those in soy. I can’t recall though… I hope someone will chime in on this.