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How to Eat More Flaxseed
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You have probably heard that flaxseed is good for you, but how do you actually get more flaxseed into your diet? There are a few easy ways to incorporate it in to your meals to start getting a serving of flaxseed in everyday.
Why is flaxseed good for you?
After reading different health books, I kept finding one similarity in all of them. It was to eat more flaxseed. I found this to be such a random suggestion since I was reading books on all different types of health issues.
Some of the reasons flaxseed is so good for you:
- It is high in omega 3s
- It contains lignans, a compound found to fight against cancer
- It is nutrient dense with protein, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals
There are many sources that dive into the health benefits of flaxseed. Here are a few: Mayo Clinic, Medical News Today
How to eat flaxseed?
You can buy flaxseed whole, ground, golden, or brown. How do you know the right one to get?
To start, flaxseed should always be eaten ground. Your body absorbs the nutrients in ground flaxseed more than whole. You can buy it both ways, but just make sure to ground it before eating if you buy them whole. You can do this by using a spice or coffee grinder.
The one benefit of buying whole flaxseed is that it has a longer shelf life than pre ground.
As for golden or brown, the difference between the two is very minimal. Both have all of the health benefits talked about above.
How to store flaxseed?
Store flaxseed in an airtight container. You can store them in a cool dark pantry. You could also store them in your fridge if you want to extend the shelf live of them, but this is not necessary. I store mine in a mason jar in my pantry.
How to eat more flaxseed?
When you are starting to eat more flaxseed it may seem difficult to add in to meals. Once you start to see all the places you can add it in, you will be getting a daily serving without even thinking about it. Here a re a few ways to incorporate more flaxseed into you diet.
Top 7 Easiest Ways to Eat More Flaxseed
1. Morning Oatmeal or Cereal
Add a tablespoon to your morning oatmeal. My favorite combo is oats, peanut butter, blueberries, and flaxseed.
2. Smoothies
Once flaxseed is mixed into a smoothie you can’t even taste it.
3. Cookies
I add in flaxseed to my no bake cookies and my whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.
4. Pancakes or Waffles
You can make a “flax egg” instead of using a regular egg. You can do this by mixing 1 tbsp of flaxseed with 2 1/2 tbsps of water, let it sit for 5 minutes and it’s ready to use. the mixture will become thicker and slightly sticky. I use it in the Buckwheat Blueberry Pancake recipe.
5. Energy Bites
There are so many recipes out there for energy bites, protein balls, and power bites. You can add some flaxseed into almost any of these recipes to get a boost of nutrients.
6. Bread
If you are into making your own breads, this is a way to add it in. One of my favorite recipes that incorporated flaxseed is the Minimalist Baker Whole Grain Seeded Bread
7. Dressings and Sauces
If you have a sauce that you are blending in a food processor, you can add in a little bit of flaxseed. It will get broken down into the sauce without altering the flavor or texture.
Flaxseed Recipes
I mentioned a few recipes that have flaxseed in them. Here are a few more to check out.
