Although small, flax seeds are packed with nutrients. A single tablespoon of ground seeds contains 1600 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, which is three times the minimum daily dose recommended by the American Heart Association. They are an excellent source of essential fatty acids and have a pleasant taste of toasted hazelnut. Flax seeds are beneficial for the health of the heart and may protect against the development of certain cancers. It is easy to learn about ways to eat flax seeds. You can spray them, drink flax seed oil, or take a flaxseed supplement.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare the flax seeds
Step 1. Leave the flax seeds whole
The small size of these seeds is perfect for adding them whole to your dishes. Make sure you chew the seeds well to aid their digestion and reap the nutritional benefits they can provide. Whole flax seeds can be kept fresh for 6 to 12 months at room temperature and a year in the refrigerator.
Step 2. Spray the flax seeds
The omega 3 fatty acids present in flax seeds are found inside the seeds and therefore need to be opened to access these nutritional values. You can grind flax seeds using a coffee or spice grinder to ensure you reap the benefits of the seed. Ground flax can be kept for a week at room temperature and up to two months in the refrigerator.
Step 3. Take a food supplement based on flaxseed oil
If you want to reap the benefits of flax seeds without putting up with the taste or wasting the time mixing them into your meals, just buy flax seed supplements and take one capsule per day.
Step 4. Drink flaxseed oil
You can also buy flax seeds as an oily liquid and add it to your drink of choice. Flaxseed oil has the same nutty taste as fresh seeds, but the texture of the seeds is less.
Step 5. Use two to three tablespoons of whole seeds per person
If you just add flax seeds to your dishes, this amount will give you the benefits of flax without altering the taste of your food.
Method 2 of 3: Add flax seeds to sweet dishes
Step 1. Eat flax seeds in the morning
Use it in your breakfast cereal or oatmeal porridge. Flax seeds will brighten up your monotonous cereal bowl with a very fresh nutty flavor. Also try to add some fresh berries (or other fruits) to complement the added flavor of the flax seed.
Step 2. Add flax to your yogurt or applesauce
Add whole seeds to enrich the flavor of your dairy or fruit snack.
Step 3. Mix the seeds into a bread or cupcake dough
Just take your favorite sweet bread or bun recipe and add a quarter cup of flaxseed per dough. The end result will gain in crispness and flavor.
- You can also use ground flax seeds and water to replace eggs.
- For an egg, the amount of flax seeds is one tablespoon added to three tablespoons of water.
Step 4. Add flax seeds to a smoothie
The taste of fruit cocktails is nicely enhanced with the addition of nutty flax seeds. Increase the fiber intake of your smoothie by adding a tablespoon per person.
Step 5. Put flax seeds in your croquemonsieurs
Add flax seeds to the sandwich bread before putting it in the pan. The flax seeds will not only provide crispness, but the flavor pairs perfectly with the classic ingredients of the croquemonneur. You can use either whole seeds or ground seeds.
Step 6. Bake flax seed cupcakes
Add flax seeds to your batch of favorite cupcakes. Cupcakes with dried fruits, hazelnuts, oats and other rustic ingredients are spiced up with flax seeds.
Method 3 of 3: Add flax seeds to your dishes
Step 1. Sprinkle your salads with flax seeds
Hazelnuts are often a delicious side dish for salads, and flax seeds can impart the same flavor. Green vegetables like spinach in a salad taste delicious with flax.
Step 2. Bread meat or vegetables with flax seeds
Add flax seeds to your usual breadcrumbs with other complementary spices to give more crispness and flavor to your breaded meats or vegetables.
Step 3. Mix flax seeds with other dishes
These are meatballs, meatloaf and casseroles. If you really need to hide flax seeds for your family to eat, put them in more elaborate dishes like those mentioned above to reap the benefits without even knowing the seeds are in the dish.
Step 4. Make flax seed bread, appetizer cakes and flax crisps
Add whole seeds to all of these industrial products to increase the nutritional value of your meals.
Advice
- Eating whole flax seeds may not offer the same health benefits as ground seeds because the seed coat is difficult to digest. There is, however, no medical research to support that the ground seed is better than its whole version.
- Keep your flax seeds in an opaque box and in the refrigerator.
- When you buy it in liquid form, flax seed oil will go rancid quickly, even when kept cool. Store it in the refrigerator and consume it quickly. Do not buy this oil in large quantities so that you do not have to throw it away.
Warnings
- Flaxseed has laxative properties when consumed beyond the recommended intake. Make sure you take only the recommended doses.
- Fresh flax seeds (ground or whole) contain high amounts of cyanide. Do not eat more than two tablespoons per day. The cyanide components are destroyed during cooking, so you can roast your seeds if you are worried about fresh flax.