I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about flax seeds.  Did you know that technically, flax seed is not a grain?  But, you can use flax seed meal like you would flour to make muffins and such.

The reason I’ve been studying flax seeds is because I want to eat healthier.  Well, apparently, flax seed is probably one of the most nutrient packed foods on the planet, loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and that good old omega-3 fatty acid.  Flax seed is also low in carbs, so if you are limiting your sugar and starch intake, you can use flax seed meal in your cooking without adding carbohydrates to your diet.

When I first started reading about flax seed, I thought it would be simple to add to my diet as a supplement.  Well, it’s not a magic pill.  Apparently, the flax seeds need to be ground into meal to make the “phytochemicals”, which are the things like antioxidants, available to your body.  Un-ground flax seeds will just pass through your body without leaving any of the nutritients.  And, the fiber does not exist in flax seed oil.  So, no supplement will do.

There are also benefits for people trying to lose weight.  Even when sticking to a strict diet, if you include foods made with flax seed meal, you will feel more satisfied after eating a meal.  This is because of the healthy fat and good fiber that flax seeds offer.

So, how can we include flax seeds in our diet?  It appears that the most important thing to know is that you should use flax seed meal in your cooking.  Grinding the seeds into meal “releases” the nutrients and makes them available to your body.  When you grind your flax seeds into meal, the meal will get rancid rather quickly, staying fresh in the freezer for only a week or two.  That’s why most folks choose to grind only what they need at the time.  However, you can store whole flax seeds up to a year in a cool, dark place in an airtight container – probably in the refrigerator.

Some people will use flax seed meal as an egg substitute in dishes that call for egg to add structure to the food, like meatloaf.  You can also sprinkle a tablespoon or two on hot cereal in the morning.  Other recipes call for flax seed meal to be used in the place of flour in quick breads or muffins.

As to the method of grinding the flax seeds into meal, a lot of folks have recommended the use of a coffee grinder.  I can see their point mostly because you don’t want to grind more than you’re going to use up right away.  So, unless I’m making a muffin recipe which calls for two cups of meal, grinding a few tablespoons for my cereal will probably work best in my coffee grinder.  When you grind them, just be sure you can’t feel any sharp edges leftover.  The flax seed meal should feel grainy, but not sharp.

Now, I’m wondering if anyone has cooked a lot, or even a little, with flax seed meal.  If you have, I’d love to hear your ideas about their best use, especially if you’ve used flax seed meal to replace eggs or flour.  Also, have you had any problems finding flax seeds?  I look forward to your input!