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Flax seed experiences?

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Again, I hate the name of this forum and wish it was called 'natural therapies'...

Who has tried flax seed, aka linseed, in what amounts, and what effects has it had?

In other threads I have seen mention of it helping with anxiety and sleep among other things, and also the fact that it contains cannabidiol.

I have bought a grinder/mill and was planning to have some on GF toast or in GF sandwiches.

This page mentions various medicinal uses, contraindications, etc., and Wikipedia also has some interesting info.
 

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
I have 2 dessert spoonfuls a day, ground. Doesn't have any effect on my symptoms. Doesn't even alleviate constipation.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
I never noticed any benefits from using this. Eating flax muffins always left me feeling full and bloated. I was making dehydrated flax crackers every week or so for a few years. Tastey but that was all.

I've reached the point where I don't believe any "miracle" foods, supplements, drugs or protocals. Sure they may help a tiny bit but the way these are hyped up to be "miracles" has left me numb.

If any REAL miracle happens, will someone please notify me? :)

Tc ... x
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I have 2 dessert spoonfuls a day, ground. Doesn't have any effect on my symptoms. Doesn't even alleviate constipation.

Oh well - I don't have constipation so I don't need it to help with that! I tend to have the opposite problem so hope it doesn't aggravate that.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I never noticed any benefits from using this. Eating flax muffins always left me feeling full and bloated. I was making dehydrated flax crackers every week or so for a few years. Tastey but that was all.

I've reached the point where I don't believe any "miracle" foods, supplements, drugs or protocals. Sure they may help a tiny bit but the way these are hyped up to be "miracles" has left me numb.

If any REAL miracle happens, will someone please notify me? :)

Tc ... x

I am sure we will all be talking about any miracles we come across! :)

I'm not expecting any miracles from flax seed, just hoping for some of the benefits that others have reported. I don't believe in any 'miracle foods' or 'superfoods' either and don't bother reading sites that use such terms.

Were your muffins gluten-free?
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Yes. The muffins were gf. There are several really good recipes on the web now. Most flax muffin recipes I saw included eggs since that holds flax together.

There's an easy single serving microwave version that includes, eggs, dates, cinamon and nuts. I don't normally cook in the microwave but imho these are worth it.

We could use a Google miracle filter. :)

Tc .. x
 

Beyond

Juice Me Up, Scotty!!!
Messages
1,122
Location
Murcia, Spain
We could use a Google miracle filter. :)

We would need a team of investigators to legitimate the miracles! There is wayyyy too much overhyped stuff on the Internet (and in real life) as you wrote previously. I do believe that for certain people foods, protocols, drugs and supplements can be miraculous though...

Have yet to find those for me... The most I have got from those things is slight to moderate improvement, which isn´t bad but having in account how I am wasting my youth it clearly is not enough to feel satisfied. :(
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
I like chia better than flax. You don't have to refrigerate or grind it. I don't know how chia's omega 3s stack up against flax, but chia does have good amounts.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I tried it a few years ago -- no beneficial effects noted. Another possibility ruled out for me.

Sorry to hear that. It is very nutritious though - see the Wikipedia link. Very good for magnesium and thiamine, for example. Maybe worth taking for nutrition alone.
 
Messages
10,157
Sorry to hear that. It is very nutritious though - see the Wikipedia link. Very good for magnesium and thiamine, for example. Maybe worth taking for nutrition alone.

I couldn't continue with it -- it was causing issues with increased IBS symptoms. I cleared up the IBS with a combo of magnesium/calcium -- a very puzzling thing but hey if it works -- it works. ;)
 

Beyond

Juice Me Up, Scotty!!!
Messages
1,122
Location
Murcia, Spain
I too experienced slight discomfort from taking ground flax seed. I think it is that kind of thing I simply don´t digest in this ill state. Yay.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Yes. The muffins were gf. There are several really good recipes on the web now. Most flax muffin recipes I saw included eggs since that holds flax together.

There's an easy single serving microwave version that includes, eggs, dates, cinamon and nuts. I don't normally cook in the microwave but imho these are worth it.

No good for me as I'm a vegan and don't have a microwave!

It occurred to me today that cooking flax causes oxidation of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, and maybe it damaged/destroys other beneficial properties too. The dehydration sounds better. I tried some grain-free dehydrated crackers a few months ago and they were good - great to know that things are healthy as well as good tasting! I had them with hummous....mmmmm. :)
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
I used to make dehydrated flax crackers.
Most people liked them, if you want the recipe. Well here .. ground flax, water, salt, crushed red peppers and a dash of fish sauce.

The only problem I found with dehydrating stuff was that I liked everything better if it was crunchy. And that meant turning up the temp past the "healthy" level.

I don't have a microwave right now but I'm considering getting one. They're just so convenient. After 8 + years of being a born again health nut, I'm evidently suffering from overzealous healthy eating. ;)

Tc .. x
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I used to make dehydrated flax crackers.
Most people liked them, if you want the recipe. Well here .. ground flax, water, salt, crushed red peppers and a dash of fish sauce.

The only problem I found with dehydrating stuff was that I liked everything better if it was crunchy. And that meant turning up the temp past the "healthy" level.

I don't have a microwave right now but I'm considering getting one. They're just so convenient. After 8 + years of being a born again health nut, I'm evidently suffering from overzealous healthy eating. ;)

Tc .. x

Ah - an orthorexic, eh? :lol: (For the uninitiated, orthorexia is another psychoquactic (think I just invented that term) illness involving an 'obsession' with eating healthily. Sponsored by junk food manufacturers, perhaps...?)

Fish oil - no thanks!

I'd forgotten that dehydration involved heating. This might destroy some of the beneficial properties, like cooking does.

My grinder has arrived, and I am going to grind the flax seeds finely and make a paste to spread on toast, crackers, baked potatoes, etc.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Ah - an orthorexic, eh? :lol: (For the uninitiated, orthorexia is another psychoquactic (think I just invented that term) illness involving an 'obsession' with eating healthily. Sponsored by junk food manufacturers, perhaps...?)

Fish oil - no thanks!

I'd forgotten that dehydration involved heating. This might destroy some of the beneficial properties, like cooking does.

My grinder has arrived, and I am going to grind the flax seeds finely and make a paste to spread on toast, crackers, baked potatoes, etc.

Roflmao. I got a kick out of the orthorexia term too.

I'm waiting for them to come up with a medical term for patients who google. :)
Or does pain in the ass / thinks they know more than me have and idc code already ?

Supposedly if you keep the temp down on a dehydrator it doesn't harm any of the nutrients.

Fwiw, blending or grinding something to death kills most if not all the enzymes.

Fun, huh? I was lucky to meet someone a few years ago that explained why eating or drinking anything in it's narural state was the way to go. He has a science background btw. Obviously not medical. :)

Tc .. x
 
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xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Fish sauce not oil. It has a bitter salty taste like anchovies. Imho, flax after you've eaten it plain for awhile needs some serious flavor enhancers.

Anything bitter and salty would work. Saurkraut or pickle juice?

I forgot to mention I used ground sunflower seeds and coconut sometimes too.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Fish sauce not oil. It has a bitter salty taste like anchovies. Imho, flax after you've eaten it plain for awhile needs some serious flavor enhancers.

Anything bitter and salty would work. Saurkraut or pickle juice?

I forgot to mention I used ground sunflower seeds and coconut sometimes too.

I'm sure I will find things to flavour the flax if necessary, but if I use it in the same way that people use butter/margarine I will have other stuff with it anyway. If it's on roast spuds I will be adding salt and eating them with other things, such as my very-tasty nut and seed roast!

Re your earlier post, I'm not aware of any science that says we need enzymes with our food. Enzymes are proteins, so I would think that most or all will be broken down by stomach acid anyway.

Sprouting may be the best way to go, but it's fiddly and can be difficult to ensure a continuous supply.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Enzymes are necessary to catalize one chemical to another. Enzymedica has great infi on this but enzyme info is on the web. Maybe how stuff works explains this.

Richv touched on this too tho.

My digestion is totally screwed so I have to take digestive enzymes.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Enzymes are necessary to catalize one chemical to another. Enzymedica has great infi on this but enzyme info is on the web. Maybe how stuff works explains this.

Richv touched on this too tho.

My digestion is totally screwed so I have to take digestive enzymes.

I studied enzymes in both my degrees so I know that they are necessary, but taking them is another matter. Do you have evidence that your digestive problems are due to lack of enzymes? Many of us have gut problems, but these are more likely to be due to food intolerances and/or gut dysbiosis - i.e. the wrong balance of gut microorganisms.

This page about taking enzymes/enzymes in food looks good but I haven't had time to check out its credentials.

I'd be surprised if grinding seeds had much effect on their enzyme content, except perhaps due to a slight heating effect. The size of the powder particles is many times the size of enzymes, and I can't see how the process could break up enzymes - they are simply too small to be affected by the physical action of the grinder. You only have to look at the protein content of many powdered foods to know that they can be very high in protein, and enzymes are proteins, as I said.