Nope, it gets fluffy.

My mom used to make hair setting gel out of flax seed slime.

Are you referring to volume or nutritional value, Penelope?

Thanks!

I understand - but I've heard that you need to grind the seeds in order to get some of the nutritional kick (Omega-3, of example). So I wonder how eating whole seeds vs. grinding them to a flour is different.

Can anyone answer this with certainty, please?

Thank you!

Aha! Finally, a sensible use for the loathsome linseeds!


I've heard that they must be ground, Tom. I believe they basically pass on through if they are swallowed whole, so must be ground to gain any nutritional value.

Roz

Try the OneMinuteMuffin Elle-just a fabulous recipe and very versatile-you can change the flavor everytime you have it. One of my many favorites is using pumpkin pie spice and sf hazelnut syrup. Luv them w/cream cheese or butter.

I don't like them microwaved...YUK!

I baked some basic flax bread today (Elizellen's recipe) and like it very much however. So much that I won't be using almond meal in my cakes any longer...

I may try some flavored muffins next--your flavorings sound yummy! The ideas coming to my mind are spinning for sweet treats. Wish I could come up with something savory for the flax bread however.

The golden glax has a much milder taste than regular flax. If you don't like flax, I recommend that you try the golden variety.

Tom, I was saying volume.

Here's a savory nuked flaxseed meal bread.

3/4 Cup Flaxmeal
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
salt to taste
1 tsp to 1 tbl Mrs. Dash (to taste)
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Eggs
1/8 Cup Parm Cheese Shredded

Mix the dry ingredients and then add the rest. Pour into a glass loaf pan sprayed with Pam. Nuke for about 3 mins or less. Turn out and slice. This makes a great savory flax "bread" for sandwiches.

I also make a Garlic Parmesan Flax Cracker-the recipe is at about.com.

The outer layer of the seeds is too sturdy to be eaten away (no pun intended) by digestive acid before the seeds have made their way through your digestive system. They come out whole, the same way they went in so they will have close to 0 nutritional content. Grinding them allows your digestive system access to the good stuff inside the seeds, which is what the nutritional stats for flax actually represent.

Hope that helps

Thanks Emma.

So they have their maximum nutritional impact ground...

Is that to say they have their maxiumum 'fibre efffect' when left whole? In other words, does eating them whole have a laxative effect, or are they better whole for regularity?

Sorry for so many questions - I tend to get very particular before trying something new on this WOE!

This answer may not meet the required certainty level, but here goes:

Flax seeds don't *lose* any of their fibre content by being ground so my guess is the fibre effect will be about the same either way. Plus, the ground fibre will have a higher surface area than the fibre in the whole seeds so maybe ground will be more effective. I'm not sure if the difference would be enough to be noticeable, though.

So, in summary, I would say logically that whole seeds will be no more effective for regularity than ground seeds, and whole seeds will perhaps be less effective.

Also, too much flax - as in the first time one makes flax muffins and really likes them so eats half the batch in one sitting, not that I've ever done that, no, no - can have the opposite effect so don't go too wild with it

Whole seeds have a smooth hard outer coat.

Whole seeds are not digested or broken down, therefore no digestive access to either the insoluble fiber or the valuable soluble fiber in the seeds.

Little or no laxative/bulking effect with whole seeds for most people. Like eating wood chips.

Certainty.