Ground or Whole Flaxseed?

by Shelley Tvedt
(Foley, MN)

Ground or Whole Flaxseed? Do you need to grind flax seeds to get all the benefits or can you eat flax in seed form?
I like to cook oatmeal and then add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and 1 Tbsp of flax seed.
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Hi Shelley,
Thanks for your question and suggestion for how to eat flax!

Ground or Whole Flaxseed?

Yes, you really do need to grind flax seed to get all the healthy benefits from it. The reason is that the golden flax seed is so tiny and slippery and has a hard shell that is tough to chew completely. This means that the flax seed will end up passing through the digestive system in whole or partially whole form without being broken down and having the nutrients utilized.

All those flax benefits that are tied up in that little seed such as Omega 3, fiber, protein and lignans will simply go through your body and act as roughage. You may get some benefits from the whole seed passing through; however it is MUCH more worth your money to grind flax seeds and eat ~1/4 cup flax seed throughout the day!

Grind Flax vs Cold Milled Flax

If you grind it yourself, store the extra in the fridge and if you would rather buy ground flax, then you want to be absolutely certain that it is cold milled flax seed and taste good, smells good and doesn't have a bitter aftertaste.

If you love the crunchiness of whole flax seeds, you can do what I do and add some whole flax seeds to the ground flax mixed in with your oatmeal and eat it that way -then you get the benefits of the ground flax and the crunch of the whole seed!

How Much Flax a Day?

We recommend that most people work their way up to eating 2-4 Tablespoons of ground flax per day to get the most health benefits. Read recommendations on how much flaxseed to eat every day.

If you use quality golden omega 3 flax seed, it will almost double in size when you grind it --giving you even more value for your money. And as always drink water/fluids after your flax and during your day!

Oatmeal and Flaxseed with Walnuts

Your oatmeal and flax with walnut cereal sounds absolutely delicious! I will try it out and I'm sure many other readers will give that a try! Thank you for sharing it!

Here's to your health!
~Ellie

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• Read more directions and guidelines for How Much Flaxseed.


• Read more about the incredible benefits of this powerful seed: Flaxseed.


• Buy quality True Cold Milled Flakes o' Gold.


• Go to Home from Ground or Whole Flaxseed, Oatmeal and Flaxseed with Walnuts page