Flax Seed

A-

I don't see why flax seed oil should cause constipation, but everyone is different. Check a site called World's Healthiest Foods for amounts of flax you should consume a day. I think it's two teaspoons of ground flax. It's great on salads, in cereal, or just stirred into a glass of soy milk. While you're stirring, try a teaspoon of curry powder; curry powder is a real healing agent - even works on cancers- and this concoction makes a great cough syrup!

Best,

Judy

Change what you can change; be happy with what you cannot.

Hi, ATS!

I also tried the flax seed - but I purchased the wrong form the first time. I bought the little flax seeds. Then I tried to grind them in a food processor. It's absolutely impossible to grind those darn little things.

So I called "American Harvest" - a health food store in my area - and they carry powdered flax seed in their refrigerated section.

I followed Christine's advice - you dip a banana into the powdered flax seed. So you probably end up using a tablespoon or two.

I had no trouble with the flax causing constipation. But I don't really like bananas - however, I have found that eating the two peeled Granny Smith apples every day which Christine suggests in her book - in between meals - and also eating cantaloupe, raspberries, salad, and sweet potatoes - works for me.

Bridi

Hi ATS,

Good to talk to you again. I buy organic flaxseed at the grocery store and grind it daily in a coffee grinder. I then add the ground flax (I grind one to two tablespoons of seed)to fresh juice or chocolate milk. It helps a lot with constipation but I find that eating oatmeal daily helps a lot also. I find I have to remember to drink plenty of liquid also. Kit

Hi, ATS!

I posted some info. about flax seed last evening and about purchasing it in powdered form in which to dip a banana.

But after thinking about it this morning, probably the little regular flax seeds are the ones to use. If getting more fiber into your diet is the objective, then the powdered form would not give the bulk we need.

I think Christine is the one who can give us the correct answer as to what kind to buy and how much to use.

Bridi

I say dash both the oil and the packaged, ground seed.

Besides the very healing effect freshly ground flax has on the gut, its Omega-3 fatty acids are vital for many important bodily functions - like eyesight and brain function. Omega-3 is what's in many fish and sea mammal oils and why North Polar people can tolerate long periods of darkness and still be able to sleep. The pineal gland has to have either sunlight or Omega-3 to function properly. But those sources are becoming so polluted, while we can still obtain organic flax.

The reason we want to grind whole flax and immediately consume it is because these superpolyunsaturated fatty acids oxidize extremely fast. That's why they are useful in the body - that super fast oxidation drives many fast processes. But it also oxidizes in the presence of light, air, and heat. I won't eat ground flax that has been sitting more than a few minutes.

European peoples used to consume large quantities of flax. It just got lost in the mix of modernity like so much else.

Christine

I take 1 Tablespoon per day ground. I buy organic sold in a box at a local store. Since I've been taking it, I have had no PMS, cramps or bloating. And, I didn't feel all moody and sad right before either. I make sure I take it every morning in a smoothie.