Flaxseed: Whole or Ground? Here’s How to Eat Them Properly

You can buy flaxseed whole or ground. Find out how you can best benefit from the ingredients and what you should consider when using them.

Whole or ground flaxseed: You should pay attention to this

Flaxseeds contain 23 grams of fiber per 100 grams and therefore have a positive effect on digestion. Valuable fatty acids and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium can also be found in the seeds.

• The shell of the seeds is difficult to break open in the digestive tract, which means that the body can hardly benefit from the ingredients.
• In the case of ground flaxseed, the shell is already destroyed. This makes the nutrients easier for the body to access.
• When the flaxseed is crushed, flaxseed oil escapes, which contains essential omega-3 fatty acids, among other things .
• The oil released from the crushed seeds causes the seeds to go rancid faster. Therefore, only buy ground flaxseed in small portions and store them in a cool, dry and airtight place.
• Whole flaxseeds have a longer shelf life than ground ones. If you crush the whole kernels yourself in small portions, you can use the seeds longer.
• You can grind flaxseed yourself with a mortar, grain grinder or coffee grinder. The crushed seeds will keep for about a week.

You should bear this in mind when consuming flaxseed

When consuming flaxseed, you should pay attention to the right amount to avoid digestive problems and side effects.

• If you consume flaxseed, you should drink enough water. This will prevent the seeds from clumping in the intestines and leading to digestive problems.
• A serving of flaxseed is about one tablespoon. You can consume 2 to 3 servings of flaxseed per day.
• If you want to get rid of constipation with the seed , you should combine the flaxseed with a glass of water.
• Since flaxseeds release hydrocyanic acid and can absorb the heavy metal cadmium from the soil, they should not be consumed in large quantities.
• If you suffer from digestive problems, you can soak the flaxseed beforehand to make it more digestible.
• Soak two teaspoons of ground flaxseeds in a glass of water for half an hour to soak the seeds. Then drain them in a colander.
• Flaxseed can also be used in cooking to add nutrients to bread or cereals.