Do flax seeds lose any of their nutritional benefits if cooked?

Question

I found a recipe on the internet in which half a cup of ground flax seeds are added to the mixture to make muffins.

Since there is flour and sugar in it I was wondering if that defeats the purpose of using flax seeds to increase your fiber intake and profit from all of their properties.

Thanks for your help.

Asked by Sergio Romero

Answer

Here's an article from WHFoods.com citing several sources from well-respected journals that says that "Research studies have shown that the healthy omega-3 oils and lignan phytonutrients in flaxseeds are surprisingly heat stable. Not only is it safe to leave whole flaxseeds at room temperature but you can also use them in baking." This is mainly true of the ground flax, but not the oil.

Here's a couple articles they cite:

• Hyvarinen HK, Pihlava JM, et al. Effect of processing and storage on the stability of flaxseed lignan added to bakery products. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Jan 11;54(1):48-53.

• Manthey FA, Lee RE, Hall CA 3rd. Processing and cooking effects on lipid content and stability of alpha-linolenic acid in spaghetti containing ground flaxseed. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Mar 13;50(6):1668-71

As you probably know, flax seed has tons of benefits besides fiber including omega-3's, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It's what they feed chickens to make those omega-3 eggs.

In general, using whole flax seeds is pretty pointless from a nutritional standpoint, as we don't really digest them (maybe if you really chew them really well :).

A great list of the benefits of flaxseeds can also be found on this site.

For another good vegetarian source of fiber and omega-3's, check out chia seeds which you can mix into water for a healthy drink, add to food, or use like flax seed as thickener.

Answered by paul

Check more discussion of this question.

Should flax seeds be crushed to be a good egg substitute?

Question

When I'm looking up egg substitutes, one of the easiest (for me) is making a slurry of flax seeds and water. However, I noticed there is a difference between using the flax seeds whole and breaking them up. The slurry is thicker if the seeds aren't whole. Or at least, that's what I think I observe.

So, should you only used broken or whole flax seeds, when using them as an egg substitute? Are there (dis)advantages of using flax seeds whole vs. broken up?

I've seen this question, that mentions to break them up, but it isn't specifically about substituting eggs.

Note: I can imagine it also depends if I mind pieces in whatever I'm making, and I don't mind about those.

Asked by Mien

Answer

Yes, for all practical intents and purposes, for flax eggs to congeal they need to be milled or ground to a powder and slurried with water, then introduced to the dish. After stirring and then letting set you should have a nice gloopy mess if you let it stand for a few minutes.

I typically use a 1 part milled seed to 2.5 parts water, but typically ranges go from 2-3 parts water. You can use a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder for fast, thorough results.

• The exception to this is that you can boil them(this link will teach you how to use them to make hair gel, if you're so inclined). This will cause the soluble fiber (the congealing agent) to dissolve, leaving behind the seed husks. Milled flax seeds don't seem to be any less effective and no more distracting in terms of taste so, unless you're doing up your hair, I just don't see the payoff on boiling them.

• Another exceptional means to an exception to this is letting the seeds soak for approximately 6-8 hours. As I recall the person who tried this said it didn't congeal much, and was less sticky than a milled flax egg.

Answered by mfg

Check more discussion of this question.