Is heating flax seeds potentially toxic?

purplecurls27

I found this article. It says:

"Be sure to keep the flax seeds refrigerated. And never heat flax seeds as that may cause a chemical breakdown in the seeds and could be even carcinogenic as a by-product."

Whaaaat??? I just made my first batch of Flax Seed Gel! Can anyone shed some light on this?

mbeckhhp

I think they mean like roasting the seed, could cause rancicity, and that can be a carcinogen. Others have sugested using citric acid, or grapefruit extract, as apreservative, I think to be safe,keep it in the fridge, when not using, dump after6-10 days.With preservative, maybe longer. Like 2 weeks
Am still experimenting also.

kathymack

If you make a larger amount--freeze it in smaller portions. I find that adding citric acid, some of the antiseptic EOs and Vit E oil gives me about two weeks out of the freezer.

ewenique

Plain flax seeds don't need to be refrigerated, just kept in an airtight container. Flax seed gel should be kept in the fridge or freezer if it doesn't have any preservatives.

taltal

Linseed should be ground till it reaches a sort of sandy-powdery texture. Eating it just off a spoon isn't at all a delicacy because of its sandy texture. You can add it to yoghurt or to a bit of water or juice, that way you don't feel the taste so much One or two teaspoons a day is a very good dietary supplement.
It is rich in omega 3, iron and many other things which are usually found only in animals therefore it is very good for vegeterians .

After grinding it should be stored in the freezer, otherwise it loses most of it benefits.
It also shouldn't be heated as heat makes it lose most of it good qualities ( just like olive oil)

Linseed can be eaten whole , but then it is just a waste as they do not get digested when consumed whole.

GAgal

I have heard that Flax Oil is not supposed to be heated - but I think the concern would only be if you were ingesting the oil/gel...am I wrong about this?

taltal

Don't eat the gel !! I haven't heard of anyone eating linseed gel..
But taking a table spoon of room temperature linseed oil everyday is very healthy. So is a teaspoon of ground linseed as I wrote above. The oil can be purchase at health food stores. Make sure the oil purchased comes in a very dark plastic bottle (not glass) as light destroys most of the benefits of the oil. So does heat.
You can also use the oil as a salad dressing.

I hope this helped..

morgank98

taltal wrote: »

Don't eat the gel !! I haven't heard of anyone eating linseed gel..
But taking a table spoon of room temperature linseed oil everyday is very healthy. So is a teaspoon of ground linseed as I wrote above. The oil can be purchase at health food stores. Make sure the oil purchased comes in a very dark plastic bottle (not glass) as light destroys most of the benefits of the oil. So does heat.
You can also use the oil as a salad dressing.

I hope this helped..

I found a link that shows you can use the gel as an egg replacement.
Egg Substitutes: Handy Recipe List : TipNut.com
Flax Seed Egg Replacer
*Replacer for 1 egg
1 TBS flax seed (ground)
3 TBS water

• Method #1: Simmer together on top of stove for about 5 minutes until the consistency reaches a thick, egg-white like consistency.
• Method #2: Blend ingredients together in a blender or food processor until the mixture is thick and creamy. Refrigerate