Getting some extra nutrition and fiber into your snacks and meals is easy if you know what to put where. In this case, the WHAT is FLAXSEED, and the WHERE is just about anywhere!

The health benefits of flaxseed are numerous.

The nutrients in flaxseed fight cholesterol, bone loss, diabetes, heart disease, excess fat, inflammation, constipation, and symptoms of menopause. Flaxseed helps to increase your immunity and fight the ‘blues.’ Studies have found it to lower blood pressure and to reduce melanoma tumors by as much as sixty three percent. 

Flaxseed is a good source of Magnesium, Omega fatty acids 3 and 6, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, and Selenium (SelfNutritionData). 

Which form of Flaxseed is best?

Flaxseed comes in whole, ground and oil form. For the purposes of using it in cooking, baking and as a topping, ground flaxseed is the way to go. Whole flaxseeds cannot be easily digested by the body, thus why when eaten whole, they are often seen in the same manner some time later after is has passed through the digestive track and out, well, you know… In other words, in order to benefit from the nutrients, they should be ground first. Flaxseed is also available in oil form, but beware, the taste is quite different. Whereas ground flaxseed has a nice nutty like flavor, the oil is a bit bitter. I like both Bob’s Red Mill Organic Brown Flaxseed Meal and Spectrum’s Organic Ground Flaxseed. 

How to incorporate flaxseed into your food:

BREAKFAST

stir it into any cold or hot cereal or granola

mix it in oatmeal

add it to your muffin mix

add it to your pancake batter

spread it onto your toast

SNACK

mix it into your cookie dough

stir it into your yogurt

sprinkle it on top of some fruit

LUNCH

spread it on a peanut (or any nut) butter and jelly sandwich

add it to your homemade bread dough

stir it into some soup

DINNER

mix it into chili

add it to macaroni and cheese

stir it into your ground meat before cooking meatballs

add it to meatloaf mix

add it to your pasta or pasta sauce

stir it into some rice

mix it into some stew

add it to some quinoa

If you have any additional ideas, please share them with us!