Flax seeds in smoothies

[Chris Hennes]

I've been eating a lot of smoothies since I got my new blender, and people keep suggesting that I add flax seeds (for Omega-3s, I guess). I've tried adding them straight, and also pre-grinding them a bit first, but the texture is not my favorite. Any techniques you guys use to get the seeds in incorporate better?

[andiesenji]

I buy the Golden Flaxseed meal for inclusion in smoothies and in baking, except when I want the whole seeds as on bread, rolls or quick bread crust.

[prasantrin]

I use roasted milled flaxseed that I get from Costco. It's very cheap for flaxseed, but I think I once read that once ground (and/or roasted), the flaxseed deteriorates more quickly (not only becomes stale more quickly, but also loses its nutritional value more quickly). I use about 2T per smoothie, so I can use up a bag in roughly 6-8 weeks.

Either buy it pre-ground, or grind it more finely, and you won't notice it as much. I like the roasted stuff because it adds a nice flavour to my smoothies. Sort of peanuty.

[Peter the eater]

Frozen yogurt can be a good way to get seeds and grains.

[Human Bean]

Don't even bother with the seeds.

Use flax oil instead. It must be purchased and kept refrigerated, otherwise it goes rancid rather easily -- rancid flax oil smells like linseed oil (which is what linseed oil is, more-or-less.) Fresh flax oil has an interesting nutty taste. Try about 1/2 ounce in a 12 to 16 ounce smoothie and work the quantity up or down from there. I don't know that it will emulsify well with the rest of the smoothie; I don't have a mega-blender.

If you feel that you want the extra fiber that the raw flax seeds provide, try adding some psyllium husks instead; I haven't used them in several years, so I can't provide a recommendation for the quantity.

[prasantrin]

I've used psyllium husks, and if you don't like the texture of flaxseeds, you most likely won't like psyllium husks. You have to drink your smoothie fairly quickly before the psyllium expands and becomes kind of slimy. Think basil seed beverage/desserts in terms of texture. I don't mind it, but others I know do.

[Richard Kilgore]

As I recall, the body can not process the whole flax seeds. I'm with andiesenjie on the Golden Flax Seed meal - Bob's Red Mill, which was recommended also by Steven and others here.

[baroness]

Store the flaxseed meal in the freezer for best results.

[DanM]

+1 on flax seed flour. I know Trader Joes sells it. Another thing to get at trader Joes for smoothies is peanut flour. It is very high in protein and nutrients and will give your smoothies a nice peanut butter flavor. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4367/2

Dan

[Jenni]

I think you're better off just grinding the whole seeds just before using them - it's hard to tell how long the pre-ground stuff has been hanging about, plus you might well end up paying more for them.

[Toliver]

I grind a couple tablespoons of flax seeds in a dedicated coffee grinder and that goes into my blender when I make smoothies. The reason I use the coffee grinder is that I tried using the blender to grind them up before adding the rest of the smoothie ingredients and the resulting flax seed dust coated the entire interior of the blender so a lot didn't end up in my smoothie. I thought that was wasteful so that's when I switched to a dedicated coffee grinder. Easy peasy.

I made the mistake of buying Trader Joe's Toasted Flax Seeds. The problem I have with the toasted seeds is that the flavor is very, very nutty. So I ended up with a very nutty tasting fruit smoothie. I have purchased raw flax seeds from a health food store and will use that from now on instead. I am using the rest of the toasted flax seeds in oatmeal cookies where the nutty taste isn't so overwhelming.

I was hesitant in buying pre-ground flax seed (meal, flours) as I was concerned about oxidation. As it is the woman at the health food store where I purchased the raw flax seeds suggested I immediately divide and freeze half of the bag so it won't go bad as I make my way through the rest of the bag.