How to Eat Linseed

Linseed, also known as flaxseed, is used as a nutritional supplement as oil, whole seeds or ground up as meal. It is a very nutritious seed, known for its high values of Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and fiber. It has also been touted in preliminary studies to fight certain cancers, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. There are a variety of ways to eat linseed. It is also found in certain processed foods, such as waffles and crackers; however, the nutritional value is not as high in those forms.

Instructions

• 1

  Purchase linseed as oil, whole seeds or ground-up seeds. You can grind them yourself in a coffee grinder if you choose to buy them whole. Linseed can either be bought as "golden flaxseed" or brown, which is the more common of the two. There is very little difference in nutritional values between gold or brown flaxseed. It is found in most grocery stores in the organic or health aisle, on the Internet, or in health food stores.

• 2

  Freeze the linseed to hold its nutritional value. It can be stored in a cool, dark place, but will lose its nutritional potency after a year. Whole linseed also stores better than ground-up linseed because the fatty acid content is protected in the seed.

• 3

  Add linseed to your diet. Linseed meal can be added to food such as oatmeal, smoothies, and baked goods and go virtually unnoticed. One to two tablespoons of ground linseed per day is all you need to benefit from the nutritional content. You can purchase foods with added linseed; however, you may not get the same benefits.