0

I haven't prepared or eaten flaxseed before. I just purchased a bag from Sprouts Farmers Market in their bulk section. The flaxseed appears to already be ground up. Do I need to wash or cook/heat these before consumption?

Also, is it true they contain cyanide? I can't find anything in wikipedia about this.

MarkE
  • 1,397
  • 6
  • 21
  • 35
  • What does the label say? Do you have an image? – SAJ14SAJ Jul 09 '13 at 01:58
  • It is unusual for plants to contain cyanide - all edible examples I can think of are members of a single genus, Prunus, and flaxseed is from a different genus, Linum. So statistically, it is not very probable that flaxseed has it. Please note that this is not a definitive no, but just a guess. – rumtscho Jul 09 '13 at 10:41

2 Answers2

4

If the flaxseed appears to be small brown pieces (like 'hundreds and thousands') then it has to be ground before it can be used. I use an ordinary food processor to do this - the same attachment for grinding coffee beans or creating sugar powder. The result is a light brown powder.

This should be stored in an air-tight container to prevent oxidation. The ground seeds shouldn't be kept for more than a week or so as they lose their effectiveness the longer they are kept.

There is no need to wash or cook the seeds. I add the powder to my morning yoghurt - it's supposed to help lower cholesterol levels amongst other properties.

I have heard that the stone of an apricot contains cyanide - but not flaxseed (otherwise I wouldn't be here to be writing this!).

No'am Newman
  • 952
  • 6
  • 11
-1

Why on earth would you not wash the flaxseeds although you absolutely must wash all the other vegetables before eating them? Also, for example, try and wash some hasselnuts or almonds to see how dirty the water gets and how clean they will become! There is no point of eating random dirt.

T T
  • 1