Flax or Fiction

Not that long ago I had a mild discussion/argument with a friend over flaxseed, that brown seed that seems to be popping up everywhere these days. Bread, rolls, and other commercially-prepared bread products are all trying to jump on the recent shift in consumer focus towards 'healthier eating' by adding wholesome-looking seeds to their products.

My argument was that you couldn't get the helth benefits of flax unless you ground up the seeds, and all the bread out there with whole seeds claiming it was so healthy was bogus- the seeds were just for looks. My friend argued that they could taste the oil when they crunched the seeds in their teeth, therefore allowing the omega-3's and lignans in the seeds to be absorbed. 

I suppose it's all relative- I my husband and I consume our flax (in mass amounts, no less) in both pressed oils and by addding ground seed to baked goods, and my friend feels confident they are getting the good stuff by simply chewing well. A myriad of ways to ingest flax abound in the world, many of which I did not mention in this post, giving one ample opportunity to try one for themselves.