fat substitute/alternatives

[damush]

has anyone tried milled flax seed as a sub/alt for parkay,evoo etc.? i've been playing around with it at home(instead of evoo in rice & pasta ) and it's been consistently satisfactory. be careful using it in boiling water,it tends to foam a bit. if anyone would like to post a nutritional comparison,please do-i'm too lazy.

[Footslogger]

Don't have any results or comparisons but based on my reading and the suggestion of a friend (who is a physician) I started using it a while ago on oatmeal. In theory it is supposed to aid in lowering/moderating cholesterol. I sprinkle it on top along with some wheat germ.

'Slogger

[Brrrb Oregon]

The backs of my hands used to crack and bleed all the time, because my skin is so dry....Grandma's skin, what can you do? I started eating 1/4 cup ground flaxseed every morning, softened up in hot milk, kind of like hot cereal. Within two weeks, my skin got nice and soft and my hands started to look like I used lotion and wore gloves to do dishes, even though I do neither. Omega-3s are good. Apparently, lignans are good, too. I don't know, but I like my skin, now.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

The she-dino sneaks this into a lot of foods. He-dino's dry skin has almost disappeared and she-dino has much improved tummy function as a result. I grind ours fresh in a coffee mill.

[SawnieRobertson]

Oh, my, you guys are talking to the needy. I'm off to WalMart to get a coffee grinder and to Food City to pick up the flaxseed today! But I'm a-wondering, does it have to be ground? And, hey. She-Dino, we've got to get together for a walk soon.--Kinnickinic

[geckobunny]

I grind my flax seed in a coffee bean grinder too, then store it in the freezer.

I think it does help to grind it because our teeth just can't mash it up as finely. And the more it's ground, the more your body can absorb it. So you could take 1 Tbsp whole and 1Tbsp finely ground and you'll get more benefit from the ground flax.

Just brush your teeth good after you've eaten it ;)

[T-Dubs]

Don't have any results or comparisons but based on my reading and the suggestion of a friend (who is a physician) I started using it a while ago on oatmeal. In theory it is supposed to aid in lowering/moderating cholesterol. I sprinkle it on top along with some wheat germ.

'Slogger

I do the same type of thing. I mix together (and store in the 'fridge) whole and milled flax seed, wheat germ, oat bran and sunflower seeds. I sprinkle it on any cereal I eat. My younger son calls it, 'Tom's Birdseed Blend'.

TWS

[saimyoji]

Just brush your teeth good after you've eaten it ;)


From someone who knows nothing of eating flax....why?

[T-Dubs]

From someone who knows nothing of eating flax....why?

Those little flax seeds have a way of finding any little nook or cranny and will rest there until provoked. I sort of like finding them later on...just be sure not to smile too widely until you have brushed. You wouldn't want to frighten any small children. :)

TWS

[Cookerhiker]

I read somewhere that flax should be ground to derive the maximum nutritional benefit which is - to answer another post - fiber, Omega 3s, and good chloresterol. I include 2 tablespoons in my oatmeal every day (both at home and on the trail). Maybe I'll up the quantity to get rid of my wrinkles!

[saimyoji]

So how do flax seeds compare in size to coffee beans? Can they be effectively ground in a coffee grinder, or would something like a mortar/pestle be better?

[Cookerhiker]

So how do flax seeds compare in size to coffee beans? Can they be effectively ground in a coffee grinder, or would something like a mortar/pestle be better?

Flax seeds are much smaller than coffee beans. I suspect a coffee grinder wouldn't work except perhaps in the Expresso mode but it's just as easy to buy flax already ground. One of the popular brands available in most main-line grocery stores these days is Bob's Red Mill.

[Brrrb Oregon]

So how do flax seeds compare in size to coffee beans? Can they be effectively ground in a coffee grinder, or would something like a mortar/pestle be better?

They're kind of sesame-seed sized. I buy them ground, but at that point they need refrigeration. My impression is that, once ground, they'll get rancid a bit faster than, say, wheat germ will. I think they're cheaper to buy whole and grind yourself, not to mention the longer shelf life of the ones you haven't ground yet, but I'm too lazy.

[Brrrb Oregon]

From someone who knows nothing of eating flax....why?

For me, omega-3 fatty acids. I'm not much of a fish-eater.

[Cookerhiker]

They're kind of sesame-seed sized. I buy them ground, but at that point they need refrigeration. My impression is that, once ground, they'll get rancid a bit faster than, say, wheat germ will. I think they're cheaper to buy whole and grind yourself, not to mention the longer shelf life of the ones you haven't ground yet, but I'm too lazy.

I know that the package says to refrigerate groiund flax meal and I do. I can go through a package pretty fast so I've had no problems with rancidity. Also, I've mixed ground flaxmeal into my oatmeal, taken it on long hikes, and shipped to myself in maildrops. Even at "room" temperature or higher, it's never gone bad on me.

[minnesotasmith]

As they contain no small amount of fat. Where do you think flax oil comes from? ;)

If you're going to use added fats along the way on an LD hike, I'd say use olive oil. It's healthier than most other oils, MUCH more so than Crisco, Parkay, lard, coconut oil, etc. It is also unusually resistant to going rancid among relatively unsaturated oils due to its high level of (healthy) antioxidants. It is also not hard to find along the way; most grocery stores stock it (okay, in too-large of containers that are glass, but you can pour it into other containers and split it with other hikers or leave the extra in a hostel's hiker box, if you don't find some there first). Even some outfitters are starting to sell OO by the ounce; I personally bought it that way twice on my thruhike last year (2006).

That said, if you are truly looking for fat substitutes for on the Trail that add little or nothing to the fat content of your food, I'd suggest these:

1) spray oils like PAM (principally for frying)

2) snack foods like potato chips with indigestible fats such as Olestra

3) Butter Buds

3) applesauce, pureed prunes, or powdered milk for giving a more creamy texture.

[minnesotasmith]

Yes, flax oil contains some of the desirable Omega-3 oils shown to help considerably against cardiac disease. However, it has the shorter-chain variety that are not as desirable as those from oily fish (sardines, mackerel, herring, cod, tuna, salmon, etc., if they lived in cold salt water and are NOT farm-raised).

My advice for anyone wanting Omega-3s in their diet is to eat the fish when possible, and bring fish oil capsules with them on their hike, as I did.

[Cookerhiker]

Re Minnesota Smith's post: I take both fish oil and flax oil capsules so I'm getting plenty of the Omega 3s which is necessary given my family history.

This morning on "The People's Pharmacy" on NPR, the hosts interviewed a researcher from Duke U who described a recent study in which ground flax helped destroy prostate cancer cells, even in small doses after only 30 days. She stressed that there's no evidence of flax benefit for preventing cancer but certainly this study was promising for treatment.

The program hosts made the same exact point as Brrrb Oregon about the short shelf life of ground flaxmeal and the need for refrigeration.

And tonight for dinner, I made a spinach casserole with about 3 tbs of flax meal sprinkled on top. Delicious and nutritious!:)