Hi! I've been lurking for about a month now, but just joined today. I have a question about flasxeed meal. I bought Bob's Red Mill brand which says "Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal" and the carb count on the package says 4g total carb and 4g fiber for 2 tablespoons. However, when I go to the carb counter on this site and search for flaxseed, it says 8.2g total carb and 6.7g fiber for 2 tablespoons. This seems like a huge difference to me. Am I missing something? What is the "correct" carb count?

Thanks so much!

I have found that various carb counters often have different values for the same product. I gave up trying to account for the differences. What I do is use the USDA nutrient database website and go by it, unless the particular item is not listed. According to the USDA ground flaxseed has 2.02 grams of carb with 1.9 grams of fiber per tablespoon. Here is a link to that site. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

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Henry

I don't know about the carb counter on our site, but according to the USDA, Bob's numbers are just fine. USDA says:

Carbs, rounded down are 4, fiber rounded up is 4. If you want to be a stickler, you can count each 2TB serving as .24 net carbs.

HTH!

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Posting at the same time, Henry.

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I just went by the label on the Bob's Red Mill. It's basically 99.9% fiber. You'd have to eat ALOT of flaxseed meal to get any real carb count.

I add this stuff to alot of things I bake and cook, like pie crust, chili, and casseroles. It thickens the chili, adds fiber to everything and isn't very noticeable. Since I avoid wheat (among other things:sugar, soy, dairy, and aspartame) I need to add fiber wherever I can. I enjoy the nutty flavor.

Flaxseed is extremely healthy for you, and with no significant carb count, it's the perfect "fiber adder".

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Thanks so much for your help! I have been eating my version of Maggie's Cereal most mornings and really enjoy it. Also, thanks for the link to the USDA site.

So, what I do is buy the whole flax seeds and use the coffee grinder to make into flax meal and cook with that. Am I getting the most nutritional value this way?

I don't know if you are getting more nutritional value that way or not. My understanding is that you can keep the seeds longer that way without the meal becoming rancid. It has never been a problem for me, so I just buy the meal, make my cereal mix. I make my mix in either 6 or 9 pound batches (2-3 pounds of each ingredient) and keep the mix in the refrigerator or freezer for easy use.

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Henry

Nancy, I believe you are getting more nutritional value by grinding whole flaxseeds as you need them. Certainly, your meal will be fresher than buying pre-ground flaxseed meal, and fresher usually means less degradation of the nutrients. And, most importantly, as Howard notes above, ground flax seed meal can get rancid very easily, especially at room temperature. I've bought many bags of rancid flaxseed meal from grocery store shelves.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Unfortunately, at my local health food groceries, they shelve the Bob's Red Mill ground flaxseed with the other meal ingredients, so it isn't refrigerated. Like Teel, I've bought a few rancid bags, and that's nasty stuff--looks yellowish and has a distinctive unpleasant odor. (I started making them open the bags before I took them home.)

I finally bought myself an inexpensive coffee grinder at Wal-Mart, and I'll be grinding my own from now on. It only takes a moment to make a batch (like Henry) for the freezer.

Flaxseed is a superior addition to a low-carb routine, as it is all fiber (very nearly) and healthy oil. I like it as a cereal (with wheat bran and whey protein), but you can add it to virtually anything.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Once I grind it, I keep it in a zip lock in the freezer and it's easily spoonable that way. Had to "borrow" a grinder, but I will get one next time I have to visit Hellmart.