I was mixing up a batch of Sharron's hot cereal, and I decided to toast some flax seeds to put in it. Cooked some in a dry frying pan then ground them up and added to the mix. It tastes really good and toasty. Did the same with some pumpkin seeds.

I know it tastes good, but I'm wondering--does heating up the flax seeds negatively affect the oil? Heating some oils may change them so they aren't good for you anymore.

Any chemists here? Anyone have an answer to this?

I'm not a chemist.

You are right on the money. Cooking is allowed with the flax seed and not the flax oil. But, when the seed is heated the nutrients are altered, but you still get the benefits of the fiber.

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Ozzie's Place

The frying pan would be a particularly bad place for them imo. It would probably make the oils produce free radicals.

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Started Atkins on 9/20/03
235-->190; 150 goal

That's what I was wondering about, but am not sure.

On the other hand, I only toasted a tablespoon of them and mixed with about four cups of the cereal mix, so any effect would be minimal. It did make the taste really nice, though, between the flax seeds and the pumpkin seeds.