I've read that when you take fish oil supplements you should bite into them every few days to make sure they haven't spoiled....ick. I tried fish oil supplements and developed a fairly severe rash, so I'm not inclined to try again.

I've read about flax seed, oil.....but is this the same? do I have to bite into them to make sure they're not spoiled? And do the seeds have to be gound? Can we break them down ourselves? or do they have to be ground?

Thanks
Cindy

Unfortunately, yes, it's the same with flax oil capsules. You should bite into one every few weeks to ensure they haven't gone rancid. They should also be stored in the fridge, in an opaque bottle - they are less stable than fish oil.

The oil in the flax seeds is released when they are ground, so to benefit from the omega 3 EFA you do have to grind them. You could eat them whole, grinding them with your teeth, but they are very hard and you wouldnt be able to do a good job of it. By grinding (I use a coffee grinder I bought just for seeds and nuts) you release all that EFA goodness and are better able to digest and absorb the flax. Flax seed, both partially ground and unground are stable and keep well in airtight containers. There's a tonne of information on flaxseed and flaxoil at the Flax Council of Canada - specifically under "Technical Information" in the form of PDF files.

Cheers,
Nat

Thanks Nat....I did buy the capsules today....so I guess I'll just have to bite them every once in awhile and hope for the best! How do you tell if they're bad? Or is it a"you'll know it if you taste it" type of thing? The ones I have are 1000mg....the bottle says 2 a day....that sound about right?

I do plan on buying the seeds...it's just a pain getting over to the healthfood store....and none of the groceries, etc near me have them. I do have a coffee grinder, so that's a help.

Cindy