Flax seed meal/flour has cyanide in it? What is this?

[flowerbabe68]

I have been trying to change recipes for muffins,breads,etc to a more diabetic friendly recipe. I just read that flax seed meal is almost all fiber,(that's good),difficult to store since it has unsaturated fats,(not so good, but do able),just keep in frig or freeze any large amts til ready to use it. But,but,but,what is this thing about containing cyanide? That you should only eat 2 Tbsp of seed or 3 Tbsp of flax meal at one time. Is this something that you all know and I just never read or is this something that is not as bad as it sounds? Should I just concentrate on almond flour and soy flour? Whew,just gave me the shivers to think about this.:confused: :confused:

[Moonglo]

I don't know much about this, but I did find an article that says that little to no negative side effects tend to come from eating flax seed: Flax Seed Health Benefits and Safety Issues - Flax Seed Nutrition (http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/flaxinfo.htm)

Hope this helps! :)

[foxl]

I know bitter almonds contain cyanide, too ... not sure about sweet ones. I believe lots of foods do have small amounts.

[fgummett]

I couldn't find anything so far on what might be seen by all here as a fully trustworthy site and even this one does not give references/sources... but anyhow this is what is says at "lowcarbdiets dot about dot com"
Like many other foods (cashews, some beans, and others), flax contains very small amounts of cyanide compounds, especially when consumed raw. Heat, especially on dry flax seeds, breaks these compounds down. However, our bodies have a capacity to neutralize a certain amount of these compounds, and the US government agencies say that 2 tablespoons of flaxseed (~3 T of flax meal) is certainly safe and is probably an “effective dose” for health purposes. Various researchers who have used up to 6 daily tablespoons of the seed in different studies indicate that the amount they were using was safe.

[telizas]

Cyanide occurs naturally in a lot of things. Heck, you could build up your tolerance for the stuff by taking in minute amounts of rat poison! (I wouldn't recommend this tho...)

I have been buying Flax seed tortilla chips - they are SO awesome!! A serving is only 26g of carbs, compared to 55g for Tostitos. :D

The health benefits of flax greatly outweigh the risks, for sure. :)

[foxl]

Cyanide occurs naturally in a lot of things. Heck, you could build up your tolerance for the stuff by taking in minute amounts of rat poison! (I wouldn't recommend this tho...)

I have been buying Flax seed tortilla chips - they are SO awesome!! A serving is only 26g of carbs, compared to 55g for Tostitos. :D

The health benefits of flax greatly outweigh the risks, for sure. :)

WHERE? What BRAND? Please share!!!

[HealthierMe]

R.W. Garcia Flaxseed with Soy Tortilla chips made with organic corn. serving size 7 (large) chips, 14 carbs. They taste good. Sodium is only 50 mg/serving which is good for me counting sodium mgs too.
I guess it all depends on how well you handle corn cause that's the first ingredient.

[foxl]

R.W. Garcia Flaxseed with Soy Tortilla chips made with organic corn. serving size 7 (large) chips, 14 carbs. They taste good. Sodium is only 50 mg/serving which is good for me counting sodium mgs too.
I guess it all depends on how well you handle corn cause that's the first ingredient.

Worth a try at least once!

[Chef Barrae]

This is a great website for complete details regarding the nutrition of various foods. I have bookmarked it on the flax seed page. I did not see anything about cyanide listed.

Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Seeds, flaxseed (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2)