Vegan Nutrition with Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D.

Dina Aronson, MS, RD is a vegan dietitian whose specialties include chronic disease prevention, vegetarian/vegan nutrition, and lifestyle management. She is the founder and director of VeganRD.com, a nutrition consulting company. Active in many vegetarian nutrition organizations, Dina was the recipient of the American Dietetic Association's Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award in 2002.

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Hello! I heard a report that flax seed must be cooked before blending to eat with drinks or food. Is this true? Would cooking damage the nutrition value of flax seed? Appreciate your prompt advise from my parents are currently taking flax seeds blended with smoothies on a daily basis.

Keep on whipping up those smoothies! Flax seeds are fine to eat raw, and the best way to reap the nutritional benefits is to eat them is preground (purchase them already ground or grind them yourself). And while heating flax seeds beyond a certain temperature (over 600 degrees farenheit) may destroy some the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, standard cooking and baking will not significantly damage the nutrition value. Flax OIL is another story; the oil is not heat stable and should not be cooked.

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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