flaxseed

[veggiemom22]

How much flaxseed (I bought the powdered kind) should I be giving to my almost-three year old son? I tsp, I tbsp, 1/2 tbspn.......?????

[Casey]

In "Becoming Vegan" the authors recommend that toddlers (1 - 3 years), get 1.1g of omega-3, which equates to 1.5 teaspoons or 1/2 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. For children ages 4 - 10, the recommendation goes up to 2 grams a day (almost 1 tbsp). And most of what I've read says that adults should aim for 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed per day (or an equivalent source of omega-3).

[Jenny]

I read the other day that flax seed isn't such a reliable source of Omega-3 as was once thought, and that only about 6% of it is actually absorbable. If so, then the recommendations in "Becoming Vegan" are not high enough. Has anyone else heard that?

[veggiemom22]

I think that's only the whole flax seeds. Ground flax seeds and flax oil are the ones that are good omega sources.

[Jenny]

I hope that's true. I'm close to being vegan yet not quite there as I have some worries to be worked out still. I'm 15 and don't want to become vegan and end up with deficiencies 30 years from now. Here's an article I just read: http://www.mercola.com/2002/apr/3/evolution.htm I'd appreciate opinions on that (don't worry, I'm definitely not going to start eating buffalo or ostrich, or even take fish oil...). One thing it says about flax is that there isn't enough DHA or EPA in it...I think I read that our bodies convert ALA to those two (is that right?) and if so, is that good enough? Also if soy is high in Omega-6 fatty acids, it seems like vegans shouldn't be eating alot of soy. Another thing I read is that wild plants are higher in Omega-3's and healthier (which is easy to believe). Anyone have information on that, like what are the best types of wild plants to eat? Lastly...I apologize for getting off subject but I read this article: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/interview-nazariah.html I know it's about being a raw vegan but lots of it still applies to eating a cooked vegan diet.

[alexis]

I got a question about flax seeds. How finely are you supposed to grind it? Is it supposed to be like powder or sort of resembling cracked black pepper?

[veggiemom22]

I buy mine already ground up, and it's about the same consistency of freshly ground pepper.

[Mz Kay]

I found that grinding them into a fine powder works MUCH better when using flax as egg replacer in baked goods than the coarse grind. Also, mixing with hot water and letting it set for 5 minutes gives a great "egg" consistency. :)
my 2 cents...
l

[alexis]

Oh, guess that's where the problem was. No wonder the lemon cake turned out looking like banana cake and was rock hard...

[Christa]

Jenny,

I certainly am not the final expert on this, but had 2 things that I wanted to mention in response to your post. First of all, I am impressed that you are researching your nutritional needs on a vegan diet! I definately did not look into that when I went vegan at 16; fortunately, 15 yrs later, I am still healthy:) !

Re sources of Omega 3, flaxseed is not the only vegan source. Walnuts & walnut oil is also a fairly good source of omega-3s. I believe that there are also some other reliable sources in some legumes, and green vegis, although I am not sure on the specifics. Soy does also contain Omega 6 & Omega 3, although, again, I am not sure on the ratio.

Re Mercola, his viewpoints tend to be rather hostile to vegetarian diets & soy consumption, so I wouldn't rely on his info as a major source of info. It is wise to read all opinions, certainly, I just wouldn't be overly scared by Mercola.

[Jenny]

Christa~ thanks so much for responding! I probably should have started a new thread...but too late! I think I'm going to go ahead and go vegan 100%, until the day when I can own my own chickens and then possibly eat a few eggs (though after seeing an egg in an egg-bound cockatiel during surgery, they sort of gross me out!!). I read the thread about "Would you eat eggs if you owned the chickens and weren't planning on killing them..." and I probably would. I don't think a little cholesterol is awful. Anyway....I've learned alot at this site and am glad to have found you all! I bought "Garden of Vegan" yesterday and am getting very excited about going vegan. :)

[vegma]

Jenny, I second Christa's comments about Mercola. I tend to question people that make a profit on a stand they take (i.e. Mercola sells his own beef).

I finally got around to reading the article on raw vegans, and much of it was very alarming about the vegan diet in general. I'm raising my child vegan (he's 4 1/2 now), so I obviously am VERY interested in the health aspects of the vegan diet. I tend to agree that as time goes on more things are discovered about what our bodies need and don't need, but this is true in all diets. The thing I noticed about this article was that it was all from personal opinion/observation and there was a non-footnoted reference to some Vegetarian Times article in the 1990's. Not exactly scientific.

You might try posing some of your questions to the registered dietician on this site. I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Brenda Davis, RD (co-author of "Becoming Vegan") recently, and she sited some specific studies that showed how a well-balanced vegan diet, including healthy fats, significantly improved the health of heart patients. You might want to check out her book from the library and read about some of the studies yourself! Like you, I plan to keep on educating myself about what we put in our bodies:)

[mckennasmom]

What foods would you put it in for a 3 yr old?