Flaxseed

[sophie]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone being intolerant to flaxseed oil? I hadn't had any for a while, and my baby, who is breastfed, had dry skin on his cheeks which I thought flaxseed would fix. As soon as I started taking it he got a rash all over his face, tiny little dotty bumps that would get red if he was hot or crying. I couldn't think of what was causing it as he or I had had nothing new. I didn't even think of the flaxseed and continued to take it while his skin got worse. It lasted for 3 weeks, then I stopped taking flaxseed and within 2 days his skin had cleared and was peachy and perfect. I don't know what to make of it! It may have been a coincidence, but I can't think what else caused it. Now I am unsure about taking flaxseed again, and I don't know what other alternatives there are . Any ideas?

[Erin Pavlina]

If you're using flaxseeds for omega-3 fatty acids, then maybe switch to another food that's high in that. Like walnuts, hemp seed oil, canola oil, or take a DHA supplement (www.nutru.com)

[mochamama]

I once heard of that happening to someone's baby, when the flaxseed was rancid. It gets old so quickly. Don't know how reliable the story is.

I use ground flaxseeds. I keep them in my freezer and grind and use them within 6 months. They're a lot cheaper than the oil too.