Roberta Bell wrote:
>
> I was wondering about adding Flax oil to our diets, given the recent
> discussion on omega 3 fats.  How much would one add?
That's more or less up to you. Some people treat them as supplements and
take one or more gel caps. Some treat them like food and eat them in
large
amounts, me being one of them. I eat several hundred calories on an
average
day in omega 3 and omega 6 oils (mostly from flax/borage oil mix).

> Are there capsules one can take and how many would be appropriate?
Yes there are, but be careful with them. Whenever I use them I ALWAYS
will open one up and taste it. More often than not the oil will be
rancid
and no good to you. From the money point of view flax oil in a bottle
is much more efficient. The only drawback is that you must eat it within
two weeks of opening. I prolong opened bottles (when not eating much) by
keeping them in the freezer and taking the oil out just before eating.
The other advantage of bottled oil is that you'll always be tasting it
and know if it's good or not. Where I live (MA) it's about $8 for a 8oz
bottle, I think (give or take a bit). Just make sure the lable says that
the oil is processed without light, oxigen, and heat. Look for actual
pressing temperatures if possible, not simply "cold pressed" (which is
a nearly meaningless phrase because of regulation wording). The bottles
should be opaque black and kept in the refrigerated section in the
store.
They should also have a pressing date on them. Don't buy it if it's
older
than 3 months.

> Can you cook with flax oil?
Absolutely not!! (For that matter you should not cook cold water ocean
fish,
instead eat it as sushi. But I know that many people just can't stomach
sushi.)
Good fats to cook with are stable fats. That would be saturated and
monounsaturated fats. Such fatty acids can't really be turned into
transfatty acids
(because transfatty acids are simply twisted versions of the original;
since
saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids look the same when twisted
they
can't become trans). They also don't oxidise easily, which is another
thing
you want to avoid. Another trick to cooking with oils is to use water in
the pan.
It will keep the temperature to the boiling point of water and therefore
spare
the oils somewhat (you still can't cook with flax oil, even with such
tricks).

Ilya
[log in to unmask]