How to Drink Flaxseed

Last Updated: January 15, 2021

Flaxseed is a superfood that's often used for weight loss and as a replacement for other foods in some diets, such as a replacement for eggs in vegan diets. It contains a lot of fiber, is associated with a lower risk of getting cancer, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well. To drink flaxseed, make flaxseed water, mix flaxseed water or oil into your favorite drinks, or grind up fresh flaxseeds with smoothies. You can also buy flaxseed drinks at your local grocery store.

Ingredients

Flaxseed Water

1 tsp (5 g) of ground flaxseed
1 cup (250 ml) of water
Lemon juice (optional)

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Flaxseed Water

1
Drink only 1 cup (250 mL) of flaxseed water per day. Drinking too much flaxseed water won't kill you, but it can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea (in extreme cases).^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} It's generally recommended that you only drink 1 cup (250 ml) of flaxseed water a day. This contains the most amount of nutrients that your body can digest each day, so if you go over it you are just wasting flaxseed water.

EXPERT TIP

Lyssandra Guerra
Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant
Lyssandra Guerra is a Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant and the Founder of Native Palms Nutrition based in Oakland, California. She has over five years of nutrition coaching experience and specializes in providing support to overcome digestive issues, food sensitivities, sugar cravings, and other related dilemmas. She received her holistic nutrition certification from the Bauman College: Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts in 2014.

Lyssandra Guerra
Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant

Did You Know? Consuming flaxseed can help reduce inflammation in your body due to its high omega-3 content. Flaxseed is also high in soluble fiber, so it's beneficial for preventing constipation and removing toxins and waste from your body. In addition, flaxseed can help balance your hormones due to its phytoestrogen quality.
2
Grind up 1 tsp (5 g) of flaxseed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. If you bought whole flax seeds, you must grind them up before you eat them so your body can more easily digest the nutrients contained within. Grind your flax seeds, and set them to the side.^{[2]
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- If you have pre-ground flaxseeds, then don't worry about grinding them up again. This only applies to whole flaxseeds.
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3
Prepare 1 cup (250 ml) of warm or cold water, depending on your preference. It doesn't matter what temperature you make the water, but remember that when the flaxseeds are done soaking you will drink the liquid that remains, so make it at whatever temperature you prefer to drink.^{[3]
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- You can also add flaxseed water to drinks rather than drinking it straight. If you plan to do this, opt for warm water as it may extract more nutrients from the flaxseeds.
4
Soak the ground flaxseed in the water for 2 hours, or until gel-like. Add 1 tsp (5 g) of ground flaxseed into 1 cup (250ml) of water and stir it gently for just a few moments to prevent it from bunching up. Then, let it sit until it takes on a gel-like consistency before continuing.^{[4]
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- If you notice that the water has started to turn to a gel-like consistency before the time is up, it's probably ready for you to drink.
- You can also soak the flaxseeds overnight, but this is better for mixing the water into other recipes than for drinking straight as it tends to be much more gel-like and have a much stronger flavor.^{[5]
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5
Strain the flaxseeds out then drink the water left over. If you don't mind having a little crunch in your drink, feel free to leave the flaxseeds in the water. Otherwise pour the liquid out into another container through a colander.^{[6]
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- If your ground flaxseed is especially fine, you may not be able to strain too much out. This is not the worst thing, though, as the grounds will give you a boost of nutrients!
- If you plan to use the water in blended drinks, leave the flaxseeds in, as these will be ground up and disintegrate in the blender. If you are adding it to a non-blended drink, remove the grounds, if you so desire.
- You can store flaxseed water for a few days, but it won't last long. It's best to drink it as soon as it's ready.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Mixing Flaxseed with Other Drinks

1
Add lemon juice to flaxseed water for a zesty option. Flaxseed water has a bit of an odd taste to some, so to make it more palatable without changing the recipe too much mix 1 cup (250 ml) of flaxseed water with about 1–3 tsp (4.9–14.8 ml) of lemon juice, depending on how much you like lemon juice.
- Lemon juice is great for weight loss and indigestion, which compounds with the digestive benefits of flaxseeds.
2
Brew flaxseed tea to create a hot, comforting drink. Mix 1 tsp (5 g) of ground flaxseed with 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water, then wait for about 10 minutes or until it reaches a comfortable temperature to drink. If you'd prefer to not have grounds in your tea, strain them out before you start to drink it.
- Drop a tea bag in the hot water as well to mask some of the flaxseed flavor. Herbal teas such as peppermint or chamomile work best, and have a well known relaxing effect. Lemon tea or ginger tea are known to be good for your health as well.
3
Mix flaxseed water or oil with your choice of juice for a nutritional boost. Flaxseed water and flaxseed oil are perfect to add to juice as the unusual flavors are easily masked by fruit and veggie flavors.^{[8]
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Research source} Choose your favorite type of juice and mix it with about 1/2 cup (125 ml) of flaxseed water or 1 tbsp (15 ml) of flaxseed oil.
- Sweet juices, like mango juice, apple juice, or pineapple juice are great as the sweet flavors mask the sometimes off-putting flavor of the flaxseed water.
4
Blend flaxseed into a smoothie for a tasty and sweet choice. Sweet smoothies in particular are perfect to mix with flaxseeds as their strong, sugary flavors sharply counteract the flavors of the seeds. Use whole flaxseeds to preserve the fiber content, or flaxseed water or flaxseed oil if you don't want any chunks in your smoothie.
- Pineapple, mango, and berry smoothies are particularly popular options.^{[9]
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- If you prefer green spinach smoothies or veggie-based smoothies, you can mix flaxseeds into that as well, although their flavor may not be covered up as well.
5
Opt for a commercial brand of flaxseed drink for a quick option. If you don't have the time to make your own drinks at home, or perhaps don't trust your culinary skill to make it taste good, you can always add flaxseed to your diet with drinks available at your local grocery store. Look in the health food section and the beverage section to find a pre-made juice, smoothie, or other drink that sounds appetizing to you.
- One benefit of commercially available flaxseed drinks is that they are usually balanced in nutrients, and often contain additional nutrients to supplement your diet.^{[10]
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- It may cost more than making it yourself, but store-bought drinks nearly always taste great and will give you the same benefits as homemade concoctions.