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The George Mateljan Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation with no commercial interests, is a new force for change to help make a healthier you and a healthier world.

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Which is better: flaxseeds or flaxseed oil?

Flaxseeds are a whole food; flaxseed oil is not. Therefore, from my perspective, flaxseeds are superior when it comes to choosing a food that provides a host of different benefits. Let me further explain.

Flaxseeds and the oil made from them have gained great attention recently since they are a concentrated source of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the building block for all omega-3s.

It is true that flaxseed oil contains more ALA than flaxseeds (one tablespoon of flaxseeds contains 2.35 grams while one tablespoon of flaxseed oil contains 7.25 grams). This, of course, makes sense since the omega-3s are present in the oil component of the seeds.

But flaxseeds are a whole food and therefore contain a host of other nutrients that are not included in its extracted oil. For example, they are also a rich source of dietary fiber; minerals such as manganese, copper, and magnesium; and vitamins such as folate and vitamin B6. In addition, they contain lignan phytonutrients, which have been found to have hormone-balancing and cardiovascular benefits. While some flaxseed oils have lignans added back to them, the resulting product is still different from its natural, whole-food form.

I'd encourage you to think of flaxseeds and flaxseed oil as unique and not as one being a substitute for the other. When it comes to a great food that can be incorporated into your diet that provides an array of different nutritional benefits, think flaxseeds. As for flaxseed oil, I view it more as a dietary supplement that can help people give their oemga-3 intake a large boost if they are unable to achieve their omega-3 goals through the foods that they eat. One warning about flaxseeds, though: the very small size of these seeds puts a premium on careful chewing. You cannot get all of those unique flaxseed benefits I described unless you can crush the seeds enough while chewing—and/or by grinding them first—to allow for other steps in digestion.