Table of Contents

1. What is linseed?
2. Are there any differences between flaxseed and linseed?
3. What are the nutritional benefits of flaxseed?
4. Linseed vs flaxseed. Who won?

One of my favorite parts of being a dietitian is adding new foods that pack a powerful nutrition punch.  So often I hear of foods that people eliminate in order to be healthier.  I love to add new things or reintroduce some long-forgotten food item back into the daily rotation.  Some of my favorite’s additions are seeds especially chia seeds, hemp and flaxseeds.  A question I got recently, stumped me.

“Are linseed and flaxseed the same?”

I wasn’t sure.

Some may think there is a difference between flax seed and linseed due to the difference in possible uses of flaxseed oil and linseed oil.  Many believe that flaxseed oil is the only edible form and linseed oil is used commercially.  Linseed oil can be used commercially as a preservative for wood, concrete and as an ingredient in paint.  Linseed oil and flaxseed oil can both be consumed if used in the form that is suitable for human consumption

Nutrition in 1 tablespoon of flax seed

There appears to be no significant nutritional difference between flaxseed and linseeds.  They are from the same plant, are a nutrition powerhouse and a fantastic addition to breads, pancakes, breakfast cereals and baked goods.