# Freezing Flax Oil



## drew_c (Aug 8, 2006)

Does it damage flax oil to be frozen for a short period of time? Can it even be frozen?

I ask because of my daily breakfast routine. 

Just before my cardio session I blend up a shake (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 raw bananna, 1 scoop whey, 1 tblspoon flax oil, 2 cups water) and throw it in the freezer. It is there for an hour or so until I get out of the shower, re-blend it and drink.

Usually I will leave the flax oil out until the 2nd blend. So it doesn't spend that hour in the freezer. Just pull it out of the fridge and blend it into the half frozen shake. Is this really neccesary? I was thinking adding the flax before I freeze it might help the shake from sticking/freezing to the sides of the blender container.

Long winded but simple question -- appreciate any help


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## drew_c (Aug 9, 2006)

Nobody? I guess I shall have to experiment and find out


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## tucker01 (Aug 9, 2006)

Freezing flax seed oil is fine, actually delays the oil going rancid.


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## Trouble (Aug 9, 2006)

This is a hard case to decide.  Gut feeling: add the flax oil after freezing.  Either way, the cold temp is going to cause it to separate from the hydrophilic phase.  It probably will stick to the sides of the container (coat it) which will reduce its concentration in the shake.

Alternative might be to add crushed ice at the end, or just leave the shake in the refrig and not the freezer.  You may like the consistancy, but you pay a price in the compositional quality if you freeze it.  I would never freeze thaw the whole whey proteins that have distinct benefits (concentrate) from those of simple very small peptides (isolate).  This is why I think the Blend sold by All the Whey might be a superior and surprisingly affordable alternative to either whey concentrate or isolate on their own.

I would also add bran, if you're not already doing so.

By all means freeze the flax oil; it does indeed extend shelf life.  However, its utility as an essential oil is questionable.  Flax seed ground or whole might be preferrable as its supplies fiber and phytochemicals that are superior in health benefits to the oil itself.


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## drew_c (Aug 10, 2006)

Trouble said:
			
		

> This is a hard case to decide.  Gut feeling: add the flax oil after freezing.  Either way, the cold temp is going to cause it to separate from the hydrophilic phase.  It probably will stick to the sides of the container (coat it) which will reduce its concentration in the shake.
> 
> Alternative might be to add crushed ice at the end, or just leave the shake in the refrig and not the freezer.  You may like the consistancy, but you pay a price in the compositional quality if you freeze it.  I would never freeze thaw the whole whey proteins that have distinct benefits (concentrate) from those of simple very small peptides (isolate).  This is why I think the Blend sold by All the Whey might be a superior and surprisingly affordable alternative to either whey concentrate or isolate on their own.
> 
> ...



Excellent response, thank you. 

Can you think of an alternative way of adding EFA's to my shake other than flax? Without compromising the flavor that is... I do also take fish oil caps throughout the day so maybe I am ok. 

I have not tried ground flax as you suggested but I see it every time I'm in the store so I will give that a trial run as well.


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## Trouble (Aug 10, 2006)

You can add the oil from fish oil caps to your shake.  You can add a little EVO (extra virgin olive oil), or you can continue to add flax.  Point is you want the oil to slow down gastric "dumping" or emptying, as this slows down intestinal transit time and improves your ability to absorb the protein present.  

I also encourage folks to add bran (not wheat - rice, barley or oat) for the same reason, but also to help encourage the formation of healthy intestinal microflora who need and use beta glucans to form an extrapolymeric matrix called "candyfloss" (I kid you not).  Its the reservoir that, when normal intestintal vili (natural finger like projections of the intestinal wall that provide extra surface area for nutrient absorption and bacteria refugia - a special niche for commensal microbes that live in our gut) also affords a retention and sorta temp storage for food particles - this vastly increases absorption rate for foods that have lower physical density.  Fiber is therefore a gut condition, an insulin response retardant, has immune boosting direct effects, and is a bulking agent that also provides a particular type of slow digesting carb, and additional energy source recently shown to have other, more important properties.


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## BulkMeUp (Aug 10, 2006)

Trouble said:
			
		

> I also encourage folks to add bran (not wheat - rice, barley or oat) for the same reason, but also to help encourage the formation of healthy intestinal microflora .


I leave fats out of my pre wo shake (Optimimum Nutrition Whey + ground oats + banana) for a quicker gastric emptying. This is because my pwo shake is in ~2.5-3hrs after this meal. I do this so that absorbtion of my pwo shake is not delayed by the previous meal.

Will adding Oat bran to the pre-wo shake have any negative effect to the absorbtion of the pwo shake or are the ground oats adequate?


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## Jodi (Aug 10, 2006)

Ground oats are adequate.  Oat Bran is good too but it's not going to make much of a difference.


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## BulkMeUp (Aug 10, 2006)

ah.. ok .. thx Jodi.


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## KentDog (Aug 11, 2006)

drew_c said:
			
		

> Excellent response, thank you.
> 
> Can you think of an alternative way of adding EFA's to my shake other than flax? Without compromising the flavor that is...


You could add natural peanut butter or as Trouble had already suggested, some extra virgin olive oil (it's actually not bad).


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## Tough Old Man (Aug 11, 2006)

Trouble said:
			
		

> This is a hard case to decide. Gut feeling: add the flax oil after freezing. Either way, the cold temp is going to cause it to separate from the hydrophilic phase. It probably will stick to the sides of the container (coat it) which will reduce its concentration in the shake.
> 
> Alternative might be to add crushed ice at the end, or just leave the shake in the refrig and not the freezer. You may like the consistancy, but you pay a price in the compositional quality if you freeze it. I would never freeze thaw the whole whey proteins that have distinct benefits (concentrate) from those of simple very small peptides (isolate). This is why I think the Blend sold by All the Whey might be a superior and surprisingly affordable alternative to either whey concentrate or isolate on their own.
> 
> ...


How about saving emergy and making that shower around 5-10 minutes instead of 1 hr. and you won't have to freeze the shake.


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