wonder what others think…chia and flax have the same carb count as fiber count which I know ‘supposedly’ cancels out the carb count…I love the non oatmeal recipe using both chia and flax but am still concerned about the carb count. Please share your thoughts. Thanks
@Carl_Franklin
@ Richard
@ Brenda
Chia and Flax
ginnyshelby
(LongHaulKeto)
#1
brownfat
(Todd Allen)
#2
Chia has a little more starch and sugar than flax but both are quite low. Some might list them as zero net carbs, especially if the serving size is small but they are rounding off. I seem to do ok counting net carbs but others find they need to count total carbs. There are a lot of variables, different kinds of fiber, and people have different genetics and different microbiomes. So some advise the only way to be certain is to count total carbs. But then you end up excluding potentially helpful foods such as chia and flax which are good sources of omega 3. Or you can eat them and see if they cause any issues such as raising your blood glucose or kicking you out of ketosis.
janknitz
(jketoscribe)
#4
I like a “Not oatmeal” made with flax, chia and hemp seeds, too but it is a sometimes thing for me, not daily. This is because seeds, especially chia and flax, are phytoestrogens.
When I first started LCHF I was substituting a daily “Muffin in a minute” made primarily of flax for bread. I started bleeding and bled very heavily for 8 weeks. My doctor said “it’s just menopause”, but I swear if I was having a heart attack he would have said it’s “just menopause” about that too. So I started to google. And came across information that flax is a phytoestrogen and does cause unusual bleeding in some cases–mine. I stopped the flax muffins, and within 48 hours the bleeding stopped, too, although it took me another six months to get over the anemia it caused.
It may be I WAS more sensitive to the phytoestrogens because I have PCOS or because I was going through menopause at the time. But my takeaway from that experience is that hormones in food should not be ignored. So just a little precautionary tale for you. Enjoy your notmeal, but exercise some caution!
Daisy
#7
Not the first time I have heard this kind of story. Worrying. The last time I had flax, I felt really uncomfortable to the extent that I helped it come back up which wasn’t hard as I was on the brink anyway. Needless to say, I haven’t had it since!
Lalie
#8
Hello! I am new to low carb food, but I am so happy to read all of your different experiences! I have been bleeding a lot for 10 days now and I thought it was premenopause but now i am going to stop the flax and chia seeds for a week to see if they are THE problem!! Thanks again for sharing such important information 
yogipete
#9
Looking at my charts, chia seed is around 7.7g net carbs per 100g and flaxseed is 1.6g. In either case there’s an upper limit to healthy consumption. Especially when starting out.
Sorry to hear about those bleeding experiences some have had. My approach and understanding is that you introduce these foods slowly to become accustomed. So starting with a teaspoon a day for several weeks then building up to a tablespoon a day and perhaps 2 eventually. The same applies to MCT oil, and many foods of course. I’d be interested in any science people have about phytoestrogen effects after a person has adapted to eating these seeds.
Lalie
#10
Hello😊
Well I am back on the flax subject! So I have stopped eating flax and in 48 hours no more bleeding!
It’s really bluffing because for 12 days i have had such a heavy bleeding…
waoooo! Well, I have learned that it’s a yes for flax because it’s very good for my health BUT not everyday and in very small quantity!
Have a nice evening !
Lolo
(gooeykablooey)
#11
I had the same issue! I was having flax daily and could NOT stop bleeding. After about 3 weeks of heavy bleeding I can across an article about the plant estrogen being potentially dangerous to women. Periods AND increasing vascular health risk and breast cancer risk. Once I dropped the flax and chia seeds I was fine. And I’m no where near menopause yet.
ginnyshelby
(LongHaulKeto)
#12
a friend was at her doctors recently and asked about the phytoestrogens in
chia and flax and he said you’d have to eat a hugh amount to worry about
it. I have the noatmeal maybe once a week or every two…Its so good!
#LongHaulKeto
#Tadpole Bluff @ Hebo
Lolo
(gooeykablooey)
#13
I don’t trust doctors’ opinions that much. I mean a pediatrician told me I could feed kids hot dogs and kraft mac n cheese 7 days a week and it wouldn’t do any harm.
yogipete
#15
[quote=“ginnyshelby, post:12, topic:9321”]
asked about the phytoestrogens in
chia and flax and he said you’d have to eat a hugh amount to worry about
it.[/quote]
According to the science this is true. The estrogen content of meat is higher, as is the phyto-estrogen content of soy milk. So if you need to go low estrogen it would make more sense to give up the meat sources of estrogen primarily. Blaming flaxseed and chia based on estrogen content seems a little misguided to me. That said, flaxseed cannot just be suddenly introduced into the diet. It takes a gradual introduction. It’s been well-known to cause stomach upsets of all sorts when suddenly crammed in. I had the same experience suddenly introducing MCT oil.
rettakat
(Retta Stephenson)
#16
@ginnyshelby Because I am not supposed to eat foods higher in estrogenic effects due to a cancer diagnosis, I did some research. Seems the majority of credible sources are PRO chia seeds, and ANTI flax seeds when it comes to phytoestrogens. Here is one quote, with links below:
“A great way to detoxify (excess) estrogen from the body
There are many great foods that help the body detoxify estrogen. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and cabbage contain several powerful nutrients that detoxify bad estrogenic molecules. These nutrients include indole-3 acetate, indole-3 carbonyl and diindolylmethane. These cruciferous veggies also contain sulfur containing nutrients such as, sulfuraphane and phenyl isothiocyanates – that enhance liver detoxification processes and destroy cancer cell formation.
Anti-inflammatory foods that are rich in saturated and omega-3 fatty acids such as 100 percent organic, grass-fed beef and dairy, organic poultry, wild-caught salmon plus wild game are anti-estrogenic. Plant-based fats such as, avocados, coconut oil and olive oil are all powerful anti-estrogenic superfoods. Raw nuts and seeds such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, chia and hemp seeds are rich in anti-estrogenic plant sterols.” Source: http://www.naturalhealth365.com/estrogen_dominance.html/
Another source is pro chia seeds:
https://www.drfuhrman.com/learn/library/articles/13/fight-breast-cancer-with-flax-and-chia-seeds
Another source pro chia seeds, and against flax:
As far as the carb counts (which was your original topic), I go by NET carbs, or I would never have enough carbs for veggies and fiber. Works for me, in moderate amounts like others have suggested. YMMV.
yogipete
#18
The Fuhrman source is pro both chia and flax.
The natural health source is a little dubious given it promotes chicken consumption, which would be a really bad idea if you want to minimise estrogen. See these links:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/05/hidden-hormones-can-bring-about-early-puberty-in-kids.html