Flaxseed Oil or Flaxseeds – Which Should You Use?

When preparing the Budwig Mix (also known as the Budwig Muesli), is it best to use flaxseed oil or flaxseeds in the mixture?

First, watch the following presentation and then keep reading to find out the answer:

Flaxseed Oil Vs. Flaxseeds

The simple answer is; you can use both. Dr. Johanna Budwig treated over 2,500 people with all types of cancer, and the results were outstanding. When she prepared the Budwig mix, she ground up fresh flaxseeds and added them to the mixture. Flaxseed oil provides similar benefits as the seeds; however, we have a few words of caution.

Our Recommendations

If you opt for the oil over the seeds, the most crucial point to consider is that it can become rancid if not properly cared for and stored. When purchasing flaxseed oil, do not buy the first bottle you find in the supermarket. We recommend searching for a reputable company that takes the correct measures in pressing, storing, and distributing the oil.

In Spain, the home of the Budwig Center, we are fortunate enough to have providers like LinoVita. Their flaxseed oil is unfiltered, organic, cold-pressed, and they take great care to ensure that the oil is always between 5ºC and 12ºC. Bottles are placed in individual Styrofoam insulators and shipped by overnight couriers using a cooler. Deliveries are only scheduled between Tuesday and Friday so that containers never spend the weekend or more than one night in a storage facility. Sadly, this is not the policy of all providers, which makes it challenging to find good quality flaxseed oil.

For more information, watch this video:

Fresh Is Best

To make sure the oil is fresh, here are some excellent tips from Dr. Mercola:

“A good way to test the freshness of flaxseed oil is to pour a few tablespoons into a wine glass, which will usually have a narrower opening than a regular glass, making the aroma more distinct. Place your nose right over the opening and inhale deeply. Rancid flaxseed oil is said to emit a slightly bitter, “off” odor, similar to old, cooking oil. Flavor is as dependable as the smell in this instance. If you taste flaxseed oil and it’s “strong,” bitter or burnt-tasting, it’s probably rancid.

Naturally, you want a clean, light fragrance as well as taste, denoting freshness. If either taste or smell is in any way unpleasant, trust your instincts and give it a thumbs-down. Fresh flaxseed oil is clear, golden yellow, with no cloudiness, although it may also contain tiny bits of ground flaxseed, denoting valuable lignan compounds. While the flaxseed oil is still in the wine glass, hold it up to the light and tilt it sideways. A hazy “texture” in a dark-yellow hue rather than clear translucence is not a sign of freshness.”

Try Soaking Your Flaxseeds

Soaking Flaxseed is a good option for those living in countries where quality flaxseed oil is not available.  Also, an advantage that flaxseeds have, is that you will also get the shell or husk of the seeds, which contain essential nutrients. The husks are discarded in the oil extraction process.

If you decide to use only seeds instead of oil, put five tablespoons of organic flaxseeds into a bowl and add ten tablespoons of water to cover the seeds and leave them to soak overnight. (Please be mindful that it is always best to soak the seeds for at least 12 hours before use.) Now you will be able to blend the presoaked flaxseeds using an upright stick blender and then add six tablespoons of cottage cheese/quark and blend both for a minute. Include other healthy ingredients to make the taste to your liking.

References:

  • http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/02/25/how-to-know-when-flaxseed-is-rancid.aspx

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45 thoughts on “Flaxseed Oil or Flaxseeds – Which Should You Use?”

  1. Could you please let me know how much flax oil and how much cottage cheese go into the mixture, and can raw, unprocessed honey be used as a sweetener?.

    1. Dear Rosa,

      Which browser are you using? We recommend google chrome. Also, it depends on the capacity of your device and the speed of the internet. Please download using WiFi and a device with the space to store this file.

      Kind regards,

      Kathy L. Jenkins

      Director of Budwig Center
      Certified Naturopath
      [email protected]

    1. Dear Karen,

      Being plant based you can use the flaxseed oil and flaxseeds in your diet and benefit from the Omega 3. If you are not going to use cottage cheese or quark, it is better not to try and replace the ingredients in the recipe but to simply get the benefits from the flaxseeds and flaxseed oil in other sauces and recipes (always cold)

      Kind regards,
      Kathy Jenkins

  2. Barbora Eriksson

    Dear Kathy, I’m very confused – in the old protocols for 20 years ago I found an different information – you should use flaxseed oil or flaxseeds and heavy cream – with never less than 40% fat .The hight amount of fat was stressed as very important. It was in Swedish and Czech texts – as Johanna Budwigs own words. – direct citation.

    1. Dear Barbara,

      This has to be a translation error. All the documents Mr. Jenkins has on Dr. Budwig from her and various other sources of doctors and researchers that visited her and watched her make the muesli have always mentioned she used skim milk and low fat Quark. The flaxseed oil will simply not mix well if over 2% fat. We have tried it and the oil does not totally disappear and even if it looks like to does, using a microscope you will see traces of oil when using milk or quark with over 2% fat content.

      Kind regards,
      Kathy Jenkins

  3. Hello Kathy,

    When it comes to soaking the seeds, is it okay to soak them on the counter? Or must the seeds be refrigerated during the soaking process? I tried them for the first time on the counter, but wanted to make sure. The gelatinous texture of the soaked seeds made it difficult to blend them without having to spend quite a few minutes doing so. Because of that being the case, do we still have to worry about the possibility of the seeds going rancid in a certain period of time, like we have to when we grind them to add to the normal flax seed/cottage cheese mixtures?

    Thank you so much!

    1. Dear Christy,

      Thank you for sending us these questions. It is best to soak the nuts and seeds on the counter but the fridge is OK too. As for eating them after blending them, we would still recommend eating them within 20 minutes and as for rancidity, yes, it is still a concern after soaking them.

      Kind regards,
      Kathy L. Jenkins

      Manager of Budwig Center
      Certified Naturopath
      [email protected]

  4. Hello Katty,

    My dog has nasal and brain tumor, me and my husband refused to make him radiotherapy ( it will end up harming him more )
    we are giving him all natural treatment, THC, Curcuma, Moringa, Spirulina, B17 .etc

    I started to look on the internet and I found the budding protocol,
    I know how to make the mixture, but I dont know how much a 12 KG dog should be his daily doze?

    Me and my husband, how much we should take daily ( just to prevent any illness )

    Thank You
    Guilda Rahbani.

    1. Dear Guilda,

      Thank you for sending us your question. For prevention, you and your husband can have 1 portion (explain in our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vETa9PrEe8E)

      Every day or at least 3 times per week. Nobody in our clinic has any experience in treating animals nor do any of the information we received from Dr. Budwig mention this so we are not giving advice when questions are related to treating a pet’s condition. Sorry.

      Kind regards,
      Kathy Jenkins

  5. Hi how do we give the budwig mixture through enema? Will straight flax oil work or do we mix it with the low fat 2% organic milk? And how do we blend this mixture.

    1. Dear Ramon,

      The Budwig mixture would not be given through an enema. It should be taken orally or through a gastric tube. If one wanted to do flaxseed oil enemas, that would be done with a pear shaped enema and the person would lie on their sides, maybe 5 minutes on the right side and 5 minutes of their left side, holding in the flaxseed oil before letting it out. To make the Budwig muesli, please see the Free Guide we offer on our home page. The recipe is on page 8.

      Kind regards,
      Kathy Jenkins

  6. Can you p.eSe tell me how to avoid frequent diarrhoea on the budwig plan.
    I need to overcome thiz problem or cannot continue using it.
    Thankimg you
    Mary Spender

    1. Dear Mary, Are you saying that when you take the Budwig muesli of flaxseed oil, cottage cheese, seeds and honey you are getting diarrhea? Try without the seeds in case they are irritating your intestines. Also, make sure you are blending the mixture well. Try to eat mainly steamed fruit and veggies and maybe add a natural probiotic. If you’d like to have a consultation with me about diet, you can request this here: https://www.budwigcenterstore.com/all-products/68-skype-consultation-with-a-budwig-therapist.html

    1. Dear Raja,

      Yes, the Budwig protocol works for all types of cancer. What we learned from Dr. Budwig’s philosophy was that we need to understand that the “cancer” cell is the result of the problem, not the cause. Therefore, the solution will be addressing the reason the body is producing these cancer cells in the first place so that the body resumes correct DNA instructions leading to correct cell production. The reason cancer cells are produced are:
      -Toxins the body hasn’t been able to deal with and eliminate
      -weakened immune system from stress and lack of healthy habits (even lack of sleep)
      -malnutrition and lack of proper hydration
      -virus, bacteria, parasites and fungus’
      So at the clinic we aim to address all these issues. If it insterest you to find out more, contact us: [email protected]

  7. Hello Kathy,

    Would you answer the first question made by “dominique”? Is my question too.
    [after soaking flaxseeds do you remoove water before using mixer]

  8. Hello Cathy

    I have read some of Johanna Budwick books and there is much emphasis on electron rich flaxseed oil. This would mean that the oil needs to be as fresh as possible to retain this vital energy. I was thinking isnt it better to grind ones own flaxseeds with the cold pressed method which means not over a certain temperature but it isnot cold. This is a myth about cold pressing. It is actually warm pressing and not hot pressing which does destroys the vital qualities of the oil. Then it is full of the vital electrons which Johanna Budwick talked about.

    1. Dear Paul, that is correct. the flaxseed oil providers we order from: Linovita, respect the temperature in the hold procedure and this is something that even affects the taste of the oil too. For ones that don’t find this good quality oil, the option of investing into a machine that can do this is certainly a good option.

  9. How do I make the cream to a consistancy where my dad can take through his feeding tube? I don’t see an option to have LinoVita flax oil delivered to the US / California, any suggestions? Thank you

    1. Dear Douglas, Dr. Budwig recommended low fat dairy for this mixture and I understand the reasoning behind this question but I would stick to what she found. If it was slightly higher, like 3 or 4 % fat, then it would possibly be ok. If it is a regular 20% fat, then I would say No.

  10. Hi Kathy,
    I am having problems sourcing an organic quark or cottage cheese here in New Zealand with low fat content of 2% . The Cheesebarn here in my country produces an organic quark . Fat content on the container says 8.8 grams total fat , saturated 5.6 grams per 100 grams . The container is 380 grams in total . Is this fat content too high?
    They have a cottage cheese with lower fat .
    What are your thoughts ?
    Also the blending ….how did Dr Budwig blend it back then for the complete bonding process to happen?
    There is a yahoo group for the Budwig diet which says use an immersion blender stick which I have but it wont blend small amounts at a time eg 1 tablespoon oil per 2 tablespoons quark so means I have to make larger amounts at a time and eat it all at once . Dr Budwig wouldn’t have had an immersion blender back then so there must be other methods that are suitable . Please advise .
    Thank you .

    1. Dear Macushla, it is important that the fat content of the cottage cheese have no more than 2% fat. We haven’t been able to find this in the organic produce section either. It is the only product that isn’t organic in our kitchen but the correct fat content is priority. As for blending it, we use an immersion blender stick. If you want to use a fork or something else because you are blending small amounts, you would need to blend it almost as much as you would cream when making whipping cream.

  11. Hi Kathy,
    My question is, if I use flaxseeds instead of flaxseed oil for Budwig muesli, how much water to put on flaxseeds over night. If I use 5tbsp seeds and add 10 tbsp water, the mixture is so hard that I can’t mix it with my blender in the morning. Can I add more water in the evening? I read that ratio 1:3 can be used (5tbsp seeds : 15 tbsp water).

    Is this correct?

    Does muesli prepared with seeds instead with oil have the same healing properties?

    I personally tolerate muesli prepared with seeds much better than prepared with oil.

    Thanks, Dominika

    1. Dear Dominika, thank you for contacting us with your questions. The ratio of water is 1:3 so if you use 5 tbsp of seeds you would need 15 of water. To know which way to prepare the Budwig muesli suits a certain patient better, we need to be able to test them here, at the clinic, with the Vega test and GSR scan. The GSR scan also gives us good insight into food tolerances and can be done remotely. Have you been able to read the Free Guide we offer to those that sign up on our home page? After you confirm your email address, the next email you receive from us is a link to access this e-book which gives you all the basic information to start on the Budwig diet and protocol. If someone has further questions to apply this to their specific situation or condition, we can offer consultations. Please email us if this interests you: [email protected]

  12. And, my last question is, (very important one), is this amount 5tbsp seeds with 10tbsp water only one portion for example for a breakfast? Or, can I split these soaked seeds and have half in the morning muesli and half in the afternoon muesli?

    Thanks, Dominika

  13. Dear Kathy,

    Is it possible you could please be kind enough to advise me on the recommended measurements for making the Bugwig cream mixture for three people to eat together at the same time. I have made it in the past using a whole tub 200g of Cottage cheese and 6 tablespoons of flaxseed oil and then served it out equally between the three people sharing it. Would each person get the correct amount this way and also how much milk would you advise to add to make the mixture for three people?

    Thank you very much for your time and help, it’s really appreciated.

    Yours sincerely,

    Gemma

  14. I recall many of Dr. Budwig’s comments and recipes that were reprinted from 2005, that somehow I cannot locate today. There was never a mention of ANY fruit, honey etc added to the QUARK and OIL mixture. I get so frustrated for there is SOOO many variations that claim to be HERS. I cannot find where she used a mixer? What type? Quark. There is ONE vermont place that makes it…but are the cows fed NO GLYPHOSATE FEEDS? GMOS?? So difficult to follow HER ACTUAL WRITTEN RECIPE for it has been changed, altered, etc. Sugar FEEDS CANCER. WHy add SUGAR FROM FRUIT? Can one make the quark LIKE THE GOOD DOC, and try to follow HER actual recipe start to finish? Sorry, I get so upset with the addons of pepper, fruit, etc. There may be a mention of a grated apple? BUT IT MUST BE ORGANIC TODAY. apples are the worst with GMO/Glyphosate which I do not believe she dealt with. Or even injecting cows with hormones to grow bigger and hook them up to PUMPS ALL DAY LONG while their udders are full of infection….shoot em with antibiotics. OY Please help and thanks.

    1. Dear Barbs, these concerns are common. Sugar feeds cancer, yes. That makes many fear any sweet tasting food. The honey must be raw though and eating fruit whole does not feed cancer. I recall a patient we had at the clinic that was diabetic and had pancreatic cancer. He was making smoothies with fruit 4 to 5 times per day, blending the whole fruit with water. He needed less insulin. Juicing the fruit gives you more fructose but eating it whole is recommended for nutrition. Dr. Budwig was about her patients getting as much nutrition as possible in their food instead of synthetic vitamins. We can clarify many of your questions if you’d like to contact us directly: [email protected]

  15. Can I grind the whole flaxseeds in a spice grinder which takes just a few seconds so I don’t think it heats the ground flaxseed meal at all…instead of soaking them in water for twelve hours? I use 2 Tablespoons flaxseed per serving and 1/4 cup cottage cheese.

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