Tropical Traditions Golden Flaxseed Review and Giveaway!

I recently had the chance to try out Tropical Tradition's Organic Golden Flaxseed. I have been so pleased with the quality of their products in the past. This time was no exception.

First, a little bit of the health benefits of flax seed for those of you who might not be familiar with it.

•  Flaxseed has a high ratio of Linolenic (Omega-3) to Linoleic (omega-6) fatty acids. While many other plant seeds contain a higher ratio of omega-6 fats, flaxseed is the one of the few seeds that contains a much higher ratio of the essential omega-3 fats.
• Flaxseed oil is one of the richest sources of OMEGA-3 fatty acid, Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) an ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID (EFA). This fatty acid is considered essential, meaning that your body cannot make it but requires it and so must derive all of it from the diet. The average American diet is lacking in this fat. Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of Organic Whole Flaxseed provides 9 grms of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids.
• Golden Flaxseed is unique in that 48% of its total fat content is omega-3 fatty acids.
• Flaxseed contains very high amounts of DIETARY FIBER, both SOLUBLE and INSOLUBLE. Golden Flaxseed is 28%-35% fiber, 1/3 of which is soluble, and the other 2/3 insoluble. Soluble fiber also plays an important role in maintaining the “good bacteria” in our bowel, like Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria. Insoluble fiber increases the bulk of stools.
• Flaxseed is an outstanding source of many essential nutrients, including: proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, folate, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, iron, thiamine, copper, zinc, calcium and phosphorus.

Since I try to eat vegetarian most of the time, I use flax seed to get my omega-3's daily.  Flaxseed is indigestible when whole so you need to grind it to get the benefits.  I recommend a coffee grinder.  It does a great job!  I have a coffee grinder that I only use on herbs and seeds.

Here are some of the ways that I use flax seed on a daily basis:

• Smoothies.  I grind 2 tbs and mix it into my morning green smoothie
• Muffins.  When I make muffins for breakfast, I add 1/4 ground flax seed to the batter
• Pancakes.  I add about 1/4 cup ground flax seed to the batter.
• Yogurt.  Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on the top of plain yogurt with some fruit
• Oatmeal.  Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on top of oatmeal along with your choice of other toppings

I usually mix some ground flax seed into all my baked goods.  You can't tell it is there, but you are getting the fiber and omega-3's.  Brownies, cupcakes, cookies, tortillas, bread...  You name it, I have probably tried adding ground flax seed to it.  You can also mix it into your breading mix when making faux-fried chicken.  I use it when making the breading for eggplant parmesan. 

You can purchase Tropical Tradition's Organic Golden Flaxseed directly from the company by clicking on the Buy It button.

Tropical Traditions also has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number… 5699782. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive with your first order a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours!" by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy. This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet. If you have any questions about how the referral program works, you can visit Tropical Tradition's customer service page.

One lucky Miss Organic's Kitchen reader will win a 1# bag of Tropical Tradition's Organic Golden Flaxseed. A huge thank you to Tropical Traditions for this opportunity!

Mandatory Entry
Visit Tropical Traditions and see what other products they carry that you would like to try.

(The mandatory entry must be completed before any of the extra entries. If the mandatory entry is not completed, the extra entries will not count.)

Extra Entries

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  If you like you can copy and paste the following text.
  Get your daily Omega-3's! Enter to win Tropical Traditions Golden Flax seed @greatgiveaways - ends 7/9 - http://bit.ly/aFAW45 #giveaway 
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Rules
• This giveaway is open to US and Canada only, age 18+.
• Mandatory entry must be completed before you can earn any of the extra entries.
• Please leave a separate comment for each entry. For example if you get 2 entries for a particular activity, leave 2 separate comments.
• Entries that can not be verified or do not follow the instructions are subject to deletion.
• This giveaway will end July 9, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST.
• Winner will be chosen using random.org's number generator.
• Winner will be posted here and emailed. The addresses entered on the form will only be used for prize fulfillment by the sponsor.
• Please either leave your email address with each comment or make sure your email address is available publicly on your profile. If I have no way to contact you, I will have to choose an alternate winner.


Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.