Dry skin, as you probably all know, is dry because it doesn't have enough water in it. The creams and oils work to keep the water from evaporating, but they rub off. The water in skin? It comes from within--it's pulled up from deeper layers. Drink more water--visit the bathroom more, because the kidneys don't care if your skin is dry. On the other hand, take a warm bath with a cup of salt dissolved in it--any old salt, cheapest rock salt you can find--and the salt solution penetrates the dry layers with the water. That water may evaporate when lotions and cream get rubbed off, but the extra salt can't evaporate. It remains in the upper layers of skin. It will pull extra water up from deeper layers by the osmotic gradient. This fixed my 74 year old mom's maddening dry skin that used to keep her awake even, despite lotions or creams. She hated it at first, because her soap wouldn't lather up good, but it brought her complete relief and soft winter skin for the first time in years. It saves her a fair amount of money, too. She still uses a good quality lotion (she happens to use Lubriderm) but the salt baths are what made the difference. I guess it's like a combination approach.

debi 2006 - - "Meal" is the ground seed - whether it's been commercially milled (ground to a powder - coarse to fine), or you mill your own at home. It is also known as flax flour. The difference is how long the oil of the milled product has been exposed to oxygen, which quickly oxidizes the oil and causes them to go rancid. These oils are very volatile and begin to oxidize and turn rancid almost as soon as the grain/seed is ground. "Rancid oils contain free radicals that contribute to premature aging, heart disease and other degenerative diseases. Free radicals are also formed when grains/seeds are milled at high temperatures." The exposure to oxygen also quickly degrades the nutrients (as well as heat and light). This happens because that protective coat (bran) has been crushed. Up until then, the inside of the seed has been protected from oxidation by that hard coating. If you make your own flax meal at home, you are assured the freshest oil and nutrients possible. - "Tightly sealed" meal means there is still oxygen in the container/bag and oxygen is what destroys the oils as well as the nutrition. Only vacuum-sealed storage will prevent oxidation. But you have no idea how long the meal was exposed to air before it was packaged, when using commercial flax meal. - Refrigeration slows down the oxidation of the oil in the flax meal, and freezing slows it even more, but neither refrigeration or freezing completely prevents the oil from going rancid. Nor does freezing/refrigeration prevent the degrading of the nutrition, just slows it. I make 2 cups of flax meal at a time, vacuum seal the container and store it in the freezer. I usually use it in about 5 days. I keep the whole flax seeds in a cool/dark storage area in my basement. I vacuum-seal the seeds in canning jars. Refrigerating or freezing the seeds is perfectly fine. I just don't have that kind of freezer space - I only have the freezer on my refrigerator and I store hundreds of pounds of seeds/grains. These same principles apply to all grains and seeds that have a hard (bran) coat, which is why I freshly-mill flour - from all grains/seeds. -Grainlady

I did a rough calorie estimate. You can get flax from your health food store in bulk. They sell it powdered but it's better to grind your own. It is really good for you. Here's some information on flax health benefits. The calories are high at 195 per slice, but the carbs are so low that for me it's worth it. I can see how it wouldn't be worth it for other people. It depends if you are calorie counting or low carb, I guess! Which, I'm pretty much off of all refined carbs (bye bye bread!) and counting calories. Also, it is really filling and flax is super good for you. Most of the calories are in the flax at 133 calories.

I almost always add flaxmeal to anything I bake or use for dredging/breading, but rarely use wheat germ (processed and out of the jar/bag). The germ I use is found in freshly-milled grains. I can't lay my hands on the file, but the profile of many nutrients increase during fermentation and baking. The specific information in the file was on yeast breads. Now the why... Science has confirmed flax seed has 3 main health benefits: 1. a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (an essential omega-3 fat 2. large quantities of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber 3. the highest plant source of lignans So it's not strictly the nutritional breakdown that's important. Although it's very rich in potassium and folic acid, etc. There is also a good deal of protein in flaxmeal - similar to that of soybean; but the real health benefits are the fat and the fiber profile. Other than a "shot" of raw flaxmeal in our morning smoothie (I mill my own so I have the freshest possible), I make sure the bulk of the flaxmeal we consume has been heat processed (baked) - because we consume a large amount of it. Flaxseed contains a toxin called cyanogenic glycosides, a cyanide-like compound. Cooking neutralizes this compound, making it harmless. This substance is also found in lima beans, cassava (also known as manioc and tapioca), the seeds of stone fruit (peaches, plums, cherries and apricots). For the most part, people don't consume such large quantities of raw flax that it would ever be a problem (for a healthy individual). I avoid flax oil completely. It's impossible to prevent it from oxidizing and degrading. Oxidized polyunsaturated oils = free radicales, which does more harm than good to your body. By consuming the oil only, you aren't getting all benefits from flax. Flax seed (freshly-ground) is a better source for alpha-linolenic acid, because for the most part, it remains fresh in the seed until the seed coat is broken. Wheat germ: Once the bran on wheat is broken in the milling process, the germ oil is exposed to oxygen and the oil quickly goes rancid. You'll notice most of the wheat germ sold has been heat processed (toasted), rarely do you find raw wheat germ. Raw wheat germ has to be frozen or refrigerated to help slow down the oils degrading. By-the-way, rancid oils don't have to smell rancid to be rancid. If they have gotten to that point (smelling rancid) they have been oxidized for a long time. This is why I take the extra step to mill my own flour. Using freshly-milled flour is the only way to prevent the germ oil from going rancid and prevent the 25 vitamins, minerals, and proteins from degrading. Once milled, studies have shown that vitamin loss begins as quickly as 3 hours after milling. It's also important to remember we get our nutrition and fiber from a large number of sources throughout the day. -Grainlady