Sue, the only way to eat flaxseed is ground. Whole seeds pass through your system, without doing anything.

I love it sprinkled on cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, in bran muffins, pancakes, etc.

Buying whole is best for freshness, then grind it yourself. Whole, like mentioned will just pass through...notice the silky exterior 'skin'. Ground flax flake will loose its health benefits pretty quickly. You could freeze it i suppose. Or look into soaking overnight. Also some chia seed and quinoa. Also soaking...in a glass ball jar, add seeds with water...shake and rinse, twice. then let soak 12-24 hours...i just keep it in the fridge after on the counter for a few hours. They begin to sprout...just slightly...not what we know as sprouts with long bean threads. Barely a sprout but it is easier on your digestion as they start to become a 'plant'.

Do ask your doctor but the more you research i think you will find a healthy relief to any digestive issue by soaking and sprouting.

You might want to also look at Psyllium Husk.

I would add the ground slowly to give your self time to adjust, just as you would with anything new. It can be very effective.

Also oat bran....it was all the rage a few years back to reduce closterol, but the soluable fiber provides lots of healthy bulk without harsh side effects.
And as a cooked cereal, it's wonderful....as well as added to muffins and bread.

If dark leafy greens cause a conflict with DH's meds (Coumadin?), please ask the MD what could happen with flax seeds. As I recall my late father innocently added flax seeds to his oatmeal and his INR went haywire.

You might also try adding a new high quality probiotic (at least 5 billion cells) to the mix. Take a look at Saccharomyces Boulardii by Jarrow. That might just do the trick!

In my experience, the fiber in oat bran is less "harsh" for want of a better word, than the fiber found in things like apple peel or broccoli....and it doesn't mess with your Coumadin.
I also find that if I pour hot water over my beans, stir well, drain, repeat before finally putting them to soak or boil, they are less gassy.
Will just any old beans I buy in a bag at the store sprout?

I was just reading last night about flax seeds having a laxative effect, and how flax seed oil is even better. However, there was no hard research or references on the websites I visited, and I cannot say the sites were accurate, so more research and googling might be in order for ya.

For my DH, who also has this issue, 1 T of chia seeds mixed with 1 C of no-sugar almond milk (let it set in the fridge so the chia can make its little gel stuff) and 1/2 cup of berries mixed in also helps IF he does this on a daily basis.

He uses 2 tsp of Optifiber (Costco) as well as 6 capsules of psyllium husks (3 capsules, twice a day) daily, but sometimes they don't even help! He thinks having coffee helps him--even though he's not a coffee drinker, I know he's clogged up when I see him having a cup of decaf.

HTH!

Here's a recipe that might be helpful. This was posted years ago by "Eve"--but I'm not sure if the "grams" are accurate, and I am not sure if it's from this site or if it was from another site altogether. I've made the basic recipe using 3 eggs and these are tasty but a bit dry, and I found that one muffin in the morning "stayed with me" longer than having a half a cup of oatmeal with fruit.

Flaxmeal Cinnamon Muffins

For 12 muffins:Each muffin has 2 grams effective carbohydrate plus 7 grams
fiber and 7 grams protein

12 muffins

85 calories

7g fat

4g protein

4g carbs...3g dietary fiber...1g
net carbs

RECIPE:

3 Eggs (you can use Eggbeaters, and you can use 2 eggs instead of 3)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive
oil

1/4 cup sugar free syrup, such as
DaVinci–Caramel flavor is popular

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1 cup flax meal (grind seeds to
make the meal)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cinnamon

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs
with a fork. With a fork or spoon,

beat in oil, syrup, water and
vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine the
remaining dry ingredients, then stir into egg mixture.

Let stand 5 minutes.

Spoon into 12 well-greased muffin
cups (without papers).

Bake at 350 degrees 12 - 15
minutes or until they are lightly browned. (Some found they
need more like 20 minutes to bake or longer depending on the size of your muffin/cupcake pan Don't be afraid to give them a couple of extra minutes
if it seems they are not quite done. There's a good chance they aren't.)

Variations:

Instead of 1/4C davinci syrup and 2
Tbsp water, use the 1/4C dav. syrup and then 2 more Tbsp of syrup--like their pancake syrup.

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to all your comments. Thank you for your replies. Compumom is correct; there are interactions between flaxseed and coumadin, so overdoing its use would not be good. However, everything I've read relates to flaxseed oil or the ground meal. I could find very little info about the whole seeds. I'm really not concerned about the health benefits, just wondering about its laxative properties.

Grainlady, thank you for the fiber breakdown info. I was hoping to get some additional weapons I could add to my arsenal. As I mentioned before, I already bake whole grain breadstuffs, usually with various seeds & grain flakes added too.

Regarding additional supplements or special concoctions, my husband takes so many medications as it is, I really don't want to add another "must have." Along with avoiding dark leafy greens, he needs to limit his liquid intake. So adding a more fiber to his diet can be tricky.

Thanks again for your help.

Thanks for the lists, Grainlady. I already regularly use all the things from the "good" list, but perhaps I can come up with interesting ways to increase their use.

Just had a long conversation last night with my dad and his meds. Both my parents use physilium husk. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016AXN7A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2MII774KJ8M56

He mentioned it again before i asked, : ). As he has mentioned over and over the past few years. (they are 85 and 86). Recommended by their doctor. Taken at night before bed. It does absorb. So it will interfere with meds by a two hour window. So suggested to double that to 4hrs. And they take half suggested amount...a way to start to see if effective. He is sleeping better not having to get up and pee a few times a night and my mom is not having such a incontinence issue as in the past. He thinks they might be a bit dehydrated at night but drink enough fluid during the daytime. I send them my granola and for some reason my mom can't get the recipe right but it has flax flake i grind and chia and dried fruits, coconut, mostly blueberries and hullless pumpkin seeds, etc.

The psyllium husk for some reason was suggested to take on its own. Not with any other laxative product or seed. Why it is taken alone before bed.

They do a good rotation of salmon, steak, chicken, pork, and a meat-less monday. They like my sauces and my salad dressing so i just made extra last visit and froze in 1/4 pint containers. Lots of flavor and good ingredients.