5 Reasons to Add Flax To Your Kids Smoothies
Good morning! As I mentioned, we got a box of tree ripened peaches from my mom yesterday, and they really do need to be eaten in the next few days. So, we put together a peach smoothie for breakfast that the kids really enjoyed. We used:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or soy milk
- 3 peaches
- 1 banana (to really make it creamy)
- 1 tablespoon of flax meal
Blend in a blender until smooth.
Back to the Flax Meal!! We add flax meal to most of our smoothies. It blends well with the other fruits and veggies, it does’t have a taste to it, and it adds essential nutrients your kids might otherwise not get!
Flax meal is the ground version of flax seeds. We like it this way, because often, a whole seed will go undigested. It’s so tiny that it can pass right through. But busting open that membrane shell to crush it up into meal is more easily absorbed.
We love flax because:
- Keeps kids regular (in the digestive sense)
- The Omega-3 supports brain development, making kids smart.
- Great source of fiber (kids need 5 grams per day, plus age… so, a 5 year old needs 10 grams of fiber per day)
- The Omega 3 has anti inflammatory properties!
- The Omega 3 can help kids who suffer from dry eyes.
Fiber and Omega 3 are the best reasons to include flax seeds in your families diet. Try it in this smoothie today.
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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Where do you purchase flax meal? What’s the difference between that and flax seed? Sorry i’m a newbie to this. 🙂
I believe flax meal is just ground flax seeds, right?
This is great advice. I’ve been doing this for a while now. I make myself smoothies, but you know when you have kids, you have to share, so everyone gets flax and wheat germ in their smoothies.
Would you give this to them as a complete breakfast? what would you give them with this? If this is a complete meal how longer afterwards will your kids usually eat again?
RReid Rachelle.. My kids eat toast almost every morning. We also had some eggs. The smoothie alone would not be enough to fill them up, for sure!
Thanks for reading!
Yes Dianne, you are right. flax meal, is ground up flax seeds.
You can also put it in cereal or yogurt too!
We buy a bag of flax seed and take small amounts out at a time, ground it up and put it in a container in the refrigerator. We us it on cereal, yogurt, smoothies and much more. My daughter calls it sprinkles, so in the morning with her breakfast she says mommy don’t forget my sprinkles 🙂
[…] Peach and Flax Smoothie […]
[…] (a type of fiber which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities) and Fiber.  Click here for tips on adding to your kids smoothies. […]
I have heard that once you grind up flax seed, it quickly loses its nutritional value. Is this true, and how long does the ground flax retain its nutrition once it has been ground? Thanks!
It is true, depending on how it’s ground. I understand a cold process allows some of the nutrients to be preserved.
However, to be safe, I like to grind as we use it.
Where can I find Flax Seed and is there any particular kind to purchase?
You can find it by the specialty flours (in the baking aisle), or sometimes by the hot cereals. I would make sure to look for ground flax!
How many ounces does this make?
about 32 ounces (four servings)
can I exchange the peaches for other fruits, such as oranges or strawberries, without altering the rest of the recipe?
Yes Mande- Any fruit will work!
It?s truly a nice and useful piece of info. I?m satisfied that you just shared this useful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
I thought that you had to grind the flax seeds (fresh) in order for it to release its effective nutritious properties,
We have a favorite smoothie in our house! We have been eating this long before our little one came along, but boy does he love it, too!
1/2 cup orange juice, 2 T flax, 1.5 cup fresh spinach, 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 cup frozen berries (we like the blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries mix). Blend and voila! It also freezes well, so you can thaw out as needed. However, you want some of the freeze to still be there – it’s better cold!
I love your healthy smoothies/pops ideas….. Can I use this recipe as well as your other smoothie recipes to make ice pops?
I have bought both flax seed and flax meal in the bulk section of some grocery stores. It’s nice to be able to buy in smaller amounts as you need 🙂
what is flax I’ve never heard of it before nor seen people use it
@Valerie- flax is a seed. When ground up, it sort of looks like wheat flour. It’s easy to incorporate into so many foods and the good fat content in them makes them great for kids.
My boys will not eat bananas, is there an acceptable substitute for them?
You don’t need a substitute at all Emilie- you can just leave them out!
Why add soy milk? I have read that it really is not good for us. A friend said he grew breast. Would coconut or almond butter be a better or would it not work?
Loretta- we believe there is a lot of misconceptions surrounding soy. If you consumer organic soy (non-gmo) it’s actually good for you! We’ve been drinking it for years, and my daughter was very late to go through puberty.
You can definitely use coconut milk!
Hi Amy… my baby girl just turned 12 months old and I would like to know if is ok to give to her some flax seed? I normally have with mashed banana and oats. For her breakfast she have greek yogurt with chia and some mach fruit. We like to eat health and we would like to her to be part of our diet but im guessing my self if wouldn’t be to much for her little tummy? She’s happy to have seed and eat rye or dark bread. Thanks
Hi Carolina- yes it is safe around 7-8 months. Of course use flax meal or flax oil, rather than the whole seeds. Also, according to this site, no more than 3 teaspoons per day should be gentle enough on her little tummy. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/flaxforbaby.htm#.U-vrG_ldVeQ
Can I ground he flax seeds and mix it in my whole meal flour, with which we make chappatis. As I mix quite a few flours in my whole meal flour like soy flour, oatmeal flour.
My son is allergic to peanuts and othe nuts, can he eat this?
Yes, flax is a seed, so nut allergies aren’t a problem.
Hi Amy, could I use the flax seeds as whole rather than a flax meal for my 15 months old girl?
You could Hana- It wouldn’t be harmful. But the ground flax seeds are more easily absorbed
This is a great article. I just joined because my daughters doctor said to increase her protein and fiber intake, and that smoothies were a great way to do it. I’ve been looking through the smoothie recipes and haven’t found one that had any fiber! Knowing that I can just add some flax to any of the recipes to accomplish that is great information.
That can’t be right Mike! There should be fiber any time we use fruits and veggies. It must not be calculating properly. I will check to see what the issue might be. thanks!
thanks, are you saying we can eat flax seeds with out cooking?
could you use flaxseed oil? does it have the same nutritional value?
Flax oil is a great choice for the healthy fats, but it wouldn’t have the benefits of the fiber Jackie.
My 15 month old has xerosis an I was thinking flax might help
I have a 7yr old granddaughter and a 12yr old grandson. How many teaspoons/tablespoon of ground flaxseed do I put in their smoothies
Donna, you can try a tablespoon in each and see how they like it.