FAQs

Flax Seed Oil  is very versatile due to its nutty taste and creamy texture. It is delicious mixed into many foods, and can enhance the flavour..

Try these easy ideas to instantly improve the nutritive value of your meal:

• Drizzle over hot vegetables
• Use to mash potatoes instead of butter or milk
• Mix into soups or stews (after cooking is finished)
• Add to porridge
• Blend into smoothies
• Stir into yoghurt or cottage cheese with fresh fruit (the sulphur containing proteins combine with Omega-3 to help the transport of oxygen in the body)
• Add into fresh fruit or vegetable juice
• Use as a dipping oil for fresh bread
• Drizzle over hot pasta
• Mix into butter for spreading

Check out the recipes on our website for delicious ideas to add Flax Seed Oil to your diet.

Flax Seed Oil can be used on cold, warm and hot foods just prior to serving, but should never be cooked or fried as this destroys their health giving properties.   

Do not reheat food containing Flax Seed Oil

We recommend 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil a day (15-30ml) however when first taking Flax
Seed Oil we advise that you start off slowly with a small amount (e.g. 1 teaspoon a day) and build up the amount over time. 

Excessive amounts of Flax Seed Oil may cause diarrhoea or nausea.

If you prefer to take Flax Seed Oil Capsules, we recommend up to 4 x 1.4 gm capsules for an adult. Due to the size of the capsule these are not recommended for children.

Fats fulfil many important functions in our bodies, and we cannot survive without them. 

Healthy fats include oils containing the two EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid - Omega-3) and LA (Linoleic Acid - Omega-6), which the body cannot make therefore must ingest.

Flax Seed Oil is the best source of Omega 3 & 6 in the correct proportion for optimal health.

Other healthy oils include the Omega-9 oils, unrefined Olive or Avocado Oils and Coconut oil.

Lignans act as a phytoestrogen and they are converted in a healthy gut to SDG, a human lignan with potent antioxidant substance, with a hormone-like structure. 

Phytoestrogens are compounds found naturally in the plant world that have weak oestrogenic activity in the human body.

Flax Fibre is a rich source of lignans. 

Waihi Bush Organic products are versatile and delicious. They can be incorporated in
our diets in many ways. Please see our recipes section on the website for ideas.

As well as improving the nutritional profile of foods, Flaxseed Fibre and Flaxseed Oil can impart a pleasing texture and flavour.

For a vegan diet, Flax Seed Fibre is particularly useful as a replacement for eggs.
Mix 1Tbsp Fibre with 3 Tbsp water, stand for 2 minutes. This replaces 1 egg in
a recipe.

When substituting Flax Seed Fibre for flour, aim for about 15% of the flour content or 8% of the total dry ingredient weight. 

The soluble fibre in flax fibre can help to improve loaf volume, oven spring and shelf life of the finished product.

Flax Seed Oil can be added to drinks, smoothies, vege mash, frozen desserts, pet foods and drizzled over meats and vegetables.

Flax Seed Oil should never be heated as this destroys the omega content.

For vegetarians the answer is simple – Flax Seed Oil. But for the rest of us, there are pros and cons to both. Fish Oil contains the omega 3’s EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), whilst Flax Seed Oil contains the parent omega 3 ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). The body needs all 3 of these omega 3’s, so ideally consumers should be eating fish and also flax seed oil, in order to get all three of these essential fatty acids.

The advantages of Flax Seed Oil over Fish Oil include:

• Delicate nutty taste, very palatable
• More versatile - it can easily be added to your meals and recipes
• Also contains Omega 6 and 9 which fish oil does not
• No contaminants. Concerns have grown during the past several decades about toxic contaminants in fish. Contaminants in fish can include mercury, and other heavy metals.
• Flax seed is a sustainable crop, grown annually, so no depletion of the oceans

Waihi Bush Organic  bottles, lids and labels are all recyclable.

We always recommend that our oils are taken with food - taking it from the spoon on an empty stomach may cause nausea in some people.

Some people on first taking Flax Seed Oil find that it causes diarrhoea. If this occurs, reduce your intake until bowel function is normalised.

Where liver function is poor, taking too much Flax Seed Oil may over load the liver with fats. Massaging Flax Seed Oil into the skin, especially straight after a shower, allows the body to absorb and use the oil without overloading the liver.

Some people may be allergic to Flax Seed Oil, although this is reportedly very rare.  Signs of an allergic reaction might include rash, itching or shortness of breath.   If any of these occur after taking Flax Seed Oil or Fibre and nothing else in the diet or environment has been changed, stop taking the product.

Gamma Linolenic Acid is not recommended for people who suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy.  Such people should therefore use Flax Original rather than Super Boost.

Mid Canterbury, New Zealand is renowned as one of the best crop farming areas in the world. Geographically young soils and exceptional climate with fresh water sources contribute to high levels of omegas or essential fatty acids (EFA’S). Waihi Bush Organics Flax Seed Oil is manufactured from locally grown seed, cold pressed daily in our Ashburton processing plant to ensure
maximum freshness.

At Waihi Bush we carefully monitor the whole process from farm to finished product and provide full traceability.

There has been some confusion between these two names. Flax Seed Oil could also be called linseed oil, which is sold in hardware stores as wood treatment.

Flax Seed and linseed are often used interchangeably but there is an important difference.

Europeans and North Americans use Flax Seed Oil to describe the oils produced with health in mind and used for human or animal consumption to promote health.

They use the term linseed oil to describe the used as wood treatment or when it has been processed for industrial purposes - such oils will not promote health.  

Waihi Bush Organics Flax Seed Oil has a pleasant nutty flavour and can add a delicious creaminess to porridge, mashed potatoes, yoghurt or smoothies.

Flax Seed Oil should not taste bitter or have an after taste. This can be a sign of oxidisation due to poor manufacturing practise, storage conditions etc.

As with all natural products there can be a slight variation in flavour, but it should not taste bitter!   

Because of the careful way we manufacture our Waihi Bush Organics Flax Seed Oil products, they are shelf stable at room temperature. Take care not to store in direct sunlight.

Once opened, Waihi Bush Organics Flax Seed Oil products must be kept in the fridge and should be consumed within 12 weeks. 

Both Flax Seed Oil And Flax Seed Fibre are able to be frozen which prolongs shelf
life. 

Light and oxygen turn the oil rancid so the bottle must be kept closed except during use.

As with any gelatine, the capsules will go mouldy with prolonged contact with oxygen so must also be kept sealed unless in use.  Capsules do not need to be refrigerated but must be kept away from a direct heat source and direct sunlight (don't keep in the glove box of the car!).

YES! We recommend Waihi Bush Organic Flax Seed Oil to be part of and not a replacement for a healthy and balanced diet.

Waihi Bush Organic products are natural whole foods. It is important to consult a medical professional for advice.

Please follow all label instructions.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) should be part of the daily diet for everyone because the body uses whatever fats you consume to make the 500 million new cells it produces each day.

Dietary analysis shows that while most people consume adequate Omega-6, intake
of Omega-3 is often low. Diets in early humans contained Omega-6 and Omega-3 in a 1:1 ratio. This ratio is reflected in healthy
brain tissue. However, the typical western diet supplies as much as 15 to 30 times more Omega-6 as Omega-3, leading to a severe imbalance in your body.

Because dietary sources of Omega-3 are limited to oily fish and a few oil seeds, it can
be a challenge to obtain an adequate amount. Waihi Bush Organic Flax Seed Oils make it easy to satisfy your daily requirement for Omega-3 fatty acids because Flax Seed Oil is naturally
very rich in Omega-3. Flax Seed Oil is versatile and pleasant tasting and can be easily incorporated into your foods.

We recommend 1 tablespoon of  Flax Fibre Original per day.

This is a serving size that most people can tolerate as support for a balanced diet.

However, lignan's can act as a weak phytooestrogen, so individual sensitivity can vary and pregnant women should seek advice from a health care professional before taking this product.