1) Yes

2) No

Flax seed meal may be paleo approved but 1. it is high in ALA which is not readily converted to DHA and 2. flax seed meal can go rancid quickly. I would stick with almond meal over flax meal.

Flax seed oil goes rancid quickly but research has shown that despite the initial fears for ground flax seed based on the oxidation of the oil it tolerates exposure for months without any serious degradation. Because the same naturally occurring antioxidants in the seed protect it after grinding. (Similar to the way astaxathin in the microalgae protects the PUFA in their bodies then in the krill and then in the salmon that consume them.) Buying the whole seed and grinding a tablespoon at a time (usual dose) is easy with an electric coffee grinder. Flax seed also has fiber with anti-estrogen properties. As a source of ALA Omega 3 I prefer chia which has comparable levels of ALA and other nutrients. As a plant source of Omega 3 it is a good analogue of foods that would have been eaten in a species typical evolutionary diet. In Artemis Simopoulos' book on Omega 3 she advocates purslane as an excellent source of ALA and the reason why eggs from free ranging chickens in Greece (her native country) are so healthy. ALA has been the subject of research showing that it has other benefits for human nutrition aside from conversion to EPA and DHA which, agreed, is limited and insufficient.

Both almond and flax have small amounts of cyanogens which are partly or mostly inactivated by cooking. Almonds have been used continuously in the USA but not flax except for Roman Meal Cereal with not a large dose there. So the Flax Institute had to petition the gov't to recognize flax as GRAS, generally accepted as safe status. Another seed oil plant was grown and used in N America and northern Europe, Camelina, but now pretty well forgotten, though my neighbor wants to grow one or the other to produce biodiesel for his tractors. Flax would produce more volume more reliably but in either case he could feed some of the meal after pressing out the oil to his livestock.

Buy whole seeds and buy yourself a small grinder. Best thing I ever did, flaxseed and egg pancakes are amazing.

I find flaxseed a great laxative - don't eat too much!

The first response said "Flax seed meal may be paleo approved but 1. it is high in ALA which is not readily converted to DHA." I'm pretty new to paleo, so excuse my ignorance, but is this a good thing, or a bad thing?

Thanks for any clarity you might add.

Matt