I have about 10 oz. of very high quality flax seed oil w/ lignans that stayed out in room temperature for at least a week and maybe more.

It is about a month's supply for me, I hate to toss it, but I don't want to be consuming something for a month that has deteriorated because it was kept at room temperature. And I know that ideally, flax should be kept chilled at all times.

I doubt it was exposed to anything more than room temperature.

What do people think?

I hate flaxseed oil period, no matter what temp. it was at. If it tastes bad throw it away, it probably spoiled.

I hate flaxseed oil period, no matter what temp. it was at. If it tastes bad throw it away, it probably spoiled.

Actually the particular brand I get is pretty tasty, I like it by the spoonful. Spectrum's Flax Seed Oil w/ Lignans. (http://www.spectrumorganics.com/index.php?id=59) I haven't tasted this batch yet to see if it tasts bad. I doubt it. I certainly would toss if it does... but there is supposed ot be some detrioration of nutrition if it is not kept chilled, even if it tastes OK.

Hmmm...I'm not really sure that it would be good anymore. I'm pretty sure it needs to stay cold. That particular flax is very tasty too! I can see your dilemma. :nod:

If it tastes OK it's probably fine. Remember, this is not an exact science, and the benefits are somewhat speculative and might vary widely due to a whole host of factors. If it hasn't gone rancid in a few days you're likely fine.

Well, I should have tasted it before I posted. It tasted OK.. but then there was a somewhat bitter after taste that wasn't too pleasant... so I tossed it.

Any advantage of taking the oil vs flax seed oil pills? I have both fish oil and flax seed oil pills, but have not yet decided on how to encorporate them into the diet just yet. I'm not sure on the mg, but I think I heard something like 3 a day of one and 3 a day of the other?

The primary concern, Primetime, is that Flax goes rancid and loses its nutritional value unless kept chilled. You don't want to buy either unless you know that you are buying from a manufacturer who ships their products chilled to the stores (by mail is impossible... there is no control over USPS or UPS or any other delivery service --- so it has to be the manufacturer's own trucks) and that the stores are assiduous in making sure it gets from a chilled truck directly into a cooler and kept there for sales purposes.

This would be true whether you bought the capsules or swallowed (or mixed in a protein shake) whole. The only company I know, though there may be others, that ships their product chilled is Spectrum which I linked to in an above post...

And the only place I found it safe to buy from is Whole Foods. Anywhere else that I know of is not careful. Also I looked into ordering it on-line and the companies that sell it for lower prices just ship it UPS... and you know that is going to hit heat along the way.

I also found that Whole Foods puts the Flax oil on sale every 3 months or so, at a price that is competitive with the cheapest on-line sellers, so I wait for that and buy several bottles and keep them in my freezer. (It is fine to freeze flax oil.)

The main argument in favor of the straight oil is 1. most places are not careful to keep the flax pills chilled, 2. putting the oil in capsules costs money and so that raises your cost for consuming the same amount of flax and 3. I don't like consuming all that gelatin you have to swallow with the pills particularly if you are taking 3- 6 of them a day in place of Tablespoons.

Before you gag at the idea of swallowing a tablespoon of Flax plain... the Spectrum flax actually tastes good. At first the idea turns you off, but once you get used to it, you start to appreciate how good tasting it is, particularly with the lignans.. it is a nutty taste. Someone else on this thread posted that they found it tasty too. SO it's not just me. My understanding is that the taste of competitor's products is pretty bad. :p

And flax oil or Udo's oil to me adds a bit of "body" to a protein shake with the added advantage of giving me more calories in a shake to make it more of a true meal size calorically. It helps the taste a touch when you are using water instead of milk. I generally need more fats, so it's a good thing for me.

The primary concern, Primetime, is that Flax goes rancid and loses its nutritional value unless kept chilled. You don't want to buy either unless you know that you are buying from a manufacturer who ships their products chilled to the stores (by mail is impossible... there is no control over USPS or UPS or any other delivery service --- so it has to be the manufacturer's own trucks) and that the stores are assiduous in making sure it gets from a chilled truck directly into a cooler and kept there for sales purposes.

This would be true whether you bought the capsules or swallowed (or mixed in a protein shake) whole. The only company I know, though there may be others, that ships their product chilled is Spectrum which I linked to in an above post...

And the only place I found it safe to buy from is Whole Foods. Anywhere else that I know of is not careful. Also I looked into ordering it on-line and the companies that sell it for lower prices just ship it UPS... and you know that is going to hit heat along the way.

I also found that Whole Foods puts the Flax oil on sale every 3 months or so, at a price that is competitive with the cheapest on-line sellers, so I wait for that and buy several bottles and keep them in my freezer. (It is fine to freeze flax oil.)

The main argument in favor of the straight oil is 1. most places are not careful to keep the flax pills chilled, 2. putting the oil in capsules costs money and so that raises your cost for consuming the same amount of flax and 3. I don't like consuming all that gelatin you have to swallow with the pills particularly if you are taking 3- 6 of them a day in place of Tablespoons.

Before you gag at the idea of swallowing a tablespoon of Flax plain... the Spectrum flax actually tastes good. At first the idea turns you off, but once you get used to it, you start to appreciate how good tasting it is, particularly with the lignans.. it is a nutty taste. Someone else on this thread posted that they found it tasty too. SO it's not just me. My understanding is that the taste of competitor's products is pretty bad. :p

Looks like my Flax Oil pills are headed to the garbage. I'm going to go with your suggestion and get the Spectrum stuff so I know it will function the way it's supposed to. Thanks for the heads up!