Several studies have confirmed that we can decrease the risk of heart disease by giving our body a suitable combination of beneficial fatty acids. Our modern diet tend to be high in certain types of fat and low in others, and one way of shifting this ratio to a more favourable position is to start the day with some flax seed or flax seed oil. If you want to enjoy the benefit of flax seed oil, why not include some grounded flax seed in your breakfast muesli or sprinkle it over your corn flakes? If you want your body to be able to extract the flax seed oil from the seed you have to ground it prior to consumption, since whole flax seeds are to hard for the body to open. Whole flax seeds are an excellent way of preventing constipation, but they will not provide you with any beneficial fatty acids. You can purchase ground flax seed in the store, but you should keep in mind that flax seed oil can turn sour after being exposed to the air. Grounding just a small amount of flax seed is therefore much better. You can use an ordinary coffee grinder or purchase a special flax seed grinder. A grinder suitable for flax seed does not have to be expensive; there are many inexpensive models that will work just fine.