Which Is Better – Wheat Germ Or Flax Seed?

If you’re looking to give your food a nutritional boost, you might have come across the benefits of adding flax seed and wheat germ to your diet. 

Wheat germ and flax seed are both nutritionally similar in ways and can add a great amount of fiber to your diet, that being said, these healthy additions do differ slightly in their nutritional profile. 

Down below in our, we will discuss what flaxseed and wheat germ are, the benefits of both and the biggest difference between the two so you can decide which is better to add to your diet.

What Is Flaxseed?

Flax seed is a plant-based food mainly known for being high in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, these healthy foods seed is available in capsules, ground and oil forms.

Due to all the nutritional benefits of flax seeds, many people use these food items to help fight off diseases and provide essential vitamins and minerals to their diet.

We’ve listed the nutritional values of flax seed down below for one tablespoon.

• 38 calories.
• 27.5 of magnesium. 
• 2g of carbohydrates. 
• 2g of fiber. 
• 57g of potassium. 
• 18g of magnesium.
• 3g of fat. 
• 6g of folate.

How Do You Eat Flax Seed?

Flax seed is very easy to add to your diet, whether you use it to top your cereal, include it in sandwich spreads or mix it into yoghurt. You can also get creative with flax seed by putting it into baked goods such as cookies and muffins.

What Is Wheat Germ?

Wheat germ is part of a wheat kernel and with the husk is removed from refined wheat products. Many people have wheat germ raw or they add it to cereals, yogurts and ice cream. 

This germ is available in capsules and tablets too since it’s high in dietary fiber and high in vitamin E.

We’ve listed the nutritional values of wheat germ down below for a 28g serving. 

• 108 calories. 
• 14g of carbohydrates. 
• 4g of fiber. 
• 3g of fat. 
• 8 gram of protein.

How To Eat Wheat Germ?

Wheat germ can be consumed like flax seed in foods, being used to top cereal, mixing it into baked goods or even in foods like meatloaf for a savoury twist and texture.

Benefits Of Flaxseed

Many people add flax seed into their diet due to its great nutrient profile, we’ve listed the benefits of using this food supplement down below. 

• High in omega 3 fatty acids – Flax seed is high in omega 3 fatty acids called ALA (alpha linoleic acid), this is an essential fatty acid that your body needs and can’t produce on its own. This fatty acid is known to help lower blood cholesterol levels in the body.
• Helps to manage weight – Ground flax seed is full of essential nutrients and high in soluble fiber, this high fiber content slows down digestion which can make you feel fuller for longer and help with weight loss.
• Reduces blood pressure and cholesterol – This food supplement can lower levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure which is great for people with high blood pressure, this seed can also reduce cholesterol levels, four tablespoons can lower cholesterol by 15%. 
• High in fiber – Just one tablespoon of flax seed has up to 2 grams of fiber which are both soluble and insoluble, high fiber can help regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation. 
• Protects against cancer – Flax seed is very high in lignans which are antioxidants that can help fight against cancer.
• Stabilises blood sugar – Due to the soluble fiber in flaxseed this food can help to stabilise blood sugar, this might be helpful to add to your diet if you suffer from type 2 diabetes, however, we would suggest not using oil because it lacks fiber.

Benefits Of Wheat Germ 

Wheat germ like flax seed is also full of essential nutrients for the body, we’ve listed the benefits of adding this food into your diet down below. 

• Good for digestion – Wheat germ is high in fiber and therefore good for digestion and healthy bowel movements, the fiber is also good for lowering cholesterol.
• Boosts immunity – This grain is high in Vitamin E and antioxidants which can boost the immune system and help fight free radicals in the body which cause disease. 
• Great essential minerals – Wheat germ is full of essential minerals like Zinc and manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium, this is all great for the body making the contents of wheat germ very nutritional.
• Better energy – This wheat sprout germ is full of great B vitamins like folate and B6, these vitamins help turn the carbohydrates in your body into energy.

Main Differences Between Flax Seed & Wheat Germ

In the comparison of wheat germ and flax seed, you will find that a portion of wheat germ and flax seed are very different in the nutritional benefits and nutrient content that they provide in your diet. 

We’ve listed the main difference you will find between these plant-based foods down below.

• Flax seed has omega 3 fatty acids, but wheat germ does not – Flaxseed contains a lot of ALA fatty acid composition while wheat germ does not have this fatty acid but contains beneficial unsaturated fats instead which are still good for the body. 
• Copper and manganese – A serving of ground flax has 171 micrograms of copper while wheat germ has 119 grams, copper is beneficial for metabolism, wheat germ on the other hand has lots of manganese which can contribute to healthy bones.
• Flaxseed has more fiber – In terms of a daily fiber boost, flaxseed has better levels of fiber than wheat germ, having double the grams of fiber per serving than wheat germ, this could be beneficial for weight loss.

Final Words

Overall, wheat germ and flax seed are both beneficial foods to add to your diet and can be eaten similarly, flax seed however has a slightly different nutritional content to wheat germ having more beneficial fiber and higher in omega 3 fatty acids, wheat germ is great for manganese and vitamin E levels.