Unlike pepitas or sunflower seeds, you won’t want to throw a handful of whole flax seeds into a salad or dressing mix. Again, they are mostly indigestible, so not only will you reap little health benefit from consuming them this way, but you may also experience an upset stomach. Stick to the ground variety for best results.

As for how much to eat, there’s no ideal intake goal, and you probably don’t need to worry about adding too much to recipes. “It’s hard to go overboard with your dietary intake of flaxseed, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the upper limit,” says Gross. The only caveat here is that, again, those who don’t normally get a lot of dietary fiber will want to take it a tablespoon at a time.

If you’re new to flaxseeds, there are plenty of easy ways to incorporate them into your meals and snacks, such as: