11/04/2017
Chia Seeds
Being rich in so many key nutrients, it has been found that regularly eating chia seed can improve your health in numerous ways. Some of the chia seed benefits are:
1.Digestive Health
Fibre is essential for your body’s ability to balance insulin levels. Chia is super-high in fibre, providing nearly 11 grams per ounce. Being high in dietary fibre, chia helps promote bowel regularity and healthy stool. The rich fibre content in chia seeds also helps people feel more full quicker because it absorbs a considerable amount of water and immediately expands in the stomach when eaten.
2.Skin & Aging
Chia seeds are one of nature’s richest source of antioxidants. Antioxidants speed up the skin’s repair systems, and prevent further damage. Taking chia seeds can prevent premature skin aging due to inflammation free radical damage.
3.Heart Health
Chia seeds’ ability to reverse inflammation, regulate cholesterol and lower blood pressure makes it extremely beneficial for heart health.
4.Boost Your Energy & Metabolism
Consuming chia seeds can enhance the performance for workouts that lasted 90 minutes the same way a sugar-loaded sports drink would, but without all the sugar.
5.Stronger Bones
Just one ounce of chia seeds has 18% of the recommended daily amount of calcium.Calcium is fundamental in bone health and helps maintain bone strength and mass. Chia also contains boron which is another essential nutrient for bone health.Boron helps metabolize calcium, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus for healthy growth of bones and muscles.
6.Build Muscle & Lose Weight
Chia seeds rank among the top plant based sources of protein. This is another reason this super seed is great to consume for those trying to put on slender muscle, burn fat, and balance blood sugar levels.
Chia seeds contains a bag full of antioxidants to help replace some of those nutrients lost when exercising.
7.Fight Breast and Cervical Cancer
Chia seeds are rich in alpha lineic acid (or ALA) which is an Omega-3 fatty acid. Recently in 2013, the Journal of Molecular Biochemistry found that ALA limits the growth of cancer cells in both breast and cervical cancers.
They also found that it caused cell death of the cancer cells without harming the normal healthy cells.
8.Dental Health
Since chia seeds are full of calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin A and zinc, they are a top food to help your teeth! Calcium is the building block of your teeth and necessary for tooth health.Zinc prevents tarter by keeping plaque from mineralizing onto your teeth and has an antibacterial effect that keeps bad breath germs away. Vitamin A and phosphorus are also important for strong teeth and a healthy mouth.
Side Effects
1.Stomach Discomfort
Occasionally some people may experience stomach discomfort when consuming chia seeds especially in large amounts due to the high fibre content.
2.Allergy
An allergic reaction to chia seeds is extremely rare, but it is possible. If you are predisposed to allergies, you should be very careful when trying this food. Please note that there are some recorded cases where these seeds cross-reacted with other foods, especially oregano, sesame, mustard, and thyme.
3.Lowered blood pressure
People who suffer from hypertension will benefit from this side effect, but others may suffer because of it. Chia seeds act as a blood thinner. This leads to lowered blood pressure and may result in bleeding. It’s vital to avoid this food if you are taking any prescription drugs, which have the same effect.
How to Eat Chia Seeds
Chia seeds have a mild nutty taste and can easily be added to most dishes as a garnish, yet chewing small seeds like flax or chia generally doesn’t make the omega-3’s and other nutrients readily available for digestion and assimilation. The best way to access their vitamins and minerals is to either grind or soak them. This is the best method to prevent constipation, the number one problem caused by chia seeds. They absorb liquid extremely fast, which is the exact reason responsible for the majority of their gastrointestinal side effects. Leave the seeds to soak in clean fresh water for no less than 15 minutes before eating them, and the risk of problems will reduce significantly.
You should start adding chia seeds to your diet gradually. Let your body get used to this new food and watch your own reactions carefully. If you notice any problems, cut down on the seeds. In case the issue remains, it is definitely not caused by this particular food
How to Soak:
To soak chia seeds, simply mix them in a 1:10 ratio chia to water. That’s about 1.5 tablespoons chia seeds in one cup of water. It does not have to be exact, but you do want it to gel all the way and not be too watery. Then let them sit for about 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Since chia seeds can hold up to 12 times its weight in water, they are wonderful to prevent dehydration. However, if you choose not to soak them, then they can also absorb water from you during digestion. So make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated.
Ground:
Another option is to grind chia seeds in a coffee grinder to break down the hard outer shell before eating them. When grinding omega-3 rich seeds, however, it is important to store them in a sealed, glass container in your refrigerator or freezer.
Conclusively we can say that Flax is a seed worth eating, but chia has the upper hand here thanks to its higher numbers for fibre, calcium, and phosphorus, as well as because it's a complete protein. Chia seeds have a long shelf life, and will keep for several years when stored in a cool, dry place.
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. FTI Food Tech Pvt. Ltd. is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of FTI Food Tech Pvt. Ltd. and FTI Food Tech Pvt. Ltd. does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
