here are ten benefits to using chia seed in your life. chia seeds are:
1. nutritious. chia
seed provides ample calcium and protein to your tissues. the seeds are also rich in boron, which helps
the body assimilate and use calcium. the
nutrients also support proper brain functioning.
2. water loving. the
seed can soak up ten times its weight in water.
do this fun experiment. put one
tablespoon of chia seed in a cup of water and stir. wait a few hours and see what happens. when inside your body, the seeds help you
stay hydrated longer, and retain electrolytes in your bodily fluids.
3. easily
digestible. the shells are easily broken
down, even when swallowed whole. this is
an improvement over flax seed, which have to be ground up to be digested
properly. if you eat flax seed whole, it
will just pass through.
4. Add healthy
omega-3 oil to your diet. Omega-3 oil is
usually thought of as “that healthy stuff in fish”. But, what if you don’t want
to eat fish every day? Chia is the richest plant-source of this healthy oil. By
weight, chia contains more omega 3 than salmon, and it still tastes like
whatever you want! Omega 3 oil is important in heart and cholesterol health.
It’s also recently been targeted as a weight-loss helper. USA Weekend magazine
also reports on a study where overweight dieters who included omega 3s in their
eating plan lost 2 more pounds monthly than the control group, who did not.
 |
| great comparisons for chia seeds |
5. mild tasting.
unlike some seeds, the flavor is very mild. the mild taste makes it easy to put in
sauces, smoothies, breads, puddings, and whatever you want. they won't really change the taste, but will
add to your nutrition!
6. energy enhancing.
the health pioneer paul bragg did an experiment an endurance hike with
friends. they divided up into a
chia-eating group and another group, who ate whatever they wanted. the group eating only chia seeds finished the
hike four hours, twenty seven minutes before the others, most of whom didn't
even finish at all.
7. versatile. the
seeds can be used to replace less-healthy fat in just about any recipe. you can use them uncooked in salad dressings,
spreads, fruit shakes, ice cream, and just about anything you want. you can also add them to cookies, cakes,
muffins, and other baked goods. i
usually just mix in a couple of teaspoons to my juice or water and drink them
down!
8. slimming and trimming.
yes, the seeds will help you lose weight, for two reasons. the first reason is that they are so filling
that you will eat less of other foods.
the second reason is that they actually bulk up and cleanse your body of
old "junk" in your intestines.
9. endurance enhancing.
chia seeds are known as the "indian running food". also, the ancient aztec warriors used chia
seed during their conquests. i'm a
runner, and i've used chia seed to enhance stamina and endurance on my mountain
runs, some of which are several hours long!
10. regenerating.
after eating, the nutrients travel to the cells very quickly due to the
ease in digestion and assimilation. use
them when you want to build or regenerate healthy body tissue.
we all know if we eat a better diet we will be healthier. the problem with this statement is most of us
can not find the time and or resources to buy and prepare all of these good
foods and add them into our diet everyday. high quality chia seeds are a complete raw
food that can be used as a meal replacement and or added for it’s chia
nutritional value to our diet. see the chart above for great comparisons.
i also incorporate chia seeds into my cooking, and in the morning to my smoothies. It is a great thickening agent as well, a lot of vegan chefs use chia seeds in place of eggs.
why not give chia a try. you can pick up a small bag from your local supermarket (ie. coles and woolies)
hope your having a healthy saturday!
NK xx
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