Description
WEIGHT LOSS, OMEGA-3, ANTIOXIDANTS, FIBRE, CALCIUM, IRON, ENERGY & ENDURANCE. Known also as Salba chia or Mexican chia, these seeds have medicinal properties and are a common part of different diets around the world. Despite their small size, chia seeds are packed with nutrients. Traditionally consumed by the Aztecs and Mayans for their health benefits, these seeds have been touted for centuries.
Chia seeds are derived from a desert plant called Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. Omega-3 fatty acids help build and maintain a healthy body and brain. Keeping your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system working properly. As an excellent source of dietary fibre at 10 grams per ounce (about 2 tablespoons), protein and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc, chia seeds will not only maintain your health, but will also boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Imagine being able to do things with clarity, gaining more energy to move, getting things done, efficiently finishing your tasks. And since chia seeds are also flavourless, it’s easy to add to many foods and recipes. You can simply grind them in a coffee bean grinder, or soak it in lemon water, mix with your smoothies, or sprinkle ’em on your salads!
Lower Levels of Free Radicals. The antioxidants in chia seeds can help reduce free radicals. Free radicals are known to damage cells and cause oxidative stress. Free radicals cause health problems that are experienced with age, such as hardened arteries, diabetes, and even wrinkle formations. Antioxidants will protect us from premature ageing, heart disease, cancer, and possibly depression and anxiety.
Healthier Heart. Among the health benefits of chia seeds is quercetin, an antioxidant that can help you avoid a variety of health conditions including heart disease. Chia seeds are also high in fibre, which helps lower down cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and helps you live longer. It will keep your digestive system clean and healthy as it flushes out harmful carcinogens out of the body.
Can Help Prevent Diabetes. Chia seeds are high in fibre. Research suggests fibre may reduce insulin resistance and improve blood sugar levels, which can reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, researchers have documented that bread containing chia seeds lowers blood sugar levels than traditional bread, preventing high blood sugar levels.
Healthy Weight Management. A little goes a long way. In a 1-ounce serving, chia seeds provide 39% of your recommended daily allowance of fibre. Similar to oatmeal porridge, chia seeds when soaked in water expand and absorb greatly. A few spoons can soon fill an entire bowl. Add chia to your overnight oat bowls.
Chia Eggs! Did you know that a spoon of chia ground to a powder + a little water to soak = Chia Eggs! Use this mixture to replace unborn baby birds in your baking recipes. The chia-egg mix is naturally very sticky and gooey and perfectly peacefully imitates the texture of eggs in cooking, without the fat, high-cholesterol and suffering caused by eggs stolen from the bums of chickens!
Benefits of Chia Seeds
- More calcium than milk!
- Iron for oxygen-rich blood flow
- Electrolytes that help the muscles and heart to function normally
- B-vitamins for metabolism and cardiovascular health
- Rich in fibre and protein
- Keeps appetite and energy levels stable for longer
- Weight loss
- Improved cholesterol health
- Quick & Easy nutritional boost
- Help fight cancer
- Good for bone health
Chia Side Effects. As the name implies, these are seeds. All nuts and seeds are high in fat, and dehydrating so we limit their consumption to approximately a handful per day. The majority of our calories should come from better choices like juicy ripe sweet fruit, cooked rice, roots, or oats; which are all low in fat. Think of chia seeds like oats; they must be soaked and really well chewed to avoid digestive difficulty. No-one would enjoy eating unprepared dry oats, not even a horse. Minimum soaking time is 5-10 minutes before consuming. Because they’re seeds, when they interact with water they switch from a dry dormant state to a sprouting little life force that is ready to grow into a mighty plant. We wanna consume that life-force; use The Force!
Grind, Soak and Chew. If you don’t have a coffee bean grinder, then buy one for $10 – $20, but don’t use it for coffee! (it’s poisonous) Grinding your flax and chia seeds to a powder, then soaking them provides the best bio-availability possible so you maximise your nutritional absorption. Swallowing dry, unsoaked, unchewed chia seeds won’t reap you any rewards as you’ll just poop them out again! Chia seeds must be grinded, soaked, then chewed.
