Have you added chia seeds to your diet? This is a superfood that’s been trending in recent years, although it’s been a staple food in Central America as early as 3500 BC. There’s 1g of net carbs in one ounce of chia seeds. If you’re on a low-carb diet like Keto or Atkins, then this is a good option. There are many other reasons to consider eating chia seeds, including protein, vitamins/minerals, and fiber. While the fiber isn’t digested, it can help to improve your digestion and improve health conditions like constipation. Besides the fiber of chia seeds in the water, you also get a good amount of protein for muscles, skin, hair, etc.
The idea of drinking high-fiber seeds might seem odd at first. However, there are several benefits. They include making it easier to add more fiber to your diet. In a sense, it’s like taking drinking Metamucil, but the fiber source is less processed. That is a plus for various reasons since you’re getting a more natural source of fiber. Besides that, you’re also getting benefits like high-fiber, better digestion, and weight loss. It’s also believed that chia seeds might help with weight loss.
What’s the Deal with Chia Seeds?
Chia seeds are small yet are chock-full of many nutrients. They’ve been trending for less than a decade. However, they date back thousands of years to 3500 BC in Central America. They’ve been a staple food for the Aztecs for several millennia.
Chia seeds are sky-high in many nutrients including:
- Protein
- Fiber
- Antioxidants
- Healthy fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals
It’s highly recommended that people add nuts/seeds to their diets for boosting their overall health. The recent Blue Zone project by National Geographic found that nuts/seeds were some key foods of world regions with the longest average life expectancies.
In recent years health experts have been focusing on the importance of consuming more “healthy” fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that they can help to boost “good” cholesterol levels. It can help protect the body from different health conditions like a heart attack.
If the term “Chia” sounds familiar, it’s probably because of Chia Pet ads that you’ve seen. The clay figurines have been on the market since 1977 and include sprouted chia seeds. They’re available in many variants that include animal bodies and human heads.
Here’s what you get from a serving (1 ounce/28g) of chia seeds:
- Calories: 131
- Carbs: 13g
- Protein: 5.6g
- Fiber: 11g
- Fat: 8.4g
These figures make the food ideal for Keto. You get low-carb, high-fat, and moderate protein, which is the basic macro split for Keto. There’s also no sugar, which helps to keep the food low-carb since sugars turn to carbs.
Another key benefit of this food is the many minerals you get. They include phosphorus, calcium, potassium, manganese, and copper. It’s quite a wide range of minerals for a tiny seed.
It’s critical to make sure to get the daily amount of vitamins/minerals needed for good health. They help to maintain good health and prevent possible illnesses/diseases.
Chia Seeds in Water: Benefits
There are several benefits of drinking chia seeds. You get many of the same benefits, as eating the super seeds. They include:
Fiber
One of the best ways to boost your fiber intake is to eat plant-based foods. Foods high in fiber include seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, and veggies. When eating fruits and veggies, make sure to consume the skins when you can. Options like carrots, apples, and pears are loaded with fiber. Besides the skins having fiber, they also have lots of nutrients.
One serving of chia seeds offers most of the fiber required in people’s daily diet. You can get more from some whole grains, fruits, and veggies. However, a good start is a chia.
Convenience
Drinking chia seeds can be easier than consuming them. It’s like drinking high-fiber drinks. It’s quite easy to add some ground-up seeds to water, smoothies or shakes then drink up.
Anti-aging
This is a growing industry that’s worth over $50 billion worldwide (2018). Chia seeds can provide this benefit in various ways. One is the high amount and a wide variety of nutrients you get from the superfood. That includes vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. They help the body to function properly.
Another key anti-aging benefit of chia seeds is the powerful antioxidants they contain. These can help to fight off infection, illness, and diseases. Some of the best antioxidants, including Vitamins A, C, D, and E.
Several factors can speed up the aging process. Meanwhile, we can consume foods like seeds that are high-antioxidant. They can help to fight off free radical molecules. They attack healthy cells and cause aging to happen faster.
Weight Loss
There are various ways you can experience weight loss from the super seeds. One is the protein. This macro can help you feel fuller, which will help to prevent snack attacks between meals. That, in turn, can help to achieve weight loss.
Top Ways to Consume Chia Seeds
Oatmeal
This is already a healthy breakfast or snack. However, you can boost the nutrients by adding some seeds like flax or chia. Not only does this add more nutrients but you also get more crunch. Other good options include milk, fruit, and cocoa powder. These all add flavor and nutrients to your breakfast cereal.
Salads
This is a good way to add some more crunch to your salads. Just a little added will help to make your salads even healthier. Besides tossing them onto salads you can also add them to the dressing when paired with other ingredients like lemon juice.
Smoothies And Shakes
These are other practical ways to add the seeds to your everyday diet. In recent years these beverages have become healthier. That’s because many people are adding lots of healthy ingredients like leafy greens, seeds, and yogurt. These ingredients add more nutrients to your beverages.
You should also consider adding seeds like chia and flax. They’re low carb yet high-nutrient, which makes them a good option.
Soups/Stew
This is a convenient way to add more fiber, fat, and protein to these dishes. We often think of adding grains to these dishes. However, you can get many of the same benefits by adding seeds, including chia. This is an excellent way to add taste, texture, and nutrients to your soups and stews. The seeds help to make your soups/stews heartier.
Powder Form Chia Seed In Water
The concept of drinking seeds instead of eating them might seem odd at first. However, consider that the fiber drink Metamucil is made from ground-up seed husks. One of the main benefits of drinking seeds is convenience. You just mix the powder with water, then you can get the same nutrients.
This is also a good option for people who aren’t used to high-fiber diets. In that case, you should consider slowly boosting your diet’s fiber content. One way to do that is chia seeds in water.