Tag: chia seeds

CHIA SEEDS. Have you tried it?

I know you have heard of it. Now, it has become very popular because of its super awesome health benefits. Yes, I’m talking about- The Chia Seeds. They have being regarded as the healthiest food on planet, loaded with all the essential nutrients. The fuzzy green novelty item, very tiny items are what chia seeds are. Nowadays, they have become all the more famous and is becoming better known because they are a great source of healthy omega-3 fats and fibre and they are quite an easy food to include in your daily diet. Salvia Hispanica, being scientific name and called as chia, commonly, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family and are native to central and Southern Mexico and Guatemala. History suggests that in 16^th century, it was very important food for Aztecs. Now, chia is grown commercially and are typically small, oval, tiny seeds. According to USDA, a 1 ounce, i.e. 28 grams serving of chia contains, 9 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, 5 miligrams of sodium, 11 grams of dietary fiber, 27% phosphorus, 30% manganese. The nutrient values in Chia, as mentioned are similar to other edible seeds, as flax or sesame. Chia seeds are recommended to be added in your diet and these can be added to other foods as a topping in your breakfast cereal, smoothie, energy bars, yoghurt, sprinkled whole on top of salads or can be added on icecream or just consume it raw. As these seeds are tasteless, they hardly affect the flavor of your food, when added. Just have some and get ultimate benefits.

Read on and you will know how chia seeds have become elixir for life and give so many benefits to your body and maintains your health. I can bet, you will be amazed.

Low in Calories: Chia seeds, being full of nutrition, has very low calorie content. This is such an added bonus which helps in decreasing belly fat. So, if youe exercise daily and are eating chia also, alongwith, this can prove excellent in getting a perfect shape of body. Chia’s stabilizing effect on blood sugar also fights the insulin resistance which is responsible for belly fat and this type of resistance is harmful for your health. So, if you are concerned abput your belly fat, go start consuming chia seeds.

High in Antioxidants: Chia seeds also shine in the area of Antioxidants and this is well known that consuming antioxidant rich food can have ultimate positive effects on health. Chia seeds, being high in antioxidants help to protect delicate fats in the seeds. Most importantly, antioxidants fight in the production of free radicals, which contribute in aging and diseases like cancer. This is remarkable as chia seeds have an ability to fight such deadly diseases.

More Fiber: They have loads of fiber. This is clear from the nutritional information above, that just one ounce contains 11 grams of fiber, which is about a third of the recommended daily intake of adults. Moreover, almost all the carbohydrates in the chia are fiber. Because of this fiber, it gives them ability to absorb 10-12 times their weight in water, Chia are low carb- friendly food, and are 40% fiber, by weight, which makes them best sources of fiber in the world. This great content of fiber in chia seeds have excellent beneficial effects on health.

Stock of Omega-3: Chia seeds are fully packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, like flax, which is nearly 5 grams in one ounce of serving. Isn’t that a good stock in such tiny items. The Omega-3 fatty acids are very important for brain health. However, humans are not good in converting this into DHA, and there’s better conversion of omega 3s into plasmas than with flax.

Improves Heart Health: Chia seeds have been shown to increase Healthy cholesterol, thereby balancing blood pressure and lowering LDL and triglyceride cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Also, as they are high in fiber, protein, omega 3s and antioxidants, they are very well source of heart healthy nutrients thus maintain overall heart health.

Combats Diabetes: For diabetic patients, it’s a good news that chia seeds can improve blood sugar levels and combats diabetes. The study shows that in type 2 diabetic patients, chia seeds can significantly lower blood pressure and diabetes.

Strong Teeth and bones: Chia seeds have many nutrients which are important for bone health. As one ounce serving of chia contains 18% of the daily recommended intake of calcium and has phosphorus, manganese also in good amounts. All of these are really essential for bone health and strong teeth and are an excellent source of calcium for those who don’t eat diary products.

Makes you feel Full. Faster: Chia seeds are incredibly easy to incorporate it in your diet and adding chia seeds in your daily recipes will dramatically improve the nutritional value. Also, tryptophane, an amino acid, found in chai seeds help regulate appetite, sleep and improves mood. So, eating it with your regular foods incur you so many benefits.

So, as now, you know so much about chia, go get some from your grocery store and continue reading and eating them. Don’t be fooled by their size, these tiny items are a powerful nutrition punch. Chia seeds are one of those you shouldn’t to miss to have.

Healthy Eating. Happy Life.

September 14, 2014
ways to eat chia seeds

Chia seeds are traditionally consumed in Mexico, and United States. At present chia seeds are also grown in Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. Chia seeds are now also being grown in Australia, which is quite likely to become the biggest chia growing country in the world.Many Aztecs and Mayans considered chia seeds as their staple food by turning into small granular form and using them as flour, using them as oil and drinking them mixed with water in form of gel. During this period, chia seeds were considered as the super food because they could increase stamina many fold times and helps in building strong muscles.

Chia seeds contain a good amount of fiber- 5 grams in just a single tablespoon. It is this fiber present in the seeds of chia plant which leads to swelling up of chia seeds when mixed with water, leading to the formation of chia gel.

According to the statistical sampling by United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA), a single ounce of chia seeds contains 9gms of fat, 5mg of sodium, 4gms of protein, 11gms of dietary fiber, 27% phosphorus, 30% manganese and 18% of calcium. In 2009, the European Union approved with chia seeds being called as novel food. These seeds are rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, because they include a good amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Chis seeds are food supplements that are totally gluten free, healthy for hair, skin and nails. They are rich sources of anti-oxidants and contains complete proteins with all the eight essential amino acids. Chia seeds have the following health benefits –

1. Helps to lower the cholesterol level.

2. Reducing body weight.

3. Has anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Reduces high blood pressure.

5. Maintains healthy heart and keeps immune system strong.

Ways to eat chia seeds –

There are a lot of healthy ways to use chia seeds in order to derive all the healthy nutritious contents of these seeds. Chia seeds is largely used as egg substitute especially when it comes to baking, due to the unique property of chia seeds to absorb liquids and turn into a gel. These seeds can also be used to grill meat and as a soup thickener.

These are the following ways to include chia seeds in our daily diet –

1. Breakfast topping – chia seeds can easily be enjoyed in morning by just simply adding them to your pancakes, yogurts and cereals.

2. Jellies and jams – chia seeds can be consumed more deliciously by adding it to the purree of fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and converted into mouth-watering jams and jellies.

3. Grilling meat – remember next time you start with grilling, sprinkle some chia seeds to the grilling mixture in order to thicken the spread.

4. Soup thickener – this tip is beneficial for those who are allergic to the use of gluten, you can use an overnight soaked chia seeds as a thickener instead of using the flour thickeners for the soup.

5. To thicken meatballs – meatballs can easily be thickened using a healthy substituent for bread crumbs that is chia seeds, by adding an appropriate amount of chia seeds to your meat.

6. Using as all-purpose flour – chia seeds can grinded or blender in a mixer grinder or with blender and turned into fine powdered form, and can be used as an all-purpose flour.

7. As an egg substituent – as mentioned, chia seeds can easily absorb the liquids and turns into a nice gel, it can be very well used as an egg substituent for baking.

8. Adding to juices and tea – chia seeds can be added to a glass of juice, tea or any of the hot drinks. This can be done by allowing the drink with added chia seeds to stand for a few minutes so that the seeds can absorb some of the liquid, making it into a thick beverage.

9. Chia seeds smoothies or fresca – just 2 tbsp of chia seeds can be added to the smoothies and blended nicely, in order to get the even mixture. For chia fresca , chia seeds can be added to water, lime juice and a spoon of honey to enjoy it in summers.

10. Chia sprouts for salads – this is a simpler and a healthier way of consuming chia seeds- by turning them into sprouts. This can easily be done by putting some chia seeds in water, draining this water off and leaving behind the chia seeds in a jar container for a few days and rinsing and pouring off the water after every 12 hours. Within a few days, you will get chia seeds turning into sprouts.

Some healthy chia seed recipes-

1.so Chia seed smoothie :

   In a bowl, blend almond milk, yogurt, vanilla and 2 tbsp of maple syrup with a little salt. Whisk in the chia seeds in this mixture, and let it stand for about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate this mixture. After few minutes, mix it with berries, maple syrup and a few almonds.. Serve this in glasses topped up with berries and enjoy on a bright sunny day.

2. Chocolate chia seed pudding :

   Mix 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp coffee powder in a bowl and mix them all together until no lumps remain. Add chia seeds to the mixture, also add 1 cup milk to the bowl and mix properly. keep the mixture aside for a few minutes and repeat this stirring again for a few more times. Cover the mixture and refrigerate it overnight. Serve this chocolaty pudding next day with a spread of honey.

3. Chia cherry crunch bites :

   Place 1/2 cup almonds, 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup dates and grind them until finely chopped. Add vanilla, chia seeds, dried cherries and 2 tbsp almond butter and blend them with a blender. Transfer the mixture into another bowl. Now add cacao nibs to mixture and roll them into balls. The chia cherry crunch bites are ready and can be stored in airtight containers in refrigerator.



June 9, 2014

Tag: chia seeds

CHIA SEEDS. Have you tried it?

ways to eat chia seeds