5 Best Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

What are the items that have been revolutionizing the world of healthy eating for the last 3 years? Virgin olive oil, flax seeds, tender coconut oil are some of them. But chia see is certainly the latest kid-on-the-block everybody is taking notice of. Though chia seeds had a permanent place in the diets of Mayan and Aztec civilization since antiquity; only recently the world is bowing down in front of these tiny kernels. If you have not incorporated chia seeds in your daily cooking, then the following 5 reasons (and one as an after-thought!)are strong enough to do so now-

1 Chia seeds contain fiber

Fiber is that magical word which treats many health disorders at once. Do you suffer from the agony of increasing weight? Then including a fiber-rich dietary style in your life can get you rid of that. Are you having constipation lately? Then fiber is the number one source that can activate your bowel movement like nothing before. And chia seeds contain plenty of fiber. 1 ounce of chia seeds are said to have 10 grams of fiber. Even if you don’t want to eat that bowl-full of oats in the morning, you can add a spoonful of chia seeds while cooking/baking your favorite dish. That amount of fiber is good at keep you going healthy and strong.

2 They are best to ooze out Omega 3-fatty acid

Now this point is pretty debatable. One school of thoughts say that chia seed is pretty good source of Omega-3 fatty acids while the other one claims that it definitely is- but not so as depicted in media. In truth, chia seeds do have omega-3 fatty acids but in the form of Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) which remains into passive mode in the human blood. Human body is not capable of activating ALA on its own. So it’s highly recommended that you compliment your daily chia seeds intake with eating fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna to name a few. If you are a vegan, then include fish oil capsules or other such supplements in your diet, apart from chia seeds. Omega-3 fatty acid is instrumental for your healthy heart, strong bones, powerful eyesight, luscious hair and many more.

3 They are beneficial for type-2 diabetes and heart problems

The ample fiber content in chia seeds means that any diabetic patient or someone having heart problem can eat them regularly. Only 10 grams of chia seeds on a daily basis can slash down the level of bad cholesterol in your blood- thus making your cardiovascular health better and livelier. Not for heart patients, but for those who are suffering from type-2 diabetes can also gain positively from chia seeds. The fiber content keeps blood sugar level low and static. Chia seeds are also good for resisting inflammation- that can later cause to cancer or coronary heart ailment to name a few.

4 They are low on calorie, high on nutrition

In this day and age where the rage of organic wholesome foods is at its peak; you can’t possibly ignore the goodness of chia seeds as they are low on calorie. Do you love baking? Then you can sprinkle some chia seeds on your gluten free muffin or bagel to make it tastier and heartier. As mentioned earlier – 1 ounce of chia seeds contains only 10 grams of fiber. Now if we erase that from the list, then what we will get is – 1 ounce of chia seeds having only 101 calorie. So to satiate the weight-watcher inside, you don’t need to stop yourself binging upon calorie laden foods. Just replace the bad calorie of deep fried French fries with fresh smoothies made from fruits and chia seeds blended together.

5 They are good for bones

Does your kid simply hate to drink the mandatory glass of milk every morning? Don’t worry as chia seed can play excellent role of substituting the nutrient of milk which is good for bone health. A spoon full of chia seeds in bread or juice will provide your child with- calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each of them is instrumental in improving bones for growing up kids. Not only that, the protein nutrient available in chia seeds is also pretty helpful to render a healthy bone structure. For women also, post-menopause life can bring on fragility in bones. Taking at least 2 teaspoons of chia seeds daily can relive them from this problem to a great extent.

P.S. – Chia seeds are easily digestible; they can be adaptive to any dish and don’t call for grounding unlike flax seeds. In this busy and fast-forwarding lifestyle- these sound really like little blessings. Don’t they? Do you have a sweet tooth? Then go ahead and add one handful of chia seeds in your delicious caramel pudding and relish it after dinner. Need some energy drink after a rigorous work-out? Then what about incorporating two spoons-full of chia seeds into a glass of fresh juice? These small habits will take you into long way of healthy life and eating. Don’t ignore the contribution of chia seeds in modern age. Learn from the Mayans as they rightly used to call the word ‘strength’ as ‘chia’ in their ancient linguistics.