Did you know chia seeds are considered one of the healthiest foods there is? Chia seeds are stacked with nutrients that benefit both the body and brain. There are a lot of health and wellness benefits that you can acquire by consuming chia seeds regularly.
1. Almost all carbs are fiber
In chia seeds, over 92% of the carbs you get will be in fiber. This makes chia seeds low carb. The fiber is a digestible carb, highly soluble, and feeds the friendly bacteria in your digestive system which will help keep your gut bacteria satisfactory.
2. Lowers risk of heart disease
If consumed regularly, chia seeds may lower certain risk factors relating to heart disease, including reducing triglycerides, inflammation, insulin resistance, and belly fat. They also raise HDL cholesterol (the good kind!) – among some people.
3. High in bone nutrients
Chia seeds are high in supplements identifying with the well-being of our bones including calcium, protein, magnesium, and phosphorous. They are considered an excellent source of calcium for people who don’t eat any dairy or include it in their lifestyle.
4. Rich in antioxidants
Chia seeds have a high antioxidant content which helps to fight free radicals in the body. Free radicals are known to damage cell molecules and contribute to aging as well as diseases like cancer and similar conditions.
5. High-quality protein
It’s worth not forgetting that chia seeds are protein. Chia seeds are about 14% protein which is high with regards to plants. A higher protein intake brings down craving, reduces the desire for nighttime snacking, and will help to support muscle maintenance and growth.
6. A lot of nutrients, few calories
A 1-ounce serving of chia seeds has 11 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, 5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, 18% of your daily calcium, 30% of your daily manganese, 30% of your daily magnesium, and 27% of your daily phosphorus. This small amount only has 137 calories! Moreover, according to healthcare Ayurveda, the chia seed creates a natural warming effect within the body-mind which supports a balanced metabolism including cognitive health and even joy.
7. They’re a weight-loss food!
Chia seeds help in weight reduction through its high fiber and high protein content. The fiber means increased feelings of fullness and slower absorption of food, while protein is a portion of great weight-loss food. Although chia seeds won’t make much of a difference without following through with lifestyle and diet choices, they’re worth adding to your daily food intake.
8. Omega-3 fatty acids
Chia seeds are similar to flax seeds in the sense that they are incredibly high in omega-3 fatty acids. Although plant-based omega-3s are inferior to animal-sourced oils scientifically speaking, it’s still a benefit worth mentioning.
9. Chia reduces inflammation
Chia seeds are appeared to decrease inflammation in the body due to their ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids; they contain three times as many Omega-3 to Omega-6 oils in the seeds. The modern Western eating routine can skew as much as 30:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3; this is 200 times greater than the 1:6 ratio recommended in Ayurvedic treatment for an anti-inflammatory diet. According to the Ayurvedic health care principles and a growing number of clinical studies investigating the effect of ingestion of different ratios of fatty acids, high levels of dietary Omega-6 fatty acids correspond with increased levels of inflammatory markers in blood tests.
10. Cooling agent
Chia seeds are considered as cooling agents as it helps in retaining the water content in our body and keeps it hydrated. From an Ayurvedic perspective, chia attenuates, or reduces, Vata (the air and space element), optimizes pitta (the fire element) and nourishes Kapha (the water and earth elements). Chia seeds are also sattvic, or pure, in nature.
This is just some of the good news to take away from chia seeds. Buy them in bulk and hurl a few seeds into your diet any time breakfast, lunch, or dinner!