Most often we humans tend to forget the healthy foods Mother Nature has bestowed upon us. Instead, we go after junk food and become sick fast.
Chia seeds are one of the best hygienic foods Nature has given us. These seeds are tiny and black in color. Chia seeds are made from the plant Salvia Hispanica which belongs to the mint family.
Let us see some important benefits of eating chia seeds:
1. Do you like to remain slim?
If you are over-weight, chia seeds will help you stay slim. These seeds are full of fiber. So, they absorb more water and make your stomach feel full. Benefit? Your brain rejects more food and saves you from unnecessary appetite and you can maintain a healthy weight.
2. Full of Nutrients but Very Few Calories
Too many calories are the culprits that make you sick. Be it Diabetes, Obese, cardiovascular disease, etc. But chia seeds give you everything in balance. 28 grams of serving will give you the following:
- Fiber – 11 grams
- Fat – 9 grams
- Protein – 4 grams
- Calcium – 18% of the RDI
- Magnesium – 30% of the RDI
- Manganese – 30% of the RDI
- Phosphorus – 27 of the RDI
In addition to these, they contain zinc, Niacin, potassium, thiamine, and B2.
Sugars and carbohydrates may induce fluctuating sugar levels in your bloodstream. This, in turn might make you eat more and more sweet and make you obese. But a large amount of fiber in chia seeds helps you maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
3. Easy Digestion and No Constipation
You get 38  grams of fiber out of 100 grams of chia seeds. Unlike carbohydrates, fiber won’t raise blood sugar or need insulin to digest. A high fiber-rich diet like chia seeds slows down digestion and improves blood sugar levels. Also, you will have an easy bowel movement.
Many factors cause constipation. Less fiber in daily food intake, dehydration, certain medications, etc. But, most common is the low fiber diet. Long term constipation may cause piles and hemorrhoids. You will find it to get the stool out of your body easily because of impaction.
4. Do You Love Your Heart?
Before we love other’s heart, we must love ours. To ensure that your heart functions well, you should pay attention to foods that your heart loves. Chia seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids. Click Here for more information about it.
So, chia seeds can minimize inflammation and the chance of arterial thickening in your heart. What is more! These seeds can increase your good cholesterol (HDL). HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
Health professionals and nutritionists call this as good cholesterol. They say this HDL removes bad cholesterol from your bloodstream. And so, it reduces the risk of heart attacks.
5. Like to Have a Better Energy Level?
Carbohydrates in most of the starchy foods absorb fast into the bloodstream and may make you hungry again too fast. But this element in chia seeds has a slow conversion time. So, this provides energy to your body for a longer time.
Many athletes, especially long-distance runners, prefer chia seeds. They believe these seeds improve their performance. Because chia seeds contain high amounts of protein and give a long-lasting energy level, many energy bars and snacks are made out of these.
6. Minimize Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when you lose excessive amounts of water from your body faster than usual. This may cause symptoms such as headache, fever, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, dry mouth, feeling tired or sleepy, thirst etc.
Instead of going for artificially made soda or any other soft drinks, chia seeds can be used as a natural booster for performance. (Remember, chia seeds hold water in your body for a longer time). These seeds mixed with water and lemon will be ideal for hydration.
Will you like to watch a brief video of how to make a drink with chia seeds? Click the link below:
7. Very Good Source of Protein.
The daily average requirement of protein for a normal person is 56 grams per day and for a normal woman, it is 46 grams per day. You can get about ten percent (10%) of this daily requirement from an ounce of chia seeds.
For muscle repair and growth, you need amino acids. These seeds are a good source of amino acids. If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, chia seeds are ideal for you. Vegans do not take meat or dairy foods. By adding these seeds to salads, soups or smoothies in any way you like, you can fulfill your daily protein requirement.
8. Be in A Good Mood
An unbalanced supply of amino acids would lead to depression. Amino acids are very important for the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a vital transmitter for mood regulation, learning, good memory and other important cognitive functions.
Serotonin is also called the “happy hormone”. This hormone also regulates your melatonin levels. So, you will feel happy and enjoy improved sleep. Be friendly with chia seeds, because it will keep you happy and energetic.
9. You Want to Fight the Free Radicals?
Free radicals are a by-product naturally created by your body. This is mainly due to the aging and breaking down of cells.
But these radicals are really nasty. Because these interrupt new cell growth and healthy cell repair, they are dangerous to your overall health.
Unchecked free radicals will make you grow old faster. These fellows are the main culprit behind cancerous cell growth. But, don’t worry. Antioxidants can fight these free radicals and save your healthy cells.
How to get antioxidants? Simple. There are some vegetables, nuts and some type of fish full of these. But chia seeds are high in antioxidants.
10. Healthy Bones.
Do you like to have strong and healthy bones? Sure, you do. In addition to vitamin D, you need a good amount of Calcium to make your bones strong. Remember, brittle bones due to lack of enough calcium will break very easily.
You can get fifteen to twenty percent of the daily requirement of calcium by serving an ounce of chia seeds. Besides calcium, chia seeds also contain phosphorus and magnesium. Both of these too add to healthy and stronger bones.
