Chia seeds are tiny black seeds that come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica. It is a member of the mint family. It is believed that Central America is the origin of chia seeds. The height of chia plants is almost 3 feet. It is commercially produced in various countries like Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Peru, and the United States. It is a well-known meal combiner that helps in weight loss. Different nutrients make it such a healthy breakfast option. It is specifically high in Fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, and healthy minerals.
There are various ways in which chia seeds can be incorporated into your diet. It can be added to your cookies, smoothies, cake, or pudding. Various other health benefits make chia seeds such a desirable food item. We will discuss more on that later in the article.
Ways to consume Chia seeds
There are many ways in which we can add chia seeds to our diet. Some meals in which you can directly add your chia seeds are - Tea, smoothies, salad, oatmeal, soup, etc. We will also discuss a few recipes that are easy to make and where you would love the incorporation of chia seeds.
Recipes
1. Chia Seed Pudding
Ingredients
Coconut or almond milk - 2 cups
Chia seeds - 6 tbsps
Maple syrup - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - ¼ tsp
Sea salt - ⅛ tsp
Blueberries or chopped nuts for topping
Instructions
Put the milk in a jar.
Add the chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
Cover the lid and shake well to combine.
Refrigerate for a few hours, then give it a good stir to loosen any lumps.
Refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours for the pudding to set.
Serve with fruit, nuts, or any preferred toppings.
2. Overnight chia oats
Ingredients
whole rolled oats - 1/2 cup
almond or coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Chia seeds - 4 tbsps
Maple syrup - 1/2 tsp
Sea salt - 1 Pinch
Toppings of your choice.
Instructions
Take a small jar. Add the oats, almond or coconut milk, maple syrup, chia seeds, and salt.
Stir the mixture and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, scoop the oats into a bowl.
Put in more almond or coconut milk, if desired, according to the consistency.
Add in your choice of toppings.
3. Oatmeal Chia Cookies
Ingredients
Chia seeds - 1½ tbsps
Almond milk - ¼ cup
Ripe bananas (mashed) - 2
Rolled oats - ¾ cup
Unsweetened shredded coconut - ¼ cup
Dates (chopped) - ¼ cup
Dark chocolate chunks or choco chips - ¼ cup
Almond butter - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 pinch
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Stir together chia seeds and almond milk in a jar.
Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until there is a gel-like consistency.
Pour this mixture into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the mashed bananas, oats, coconut, almond butter, and cinnamon.
Combine the mixture well and add in the dates and choco chips.
Scoop out the dough little by little onto a baking sheet.
Press down on the cookie dough a little using a fork or spoon.
Place the tray in the oven for 20 minutes.
After done, let them cool. Chia seed cookies are now ready to eat.
Nutrition value of Chia seeds
Various nutrients in chia seeds make them a superfood. The contents of chia seeds are very beneficial for health. These contents are as follows:
High Fiber content
Fibrous foods are very helpful for healthifying your body. A fiber-rich food provides a large number of benefits like it will help improve digestion. It will help you feel full for a longer period. The surge of snacking will reduce. For our digestive system, intake of fiber is very important.
Fiber foods do not cause any change in blood sugar. They do not have any side effects and do not harm your body in any way. High-fiber foods also help reduce cholesterol.
Omega 3-fatty acids
The Omega 3 fatty acids content has multiple benefits like fighting depression and anxiety, improving eye health, and also promoting brain health. It also reduces the risk of heart disease. It is beneficial for young children in reducing symptoms of ADHD.
Protein
Chia seeds have a large protein content. Consuming protein and mineral-rich food can help you boost your metabolism. Protein-rich food products have a high thermic effect. The thermic effect of food specifies the number of calories your body needs to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meals. The thermic effect of food is maximum in the case of protein-rich products.
Sodium
Chia seeds have a good amount of Sodium present. Let us walk through the benefits of Sodium.
Sodium maintains the proper balance of water and minerals in our body
It improves nerve impulses, as sodium is responsible for the relaxation and contraction of our body's muscles
Reduces muscle cramps
Helps in the development of the human brain
Improves the health of teeth and skin
Health Benefits of Eating Chia seeds
Weight loss
Having less amount of sugar and fat is very helpful in weight loss. If you are on your weight loss journey and looking for healthy alternatives all the time, you don’t have to worry about this. You can easily incorporate this into your daily diet.
Helps in reducing cholesterol level
Because of weight reduction, there is a control in the cholesterol level of the body. High cholesterol levels harm our bodies in many ways. More about cholesterol can be seen in the study by NCBI.
Good for Heart Health
Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids. This component helps the human body to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Due to the amount of unhealthy food intake all around us, a large number of people are facing heart problems. We need to take things under control. That can be done only if we start paying attention to what we are putting in our bodies.
Due to the presence of omega-3 fatty acids, various other benefits are provided. It reduces the risk of abnormal heart rhythm. It prevents blood clotting. It helps keep the arteries smooth and lower blood pressure.
Improves Digestion
There is a natural fiber presence in Chia seeds. This presence of fiber makes it very helpful for digestion. It helps improve your digestive system. Intake of Chia seeds can provide help in conditions like constipation and hemorrhoids.
Conclusion
Weight loss is determined by the metabolism of the body. An increase in metabolism weight loss becomes easier. Metabolism is a type of chemical reaction that is responsible for the breakdown of food and provides energy to the body. This process changes the food we eat into energy. There are two types of metabolism. Catabolism is a type of metabolism that occurs to break organic matter. Anabolism is a type of metabolism that occurs when the synthesis of compounds is required by the cells.
Chia seeds have various benefits helping in weight loss, improving metabolism, helping in improving eyesight, reducing cholesterol levels, and helping in the improvement of heart health. The various contents like sodium, iron, fiber, and protein level make chia seeds the superfood it is.