Chia Seeds Benefits
Chia seeds are originally from Mexico but now tend to be grown around the world, they come from a species of flowering plant in the mint family. Recently, they’ve being touted as a superfood, full of antioxidants, protein and fibre. If you’ve never tried chia seeds before, you’ll want to eat some after reading about these Health Benefits of Chia Seeds!
Full of Antioxidants
Antioxidants are the main reason superfoods are so super, the seeds have plenty of vitamin C, beta carotene, selenium and manganese. Those are all antioxidants that help your body defend itself against cell damage, resulting from natural aging processes and environmental pollutants.
Protein for Muscles
Chia seed provide you with 17 grams of plant protein in a 100 gram serving. That represents a third of the protein the average person is supposed to consume each day. This makes chia seeds a great option for vegetarians looking to meet their protein needs, or anyone that wants to reduce the amount of meat and animal products they consume.
While it might not be practical to eat 100 grams of chia seeds in one day, it can help contribute to your overall protein intake, and along with other protein-rich foods will help you hit your protein goal more easily.
Strengthening Bones and Teeth
As calcium and phosphorus are some of the mineral types that can be found in chia seeds, they are automatically give a great impact to your teeth and bones. This is good to prevent osteoporosis from happening earlier by eating healthy, organic foods like this. The amount of phosphorus in the seeds is even reaching 27 percent of your body required. Manganese is also available in chia seeds in a quite high amount, with only one serving can provide 28 grams of this nutrient to improve the health of your bones.
Weight Loss
Chia seeds can be a beneficial aspect of any weight loss program because of their ability to keep you feeling full. Because chia seeds can help to keep your blood sugar from spiking and dropping and because they are high in fiber, you will experience reduced hunger pangs when you add them to your smoothies.
Helps with Type 2 Diabetics
The most successful application of chia seeds to date was in a study on type 2 diabetic patients In this study, 20 diabetic patients received either 37 grams of chia seeds, or 37 grams of wheat bran, for 12 weeks (27). When they got the chia seeds, they saw improvements in several important health markers. Blood pressure went down by 3-6 mm/Hg and an inflammatory marker called hs-CRP went down by 40%. A risk factor called vWF also decreased by 21%. There was also an extremely small drop in blood sugar.
Given that chia seeds are high in fibre; it does seem plausible that they could help reduce blood sugar spikes after meals.
Digestion
Chia seeds are a great aid to proper digestion because they are so high in fiber. They have nearly 28 percent more fiber than flax seeds and have both soluble and insoluble fiber. This slows your digestive process down, allowing it to function properly and keeping you regular.
Cholesterol
Several nutritional components of chia seeds contribute to lowering your bad cholesterol levels and raising the amount of good cholesterol in your blood. These include fiber, long chain tricglycerides, and linoleic acid.
Aging
Being rich in antioxidants, chia seeds may fight off free radicals, which will aid in preventing premature skin aging. Moreover, the great amount of omega-3 fatty acids in chia seeds may fade many skin problems such as age spots, wrinkles and so on.
To strengthen skin, hair and nail health, the suggestion is that people include chia seeds regularly in their diet.
