We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Chia seeds are tiny black seeds from the plant Salvia hispanica , which is related to the mint. They prized them for their ability to provide sustainable energy.
Despite their ancient history as a dietary staple, chia seeds became recognized as a modern-day superfood only recently. In the past few years, they have exploded in popularity and are now consumed by health conscious people all over the world. A one-ounce 28 grams serving of chia seeds contains 1 :. This is particularly impressive considering that this is just a single ounce, equalling 28 grams or about two tablespoons. This small amount supplies only calories and one gram of digestible carbohydrate.
To top things off, chia seeds are a whole-grain food, usually grown organically. Summary Despite their tiny size, chia seeds are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Another area in which chia seeds shine is their high antioxidant content 2 , 3.
These antioxidants protect the sensitive fats in the seeds from going rancid 4. Though the benefits of antioxidant supplements are debated, researchers agree that getting antioxidants from foods can have positive health effects 5. Most importantly, antioxidants fight the production of free radicals, which can damage cell molecules and contribute to aging and diseases like cancer 6 , 7. Summary Chia seeds are high in antioxidants that help protect the delicate fats in the seeds. They also have various benefits for health.
One ounce 28 grams of chia seeds has 12 grams of carbs. Fiber neither raises blood sugar nor requires insulin to be disposed of. Though it belongs to the carbohydrate family, its health effects are drastically different from those of digestible carbs like starch and sugar.
The digestible carb content is only one gram per ounce 28 grams , which is very low. This makes chia a low-carb friendly food. Because of its high soluble fiber content, chia seeds can absorb up to 10—12 times their weight in water, becoming gel-like and expanding in your stomach 8. Theoretically, this should increase fullness, slow absorption of your food and help you automatically eat fewer calories.
Fiber also feeds the friendly bacteria in your intestine, which is important — keeping your gut flora well fed is absolutely crucial for health 9. Summary Almost all of the carbohydrates in chia seeds are fiber. This gives them the ability to absorb 10—12 times their weight in water. Try our very own recipe for chia chai pudding , a breakfast or treat showcasing spicy chai flavors and, you guessed it, fatty acid-packed chia seeds.
To make the pudding, start by boiling a cup of almond milk. Once the milk begins to bubble, remove from heat and add three chai tea bags for that tasty flavoring.
Let the tea bags steep for five minutes. The moment you wake up—voila! Instructions Using a small dish, combine the chia seeds with the water. Stir and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes, in order for the seeds to expand.
Makes one chia egg, multiply by the number of eggs your recipe calls for. Your average egg the kind from a hen contains around mg of cholesterol. Do chia seeds really help promote weight loss? A couple manufacturers have unscrupulously made claims — or at least eluded to — their products having the ability to help you lose those unwanted pounds.
There was a study published in that set out to answer this very question, if they can help you lose weight. It was completely legit; participants were randomized, there were placebo groups, and it was done under single-blinded procedures There were 76 overweight participants who completed the study, ranging in age from 20 to 70 years.
This was consumed before the first and last meal of the day. There was no difference between those getting the seeds and those getting placebo! With that said, there is plenty of evidence that eating more fiber can help you lose weight Fiber helps us feel full, and when we feel full, generally we stop eating. So perhaps chia seed, not in and of itself but rather as part of a plan to increase fiber in your diet from multiple sources may be beneficial for dieting.
However, they might offer performance benefits for sports and exercise that match the sugar-laden beverage. We all know about carb-loading before athletic events. After the 2 trials with 2 week rests between them there was no difference found in performance between the chia group and control group.
In fact, their average times for running the 10k differed by only 6 seconds! Chia seeds contain all 9 of your essential amino acids. This went on for 12 weeks. During this time all participants maintained their other pharmaceutical therapies, too. The results? Obviously more research is needed since this was only one study involving 20 people. Accordingly, overall omega-3 content is not particularly meaningful.
And in the case of chia seeds, you have to add the pro-inflammatory factor of lectins. In addition to lectins, chia seeds also contain another anti-nutrient, phytic acid. And phytic acid can insolubly bind those minerals that chia seeds provide in the digestive tract and prevent their proper absorption Gibson et al.
In the end, the superfood is not that super, after all. Those looking for a vegetarian anti-inflammatory alternative low in lectin may be better off with flax seeds Faintuch et al. Besides the fact that people can be allergic to chia seeds, the pseudo-grain has some other dangers that you need to consider.
On the one hand, what makes chia seeds a famous binding agent in baking recipes can also entail dangers. As the seeds form a thick gel from absorbing the liquid, they can swell up in the esophagus, making them impossible to swallow without medical treatment if you wash them down with water. For this reason, you should soak chia seeds in another food or water before eating them — especially if you have a history of swallowing problems. On the one hand, dietary fiber can promote health by allowing individual healthy bacteria in the gut to feast on it.
On the other hand, however, too much fiber can trigger the following digestive problems NRC :. Finally, dietary fiber is the carbohydrate portion of plant foods that the human body cannot digest. Therefore, it is an anti-nutrient that reduces the absorption and digestion of food. Accordingly, dietary fiber requires abundant water to pass through the digestive tract.
But since chia seeds absorb water heavily and become enormously bloated, they can also cause digestive problems this way. Therefore, more indigestible fiber that must pass through the digestive tract promotes constipation rather than prevents it.
Accordingly, one study shows that reducing fiber intake reduces constipation and related symptoms Ho et al. In addition to the dangers already discussed, no particular side effects of consuming chia seeds during pregnancy have been reported to date.
However, the seeds may cause adverse interactions when taken with medications, such as antihypertensive or diabetes medications. After the small seeds triggered an initial international boom, the European Commission had to deal with the food.
Although chia seeds are not unhealthy, they cannot deliver everything they promise. Unfortunately, it is precisely the positive effect on inflammation and weight loss that fails to materialize. So, if you are looking for a safer vegan omega-3 source that can help you lose weight, you will instead find it in flax seeds. Besides their preventative effects against cardiovascular disease, flax seeds are more likely to be produced regionally and have a smaller carbon footprint.
According to the European Commission, you should consume a maximum of 15 grams of Chia seeds per day.
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