9 Chia Seeds Health Benefits and Frequently Asked Questions

Chia seeds are one of the healthiest food on the planet as they are loaded with an ample amount of nutrients of all types which carry a huge number of health benefits for people of all ages. The chia seeds health benefits are so remarkable that the food companies are using this essential ingredient in almost all food products that you add in your shopping cart such as puddings, bread, drinks, bar, etc.

Chia seeds are the rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, that helps in promoting HDL cholesterol level in your body which is good cholesterol. Hence prevent your heart attack and stroke risk which are life-threatening conditions.

Apart from this, it is rich in antioxidants, fiber, iron, and calcium which are some essential nutrients needed for the overall health improvement as well as for the maintenance of your vital organs in the body.

Below we have thoroughly discussed some prominent health benefits of consuming chia seeds that will make its importance and benefits more clearly.

9 Chia Seeds Health Benefits

Manage Blood Sugar Level

The high Blood sugar level is nowadays a common health problem and overweight or obese people are a greater victim of this health issue. It can simply turn to type 2 diabetes if necessary steps are not taken on time.

However, the good news is that you can easily manage this condition with some healthy lifestyle changes such as healthy diet intake and regular workout routine. If you are looking for healthy food that can manage your sugar level then you must try chia seeds in your breakfast meal.

Chia seeds are most soluble fiber which you easily understand if you wet some chia seeds and see the changes in its texture which turns in to gel. Hence it stays in your stomach for longer duration making the digestion process slower, feeds good bacteria and bulks up stool which all together develops the feeling of satiety.

Hence you won’t feel frequent craving issues once you have a full bowl of chia seeds breakfast. As blood sugar level gets a spike after each meal consumption so for people with this health condition requires to have a lesser amount of meals to avoid such triggers.

Chia seeds can play a vital role by curbing your hunger level naturally without affecting your health. One serving of chia seeds provides one-third of your daily fiber requirement thus it is an easy solution to stay healthy keeping check your sugar level.

Improves Brain Health

The essential nutrients exiting in chia seeds are also vital for your brain health. This omega 3 fatty acids rich food plays a vital role in improving the functionality of your brain cells.

As per the health specialists, a single serving of one ounce chia seeds remains loaded with 5 grams of omega 3 fatty acids which you can hardly get through any other food sources. Moreover, the advantage of eating chia seeds over other omega 3 rich foods such as salmon, flaxseeds, etc is that you don’t need to cook or grind chia seeds for its consumption.

Simply its raw form consumption is enough to boost your brain health which is one of the most vital organs of your body that controls the overall functionality of other organs.

Rich in Vital Nutrients

Chia seeds are the powerhouse of nutrients which are all essential for the improvement of your overall health. The best part of chia seeds is that its one-ounce content contains a very lesser amount of calories with a comparison to other foods, which makes it an ideal food for people with different health conditions like obese, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, etc.

Also, the amount of calories it contains is even lesser than the calorie value that flaxseeds contain. Also, the omega 3 content of chia seeds is much greater than the flaxseeds. This organically grown cereal is non-GMO, gluten-free and an ideal whole grain food which makes it perfect for people for all ages.

With only one-ounce chia seeds consumption in a day, you can fulfill your 18 percent of calcium daily requirement, 30 percent of manganese, 27 percent of phosphorus and in smaller amounts of copper and potassium. One ounce of chia seeds that is 28 grams contain the following amount of nutrients as per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-

Nutrition per 28 grams of Chia Seeds

• 07 grams of carbohydrate
• 131 calories
• 2 grams of fiber
• 4 grams of fat
• 6 grams of protein
• No sugar content

Rich with Antioxidants

Chia seeds are abundant with antioxidant nutrient which is vital with regard to many health benefits as well as protection from major illnesses. As per the nutrition specialist, chia seeds are one of the reliable dietary sources to fulfill this essential nutrient in the body.

Being rich in antioxidants, chia seeds protect your body against free radicals damages to your body, which can easily damage your healthy cells leading to the growth of premature aging signs and growth of more cancerous cells.

Also, it is capable of fighting with these harmful free radicals existing in the environment and even in your body which generates out of certain metabolic processes that cause autoimmune diseases.

So whether you want to keep intact your youthful charm on your skin ad want to live a much healthier and longer life, chia seeds consumption is beneficial for everything.

Promotes Weight Loss

As chia seeds are rich in fiber content so its a single intake in a day enough to make your stomach feel fuller for a longer duration. Hence neither you would eat more than the necessary limit nor you will eat on a frequent basis after a chia seeds diet intake.

So it is considered as an ideal food for people who are struggling hard for losing their body weight but in a healthy way. Also, it’s caloric value is very low and the amount of calories it contains is usually utilized by your body for normal processing so there is no risk of crossing your daily calorie limit with chia seeds intake while you are on a restricted diet plan.

Also, its high omega 3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid content are known for promoting the weight loss process of the body. The greater benefit of consuming chia seeds is that like any other food you need not worry about its preparation process. Just pour chia seeds in water and drink this mixture.  This soluble gel form chia seeds reduces your digestion speed and stays longer in your stomach making you feel full for long.

However, for achieving your weight loss goal you cannot solely depend on this food. It must be accompanied by other lifestyle changes and vital steps required for faster weight loss goals.

Improves Cardiovascular Health

As per the recent study report, the increase of dietary fiber in daily meals can help in reducing blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels. Both these health conditions are associated with a heart attack and stroke if not controlled on time.

As chia seeds are rich in fiber value so it can be consumed for improving your cardiovascular health and for preventing its major life-threatening conditions. Apart from this its anti-inflammatory effect protects your body against different inflammation-induced health conditions, cardiovascular health is one of them.

Also, it is a rich source of dietary omega 3 fatty acids which help in decreasing arrhythmias, and thrombosis disorders which lead to cardiac arrest, heart attack and stroke. However, omega 3 helps in reducing LDL the bad cholesterol and total cholesterol level and boosts endothelial functionality and lowers blood pressure level. As chia seeds are one of the best plant-based chia seeds so by including it in daily meal routine one can easily keep their overall cardiovascular health in check.

Rich source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Chia seeds are the rich source of omega 3 fatty acids even it contains more omega 3s than the flaxseeds and salmon. However, it is proved in a recent study that these plant sources of omega 3s are not of high quality that can nourish human health with a comparison to animal sources of omega 3s.

The plant sources of omega 3s are mostly rich in ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), which is not as beneficial for human health as it is considered. It is the latent form of omega 3s which requires to be converted into more active forms such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in order to be used by your body.

As the human body itself cannot convert ALA into EPA and DHA so consuming the plant-based omega 3s doesn’t provide much health benefits as it is required. So getting these active forms of omega 3s one has to remain dependent on fatty fishes or fish oil which are the ideal source of omega 3s. For vegan people, they can avail of the active omega 3s through plant-based omega 3s supplements.

Rich in Vital Bone Nutrients

Chia seeds consumption is good for improving your bone health and density because it is rich in many nutrients that are vital for your bone’s health. These nutrients include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and protein. Out of which calcium content of chia seeds (one ounce) itself provide 18 % of daily RDI limit which is really impressive.

Its calcium content is even greater than the dairy sources of calcium nutrients. Hence it is a great advantage for people who have allergens with dairy foods or who don’t like the taste of dairy foods to get this essential nutrient for their bone health.

However, it is crucial to mention here that chia seeds also contain phytic acid which has the ability to reduce calcium absorption level by your body to some extent.

Reduces Chronic Inflammation Issue

Inflammation is the natural response of the body in response to certain injuries and infections. Though inflammation usually helps to heal your body with its healing responses such as redness or swelling in the skin by fighting off different infections causing agents such as bacteria, viruses, etc.

However, this rule is not applicable in the cases of chronic inflammations in the body. In such conditions, though your body will not develop any visible symptoms still it can be easily measured by assessing the inflammatory markers in your blood. Heart diseases and cancers are some of the typical examples of chronic inflammation in the body.

These conditions are primarily the result of unhealthy lifestyle routines such as unhealthy food intake, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, etc. However, these chronic inflammatory health conditions can be prevented by incorporating healthy lifestyle changes including healthy diets.

Chia seeds are loaded with vital nutrients that can easily reduce the level of inflammatory markers in your blood with its regular consumption as per one study report in diabetic people. Hence it can even help in preventing these chronic inflammatory health risks from growing if it is already consumed on a day to day life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some common frequently asked questions about chia seeds health benefits and its importance in relieving certain health issues are enlisted below-

Does chia seeds require special processing before eating them?

Ans. – This simply depends on you that how you want to utilize chia seeds in your food. If you want to eat them as a fat substitute in your meal then you require to convert them into the gel form by washing chia seeds.

If you want to sprinkle it over other foods then you need not require to wash them as it will immediately get sticky that you can’t sprinkle on your foods such as salads, soup, ice-cream, yogurt, etc. Simply scoop, sprinkle on foods and eat directly.

What is the basic difference between black chia seeds and white chia seeds?

Ans. – On the basis of nutritional value, taste, and flavor there is no such considerable difference between the black and white chia seeds. It can be said that it is just the preference for a specific color that compels a person to pick a particular color of chia seeds. However white chia seeds are costlier than the black one so are less popular in the market.

Does Chiatrition Chia Seeds are organic?

Ans. – Mostly chia seeds are grown organically but not all of them are certified as organic yet. The Australian chia seeds are HACCP certified and it is approved by the Australian Heart Foundation.

Does Chiatrition Chia Seeds are fortified with certain vitamins or pharmaceuticals?

Ans. – Chia seeds are the superfoods, 100% natural and it doesn’t require any kind of additives or preservatives. Its high antioxidant content itself works as a preservative that can keep it all time fresh and healthy up to 3 years’ time. They are naturally rich with vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, calcium and omega 3s.

How much chia seeds should be consumed in a day?

Ans. – There is no particular recommended dietary limit for chia seeds. It simply depends on your personal body limitation and the way you are consuming it.

If you are using chia seeds for general health purpose to get its nutrition and energy then 10 to 20 grams of chia seeds intake is enough for the day.

For people who want to lose their body fat and using chia seeds to burn their excessive hunger level can consume chia seeds more than its normal limit but should not be in excessive amount.

It’s better that you listen to your body which can determine better that at what intake limit you are feeling fuller. As chia seeds are very safe to consume so there is no specific or fixed limit associated with its consumption.

Does chia seeds are gluten and cholesterol-free?

Ans. – Chia seeds are the highest source of plant-based Omega 3s and Omega 6 which helps in reducing LDL cholesterol and boosts HDL the healthy cholesterol level. Hence it helps in reducing certain risk factors such as inflammation, insulin resistance, and triglycerides.

Just like other grains chia seeds are also gluten-free. Its natural antioxidant content helps in preserving these oils from getting rancid. This is the reason behind its freshness and health value even after a year’s time.

What is the ideal time to eat chia seeds?

Ans.- usually you can drink chia seeds at any time during the day. However, if you are using chia seeds for a specific purpose to attain certain goals like weight loss etc then you should look for its specific timing to consume for getting the best result.

For people who want to control their appetite should consume chia seeds early in the morning or before a bigger meal. People who want to stay hydrated and energetic should eat chia seeds before an exercise practice or before participating in a sport.

Does chia seeds can be consumed by pets?

Ans. – The Chiatrition Chia seeds are healthy for everyone. So even if your pet animal such as dog, cat or any bird consume it then it won’t affect their health in a negative way.

Yes, your pet may feel an excessive amount of thirst if they consume it in excessive amounts. So make sure enough amount of water is available to them to drink. This particularly happens because omega 3s content of chia seeds creates a shiny and strong coat on these seeds that induces thirst if consumed excessively.

Chia seeds are one of the most easily available and cheaper sources of superfoods which is the powerhouse of nutrients. So it is essential for everyone to include this healthy diet in their daily routine to avail those versatile chia seeds health benefits for them.

[expand title=”View Article Sources“]

• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/291334.php#benefits
• https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/why-are-chia-seeds-good-for-me#1
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-chia-seeds#section10
• http://www.chiaseeds.net.au/pages.php?pageid=1

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