Cha cha cha CHIA seeds

 

Whats the deal with Chia Seeds?

Many of us have seen chia seeds everywhere and are often led to believe they can help with weight loss. They are high in fiber, protein, and mix well in various foods but here is the cold hard truth:
1. Diet and exercise are they only things that can consistently help you lose weight
2. Chia seeds were originally used to grow hair on the famed Chia Pets. I had one...lol
 
I wanted to make this long drawn out post stating all the good and bad things about Chia seeds, but really there are only a few things you need to know! Chia seeds are not bad for you by any means and work great as an additive to food, below I've composed a list of 5 facts about Chia seeds:






1. They do provide Omega 3's about as much as salmon BUT they only provide it in the form of Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) which can only be used once converted into an active form such as Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). To bad we humans can't turn it into an active form on our own instead DHA needs to be consumed from sources such as fish. So the Omega's provided don't do us much good.

2. These seeds are loaded with antioxidants! These antioxidants help keep the fat inside of these seeds from spoiling. Antioxidants also help to fight free radicals that can help damage cancer cells and aid in fighting aging.

3. Full of fiber! Chia seeds are said to have 12 grams of carbs but 11 of them are fiber and since they cannot be digested by the body there is technically only 1 digestible gram of carbs. They also can absorb 10 times their weight in water. Theoretically this should make one feel more full thus eating less food and losing weight, unfortunately it's not that simple...

 A study done by Dr. David Nehman (Appalachian State) states "Over a 12-week period, we did not see a change in appetite or weight loss" and " "Our study showed no reduction in body weight, body fat and no improvement in traditional cardiovascular markers from 50 grams of chia per day.”

4. Chia seeds are protein rich. These seeds are 14% protien and about 4 grams per serving (2 tablespoons), now protein does aid in weightloss but as stated above no studies were able to conclude chia seeds alone helped one to loose weight. If you are vegetarian or vegan and do not get a lot of protien this is a good alternate for you.

5. It can replace Gatorade... A study done with 2 test groups showed that replacing chia seeds with the same amount in Gatorade did not help the runner negatively or positively. It is still very inconclusive so I'd stick to Gatorade :).

Chia seeds are very high in fiber and will help you stay on the regular, but I wouldn't overconsume trying to use it as a laxative. When soaked in water it also turns into a gel (which I've heard can be used in hair) this is why folks like to add it to their juices and yogurts! Don't worry ya'll I'll be posting a Chia seed recipe of my own this week!

Stay hungry my friends...

Ray B.