Chia Seeds ~ Super Food

Super Food for your health!

Chia seeds are tasteless so they won’t affect the flavor profile of your food, which makes them easy to integrate into your meals. Add chia seeds to your salads, yogurt, smoothies and homemade sausage like we did in the Chicken Sausage recipe. One ounce delivers an impressive 10 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. The research found they can help you eat less by naturally regulating blood sugar, which helps put the breaks on hunger.

According to the Huffington Post (June 2013):

A few good reasons to add chia seeds to your diet:

• Fight Belly Fat  — Chia’s stabilizing effect on blood sugar also fights insulin resistance which can be tied to an increase in belly fat, according to Live Strong. Insulin resistance can also be harmful to your overall health and lead to other health concerns long-term.

• Get Full. Faster — Tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey is also found in chia seeds. While tryptophan is responsible for that strong urge to nap after a big Thanksgiving dinner, for example, it also helps regulate appetite, sleep and improve mood. That sounds like a triple bonus to me!

• Improve Heart Health — According to the Cleveland Clinic, chia seeds have been shown to improve blood pressure in diabetics, and may also increase healthy cholesterol while lowering total, LDL, and triglyceride cholesterol. All good news for your ticker! Add in your daily dose of exercise, and you have a winning combination!

• Improve Brain Health— Stock Up On Omega-3 — Chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, with nearly five grams in a one-ounce serving. These fats are essential for brain health. “There’s better conversion of omega 3s into the plasma or the food than with flax seed,” said researcher Wayne Coates.

• Combat Diabetes — Chia is being studied as a potential natural treatment for type-2 diabetes because of its ability to slow down digestion. The gelatinous coating chia seeds develop when exposed to liquids-can also prevent blood sugar spikes.

• Get More Fibre — Just a 28-gram or one-ounce serving of chia has 11 grams of dietary fiber — about a third of the recommended daily intake for adults.Adding some chia to your diet is an easy way to make sure you’re getting a healthy amount of fiber, which is essential for digestive health.

• Stronger Teeth And Bones — A serving of chia seeds has 18 percent of the recommended daily intake of calcium, which puts yours well on your way to maintaining bone and oral health and preventing osteoporosis.

• Pack In The Protein — Chia seeds also make an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and don’t have any cholesterol. One 28-gram serving of these super seeds has 4.4 grams of protein.

Share your favorite way to use Chia Seeds

in your daily food plan!