Chia seeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet.
They’re loaded with nutrients that can have important benefits for your body and brain.
Here are 11 health benefits of chia seeds, supported by science.
Chia seeds are tiny black seeds from the plant Salvia hispanica
Chia seeds were an important food for the Aztecs and Mayans back in the day.
They prized them for their ability to provide sustainable energy. In fact, "chia" is the ancient Mayan word for "strength."
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.
Don't be fooled by the size — these tiny seeds pack a powerful nutritional punch.
A one-ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains (1):
- Fiber:
- Protein:
- Fat:
- Calcium:
- Manganese:
- Magnesium:
- Phosphorus:
- They also contain a decent amount of zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2.
This is particularly impressive considering that this is just a single ounce, equalling 28 grams or about two tablespoons. This small amount supplies only 137 calories and one gram of digestible carbohydrate.
Interestingly, if you subtract the fiber — most of which doesn’t end up as usable calories for your body — chia seeds only contain 101 calories per ounce (28 grams).
This makes them one of the world's best sources of several important nutrients, calorie for calorie.
To top things off, chia seeds are a whole-grain food, usually grown organically. Plus, they’re non-GMO and naturally free of gluten.
Summary
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
One ounce (28 grams) of chia seeds has 12 grams of carbs. However, 11 of those grams are fiber, which your body doesn’t digest.
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 ).
Chia seeds are 40% fiber by weight, making them one of the best sources of fiber in the world.
Summary
Chia seeds contain a decent amount of protein.
By weight, they’re about 14% protein, which is very high compared to most plants.
They also have a good balance of essential amino acids, so your body should be able to make use of their protein content ( 10 , 11 ).
Protein has various health benefits and is by far the most weight loss friendly dietary nutrient.
A high protein intake lowers appetite and has been shown to reduce obsessive thoughts about food by 60% and the desire for night time snacking by 50% ( 12 , 13 ).
Chia seeds really are an excellent protein source — especially for people who eat little or no animal products.
Summary
Many health experts believe that chia seeds can aid weight loss.
Its soluble fiber absorbs large amounts of water and expands in your stomach, which should increase fullness and slow the absorption of food (14).
Several studies have examined the soluble fiber glucomannan, which works in a similar way, showing that it can lead to weight loss ( 15 , 16 ).
Also, the protein in chia seeds could help reduce appetite and food intake.
In fact, one study found that eating chia seeds for breakfast increased satiety and reduced food intake in the short-term ( 17 ).
However, studies examining the effectiveness of chia seeds for weight loss have provided rather disappointing results.
In a study in 90 overweight people, 50 grams of chia seeds per day for 12 weeks had no effect on body weight or health markers (18).
In another 10-week study in 62 women, chia seeds had no effect on body weight but did increase the amount of omega-3 fat in the blood ( 19 ).
In contrast, a 6-month study in obese people with type 2 diabetes on a reduced-calorie diet found that eating chia seeds daily caused significantly greater weight loss than a placebo ( 20 ).
Though adding chia seeds to your diet is unlikely to cause weight loss on its own, many experts believe they can be a useful addition to a weight loss diet.
A weight loss diet is about more than just single foods. The entire diet counts, as well as other lifestyle behaviors like sleep and exercise.
When combined with a real-food based diet and a healthy lifestyle, chia seeds may definitely help promote weight loss.
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Saturday, August 31, 2019