If you don’t know about chia seed yet, then you’ve got to brace yourself because you will have some new smoothies and juices to look forward to after you read this article. Chia seed is packed with health benefits and full of minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and omega 3. Chia seeds come from a flowering plant that belongs to the mint family, and it is a native plant in places such as Guatemala and Southern Mexico. Chia was a staple food for the Aztecs and Mayans who cherished them for their capability to provide long-lasting energy all throughout the day.
Just like flax seeds, chia seeds have a nutty flavor, and it can be added to almost anything from foods to juices and even smoothies. You don’t need to ground chia seeds in order to get their full nutritional benefits because you can just eat them whole. In fact, when they are soaked in water, chia seeds expand to about 10 times their size, that is why they are perfect if you are looking for an extra bulk in your smoothie, without having to worry about extra calories. Chia seeds come in brown, black, and black in color, and they are the missing ingredient for your juice or smoothies. In this article, we are going to talk about their health benefits when you add them to your juice.
- Own those Omega 3s– Chia seeds are packed with Omega 3’s; in fact, they contain more amount of these essential fats compared to salmon, for instance, and you won’t have to worry because it doesn’t have the added risk of mercury. Omega 3 is an essential fat that is used for building new cells as well as regulating body processes.
- Omega 3’s can also help improve brain health. In fact, experts even recommended them to pregnant ladies in order to help improve the brain health of a developing fetus. Omega 3’s can also help lower bad cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, support heart health, improve overall cognitive performance, and improve skin, hair, and nails. All you need to do is add a few teaspoons of chia to your morning juice or smoothie to get a boost of omega 3 in your diet.
- Chia seeds are low carb and gluten-free– If you are on a gluten-free and a low-carb diet, then chia seeds are a perfect addition to your juice or smoothie because it gives you the fullness of carbs without the fat. Just an ounce of chia seeds contains about 12 grams of carbohydrates. But of those 12 grams, 11 grams are fiber, which means the only true carbohydrate content of chia is only 1g per ounce.
- Increase your fiber intake– If you are looking for increasing your fiber intake, then look no further because chia seeds are an incredible source of fiber. Fiber is good for achieving excellent digestive health, lowering harmful cholesterol levels as well as reducing inflammation. Because chia seeds have high fiber content, they are able to absorb up to 10-12 times their weight when they are soaked in liquid. This makes chia seeds achieve a gel-like texture and expand in your stomach. That is why adding chia seeds in your juices or smoothies can increase the feeling of being full and slows down the body’s absorption of minerals and nutrients in your food, this tells your body to consume fewer calories.
- Get rid of excess weight– This is one good reason why using chia seeds is perfect for people who want to lose weight because adding it in your smoothie or juice can help you get rid of excess weight. Aside from being able to swell in your stomach and slowing the absorption of food, which keeps you feeling full for longer, chia seeds can also help you fight belly fat. This is because chia seeds also have a stabilizing effect on blood sugar. After all, it also allows fights insulin resistance, which is related tied to belly fat.
- Helps maintain healthy teeth and bones– Chia seeds have a fantastic calcium content that is equal to about 18% of the body’s recommended daily allowance in just a single ounce. This means that adding two tablespoons of chia seeds to your smoothie or juice can give you at least 5 times the calcium content of milk. Just think about that. Calcium helps you maintain healthy bones and teeth as well as help prevent osteoporosis.
- Can help increase your nutrient intake– Despite their small size, adding just a tablespoon of chia seeds to your smoothie or juice can give you the double the amount of potassium like a banana, and three times the amount of iron that spinach has. Aside from that, chia seeds also have about 27% of the body’s recommended daily amount of phosphorous that helps maintain healthy teeth and bones.
- Can help you achieve youthful-looking skin– Chia seeds are packed with antioxidants that help fight the signs of aging and prevent free radical damages and diseases like cancer. Adding chia seeds to your fruit juice or smoothie can give you a healthy dose of antioxidants that can keep your skin and body looking and feeling radiant. These antioxidants also stop chia seeds from spoiling, that is why they can last up to two years even if they are not in the fridge.
- Helps improve heart health – Studies show that chia seeds can also help to reduce blood pressure. Chia seeds help increase healthy cholesterol and lowers total, triglyceride, and LDL cholesterol.