Boost Weight Loss and Endurance, Fight Diabetes and Fatigue with Chia.
Remember “chi, chi, chia,” that jingle for Chia Pets? Well, the seeds themselves are tiny powerhouses of nutrition.
Rich in essential fats (EFAs), chia seed offers a healthy balance—30% omega 3s and 40% omega 6s. It’s also a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, swelling in water and providing a feeling of fullness while helping to sweep toxins out of the intestinal tract for a safe detox.
Equally important, studies show that chia seed slows down how quickly the body converts carbohydrates into sugar. These seeds reduce belly fat, which has been linked to diabetes and heart disease, and fight insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Ann Louise’s Take:
According to some manufacturers, chia contains twice the protein of any other seed or grain; eight times more Omega 3s than salmon, twice the potassium of bananas, and three times the antioxidant stength of blueberries.
This superfood is actually the edible seed of a desert plant that’s part of the mint family. Chia was a major component of the early Aztec diet. Just one tablespoon was believed to sustain an Aztec warrior for a whole day! Think what this might mean for you! Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons on eggs, salads, and veggies or add to frappes or smoothies, soups, and stews and watch your energy soar and elimination increase.
10 Reasons Why I Personally Recommend Chia Seeds:
1. The soluble fiber in chia seed forms a gel when you add them to water. Added to smoothies, chia gel helps stabilize blood sugar and cut cravings for high-glycemic carbs and sugar.
2. Studies show that soluble fiber lowers cholesterol. And since chia seed has been found to reduce belly fat and diabetes, it also helps protect your heart.
3. Chia’s fiber and healthy fat provide consistent energy, which is why the Aztec runners used this seed for endurance.
4. When soaked in water briefly, chia seed gel helps endurance athletes stay hydrated. These seeds can absorb 10 times their weight in water, so any liquids you drink before, during, or after exercise will stay in the body longer.
5. High in protein, chia seed builds muscle, which is particularly important as we age, as well as for athletes and anyone trying to lose weight.
6. Because this seed plumps up so much in water, its soluble fiber helps fill you up, so you don’t eat as much, particularly useful for weight loss.
7. Soluble fiber in chia seed also works as a prebiotic, helping to feed good bacteria (probiotics), which fight off dangerous bacteria, viruses, yeasts and other pathogens.
8. Chia’s insoluble fiber helps clean out the digestive tract, which is why I recommend it in my upcoming Fat Flush for Life and as an essential part of the Fat Flush Smoothie Shakedown. Chia seed bulks up stools, which help rid your intestines of harmful substances and detox safely.
9. One of the few vegetable forms of omega-3 fat, chia seeds unlike flax do not need to be ground or toasted. Chia is also very shelf stable, so it doesn’t need expensive packaging to prevent rancidity. Flax seeds, another great source of omega-3, should be ground for optimum digestion as well as toasted to eliminate troublesome substances that can interfere with thyroid function – see The Fat Flush Plan.
10. This seed helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K while adding essential minerals like boron, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. To protect bones, women need the right amount of calcium, boron (which improves calcium absorption) and vitamin D.
Source:
Fat Flush for Life (Da Capo Press, 2009)
What helps acne in teenagers? What is the cause of it? Thank you.
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for the easy explanation of why these have become so popular!
Thanks ALG! Glad to hear your take on Chia seeds. A nutritionist friend turned me on to them. The FFP has always bee the centerpiece of a good diet for me. About 3 months ago I started a diet loosely based on the FFP but I added 4 ounces of Chia seeds a day to it. Need to be careful, that’s a whopping 500 calories!
My main reason was for the fiber. I found psyllium was too sticky (hard to wash a glass with my big hands) and insoluble, and flax seeds are a pain to manage with grinding and potential spoilage, as you mentioned. I’ve been taking 1 ounce of Chia before bed and after waking up with cran-water, and 1 ounce before lunch and dinner. They really help slowing digestion down, and stabilizing my blood sugar, especially early when I first transitioned from a bad diet to the good one, getting off added sugars. I made the mistake of eating my seeds after lunch last week and was much hungrier, a mistake so I need to take them before I eat to slow down my digestion.
I haven’t tried the gel, I just take 2 coffee scoops of seeds which equals one ounce, and swallow them with a bit of water. Juust like a pile of supplements, nice and quick. I’m a big guy and drink a lot of water, 5L a day so I’m not worried about not having the fluid.
I’m glad to have such a stable source of omega 3’s. I am told the Chia plant is ignored by pests, so no pesticides are used in making it, so there’s not much point in buying organic Chia. But of course that’s half the picture as I would like to see some data on Chia grown from organic soil versus non, and see if it’s worth the cost factor of double.
Keep up the good work!
#1 I would like to know if I should soak the chia seeds before obsorboring them?
#2 Should a type 2 diabetic take chondroitin-glouscosemine? I need it for my joints…but I am diabetic… NOT taking the shots…only metformin
On my package of Chia Seeds, they said not to take them if you have an obstructed Bowl. Since I have had constipation problems, I am concerned about taking the Chia Seeds.
Where does a person find the Chia seeds?
Thanks,
Wendy
I have been eating the chia gel as part of my breakfast “cereal” everyday for a couple of years now. Together with ground flax seed, it keeps my elimination very stable. You can buy the seeds from health food stores but is much cheaper to order from sunorganic.com
To make the gel add 2 tbsp chia seeds to a jar filled with 1 1/4 cup water. Shake briskly every couple of minutes in the beginning and gel is ready in about 10 minutes. This will last a few days in the fridge. I use 1/4 cup of the gel per bowl of cereal.
Source of where to buy chia seeds.
http://www.a-tlc.net/chia.html
great organic seeds….where I buy mine.
Thanks Ann for keeping us uptodate, and for everybody’s input which is helpful.
Great to have so many responses; UNI KEY will be distributing chia seeds shortly. I think they will be well stocked in time for the launch of Fat Flush for Life which is out in December. Until then, I think that there are suitable brands in health food stores. Chia can be eaten whole or ground, which is not the case with flaxseed.
Reason #9 Why LG recommends Chia is that it does not need to be toasted and grounded as flaxseeds do
I have been on the Fat Flush way of eating for over 3 years and I have been enjoying eating grounded faxseeds everyday. I love the taste. However I have not been toasting them. I have just recently had a blood test and the results indicate that I have hypothyroidism.
Since LG wrote “flax seeds should be grounded as well as TOASTED to eliminate troublesome substances that can interfere with THYROID function” , I am wondering if not toasting my flaxseeds has caused my thyroid problem ,and if I eliminate flaxseeds or begin to toast my grounded flaxseeds can I restore my thyroid to its healthy functioning level
Me too. I have the same problem with thyroid and I didn’t know I was supposed to be toasting them. So I have the same questions as Melanie.
How does chia compare to salba? Can or should you add both or just one or the other? Why do you have to toast flax? Doesn’t heating the flax turn the good fat to bad? Thanks!
I also question what Lorraine questions about heating (toasting) flaxseeds
For so long I thought that I should not heat flaxseeds, now I find out that toasting them
eliminates troublesome substances that can interfere with thyroid function!
Well of course unikey will be carrying them!
My question is how do they taste?
I just brought chia seeds from the health food store and I love the taste. Is it better to have the chia seeds with water before my smoothie or can I just put them in my smoothie.
Thanks for informing me about chia seeds!
You can definitely put the chia seeds in your smoothie! Chia seeds are an integral component in Dr. Ann Louise’s smoothie recipe made with Fat Flush Body Protein powder.
I absolutely recommend this protein powder…my breakfast smoothie keeps me fully sustained for a good four hours! It’s also excellent for weight loss and has been so popular that it’s inspired Dr. Ann Louise’s latest Fat Flush program – the Fat Flush Smoothie Shakedown…people are losing up to 20 pounds in two weeks!! Get all the details at
http://smoothieshakedown.com
Ann, like many of your other writers I am “confused” about the need to toast the flax seed. I have all your books, nothing being said about the need to toast flax seed in any of them. I too, found out I have a low normal thyroid level. Please address this topic of thyroid involvement when using untoasted flax seed.
I believe the flax seed issue is addressed in the back of the Fat Flush Plan.
Actually, the issue of toasting the flaxseeds has been addressed from the get-go in all of my Fat Flush books. In the latest reprint, I believe it is covered in page 75 of the book. We have even provided name brands of the companies which provide ground flaxseeds which are lightly toasted. The problem does not occur in moderate flaxseed use – toasted or untoasted. Apparently it is four tablespoons or more a day, far above what is recommended in any of my plans.
Also, there are MANY factors which are involved in lowered thyroid function including lack of iodine, excess xenoestrogens, too much copper, etc.
Hypothyroidism is an epidemic among many women these days, the majority of whom do not even know what a flaxseed is 🙂
I just purchased some chia seeds at my HFS and want to add them to my smoothies. How much do I use? One teaspoon? One tablespoon? More or less?
Thanks for the answer.
After reading about chia seeds I’d like to learn the health differences between chia seeds and flaxseed oil. It sounds easer and more beneficial to use chia seeds. Also does flaxseed oil need to be refrigerated before it is opened? Some stores have it in the refrigerated and some just on a shelve. Thanks.
Two to three tablespoons of chia is great, Marlene.
Mindy, most flaxseed oil already contains antioxidants which prevent rancidity. I simply keep my unopened flaxseed oil in my pantry and then keep it in the fridge once it is opened.
Louise,
I am taking Udo oil as an omega 3,6,9. Is that good also for brain power. I am 62 years old. I tend to get foggy minded and I need to stay alert for my work. I also was told that it is good for hot flashes. I have had them for about 9 years.
Thank you also for your fat flush diet.
Does the smoothie recipe need two to three tablespoons of dry chia seeds or of the gel?
Thanks
Shelagh
Dear Friends:
I would love to answer each and every single one of your queries, as I have done to the best of my ability, in the past. The popularity of this Blog has grown to the extent that I can no longer provide that service but I am in the planning stages of an Internet – TV show where you can call in and get those questions answered by me in person! Please stay tuned for this exciting development. I first must complete a new manuscript and then will make some exciting announcements. In the interim, may I suggest that if you have questions about products, call UNI KEY at 1-800-888-4353. The folks there are helpful and will direct you accordingly. If you are concerned about a particular health condition, then by all means check out the Testing Kits on my site which will help you to determine underlying causes. Please don’t let this dissuade you from posting. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and interest!
I bought some Chia. I don’t quite understand the directions. Do I take it before breakfast also? It said athletes stay hydrated. I have fluid problems & take dieretics . Will this interfere ?Thank you in advance.
Ruby- You can use chia seeds any time you wish, they are great added to many dishes or in smoothies. They will not interfere with your diuretics.