If you’re looking for the best chia seeds products to buy this year, then you’ve come to the right place. You can also get more info by jumping to our Chia Seeds Products Guide.
Top 10 Chia Seeds Products
| #1 |  |
HealthWorks Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #2 |  |
Viva Labs Organic Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #3 |  |
Navitas Naturals Organic Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #4 |  |
Bob’s Red Mill Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #5 |  |
Nutiva Organic Chia Seed | More Info |
| #6 |  |
Spectrum Essentials Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #7 |  |
Now Foods White Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #8 |  |
Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Chia Seeds | More Info |
| #9 |  |
Barleans Organic Oils Organic Chia Seed | More Info |
| #10 |  |
Garden Of Life Organic Chia Seed | More Info |
Chia Seeds Products Guide
The earliest known use of chia seeds was during the existence of the ancient Mayan civilization. The chia plant grew easily among the sweet potatoes, corn, squash, pumpkins, and tomatoes that were an important part of their diet. And although they had little information to go on as far as the health aspects of what they ate, these people knew what they were doing.
All of these plants are now considered by doctors to be “superfoods” because they offer a multitude of vitamins and minerals that prevent diseases and malnutrition, especially the chia seeds. But surprisingly, the Mayans used them primarily for energy. The fastest people in their villages were trained as runners to send messages and get ice from the mountains. The trips often took them several hours, so they brought along the seeds to eat on the way for energy.
The Aztecs and Incas were known to eat the seeds too. Since modern folks have also recently started adding chia seeds to their diet, this article will discuss some of the unique facts about this unique food product.
What Are Chia Seeds?
Most people think of the clay pots shaped into cartoon characters when they think of chia plants. They have been sold for years as gifts for children during the holidays. The seeds produce a gelatinous substance when water is added to them, so they naturally adhere to the grooves carved into a pot’s features. But what most people don’t realize is that these are only tiny sprouts.
The chia plant gets to be almost seven feet tall. It is called “salvia hispanica,” which translates to “Spanish sage.” It has lovely blue flowers at the top that make it popular to grow in gardens. Once the flowers fade, seeds start to form. Some plants produce white seeds, and others produce black ones. The black chia seeds have been proven to be the most nutritious of the two. Since it only takes one seed to grow a new plant, there are many of them left over.
These are harvested and sold in packages for health enthusiasts to purchase. Sometimes, they are ground up, so they look similar to flax seeds. But often, they are left whole.
Benefits of Chia Seeds
Calling chia seeds a miracle product is a bit of a stretch, but it is hard not to describe them this way once someone has tried them. They are loaded with so much nutrition that they are close to a whole meal all by themselves. A third of a cup has protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, boron, and other vitamins and minerals. And best of all, they are low in calories.
One of the top benefits to eating chia seeds daily is the abundance of fiber that they add to the diet. This fiber keeps a person feeling full for much longer than they would with a regular meal, which is helpful for those who are trying to eat less to lose weight. But it should be mentioned that chia seeds are not an instant cure for obesity. Exercise and calorie restriction has to take place simultaneously for them to work. The high fiber content is also helpful for diabetics. It causes the glucose in a meal to be released more slowly, so it doesn’t spike blood sugar levels. And the fiber also decreases cholesterol levels in those who eat a lot of red meat, fried foods, and eggs.
The way that chia seeds hold on to so much water makes them useful for those who have gastrointestinal problems. Hard stools and leftover food particles that are stuck in the intestinal tract are carried out of the body more easily when people eat the seeds regularly. Those who have diverticulitis may benefit from them the most. This disease causes stools to stay stuck in inflamed pockets in the intestinal tract, which gets cleared out by the extra water and fiber.
As mentioned before, chia seeds also provide a steady amount of energy for hours. They don’t contain a lot of carbohydrates, but the little that they do have is released very slowly into the body. This gives a person energy without causing a sugar crash.
Are There Any Side Effects?
The only potential side effect of eating these amazing seeds is dysphagia. Sometimes, people who have certain illnesses have trouble swallowing. This is especially common in patients with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Chia seeds bulk up quickly when a liquid or saliva from the mouth is added to them, which can cause someone to start choking if they can’t swallow very well. Those who naturally have a small esophagus may also want to avoid eating them raw. And people who have any diseases that cause them to not be able to break down the seeds in their stomach may want to ask their doctor first before they try them.
How to Take Chia Seeds
There are many different ways to add chia seeds into a diet. The trick is to make use of their natural ability to absorb water. The first method is as an egg substitute for baked goods. Combine one teaspoon of ground chia seeds with one teaspoon of water for each egg that a recipe calls for. Let the mixture sit together in a bowl for five minutes before stirring it into the other ingredients. It won’t change the taste of the dish at all. And most people find that it keeps their baked goods moist and delicious until they are eaten. This method is the most popular with vegans that don’t eat animal products.
Chia seeds also taste great in a pudding that is similar to tapioca. Instead of adding water to the seeds, a person can add coconut or almond milk. Both ground up and whole chia seeds can be used for this. The mixture should be stirred together well. Some fresh fruit or cocoa powder can be stirred into it for extra flavor. Leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours until the seeds completely absorb the liquid.
Another way to use chia seeds is as a healthy breading for lean meats. It can be either added in the flour used to coat the meat or completely substituted for the flour before the meat is fried or baked. Ground up chia seeds work the best for this.
Since chia seeds are so small, they aren’t easy to grab out of a trail mix for snacking. So they work best if they are made into homemade granola bars instead. Simply stir together honey, olive oil, raisins, almonds, and chia seeds in a bowl. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet. Then, bake it in on low heat until it becomes firm. Cut strips into it while it is still warm to make the granola bar shapes.
And lastly, chia seeds can be added to a bottle of water or fruit juice for a healthy energy drink that isn’t high in sugar. This drink keeps well in the refrigerator. So several bottles of it can be made up ahead of time.
What to Look for in a Good Chia Seed Product
Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake chia seed products on the market, which is why it is crucial to know how to find a better version of them. And the first thing to look at is the contents. A person can easily see if a bag contains nothing but chia seeds if they are whole. But when they are ground up, it gets harder to tell. Other cheaper products can be mixed in with them. So it is important to read the label carefully for further information. By law, food manufacturers have to list the ingredients in an order that starts with the ingredient that there is the largest amount of. If the first ingredient isn’t chia seeds, or there are too many other ingredients listed, the product probably contains a lot of fillers.
The age of the product also matters. Chia seeds have a long shelf life of about two years. It is common for companies to try to sell them right up to the point of expiration. But this poses a problem if a person isn’t planning to eat them all right away.
Consumers shouldn’t ignore the packaging used for chia seeds either. If it is a bag, then it should be free from tears or thinned areas that show it could be tampered with. Jars or bottles of it can quickly develop moisture that will make the seeds not last as long, so a small bag of silicone is usually placed inside to absorb it. If no silicone is present, then that product should be skipped.
And it is also helpful to purchase only organic chia seeds. Others are grown with pesticides and herbicides that can’t be washed off of the seeds without causing them to swell from the moisture. These chemicals cause a multitude of health problems, and they deplete energy levels. If the label doesn’t mention whether or not the product is organic, it probably isn’t.
The post 10 Best Chia Seeds Products – Reviewed & Ranked for 2017 appeared first on Supplement Hound - Supplement Reviews for 2016.
from Supplement Hound – Supplement Reviews for 2016 http://supplementhound.com/best-chia-seeds-products/
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