What seed am I?
Metta came back from Expo West natural trade show with promises of improving our nutritional health and renewed vigor to turn a “pretty healthy” diet into “Healthy!” One of the healthy additives that she’s been raving about is Chia seeds, which I’ve been eyeing at the health food stores with a personal interest to try once my flaxseeds are used up. I currently add a tablespoonish of golden flaxseeds (I heard, though unconfirmed, that golden has more vitamins than red) to my almost daily smoothie. I experiment a bit, but it’s more a healthy smoothie of convenience consisting of Scobie Bryant’s (my Kombucha’s nickname) miracle tea, an apple (skin included), frozen berries if no other fresh fruits of the season are gracing my kitchen, yogurt/milk if available and it cuts the light vinegar taste of the Kombucha, and that tablespoonish of flaxseeds. But let’s get back into the ring…
FLAX SEEDS: high in Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and antioxidants, B vitamins, and fiber, minerals: folate, manganese, magnesium, copper, etc.
I use whole flaxseeds because they can be stored up to a year whereas flaxseed meal can only last up to a week at room temperature because the unsaturated oils can go rancid easily. But I grind the flaxseeds before using them because that releases the goodies. Toasting flaxseeds is helpful too because it breaks down the small amounts of natural cyanide in them (also found in cashews and some beans). And according to US agencies and research, the recommended safe dose is anywhere from 2-6 tabespoons a day. Just don’t go overboard as both of these are high in fiber! If you’re a fan of the oil, just remember it does not contain the phytochemical antioxidants or the fiber.
CHIA SEEDS: high in soluble fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, minerals: potassium, calcium, amino acids
The soluble fiber in gluten-free chia seeds is so evident that if you mix up a cup of water and tablespoon of powder, you can get a gel in half an hour! That’s great for controlling food intake, carbohydrate to sugar absorption conversion, and diabetics where blood sugar level is particularly important. Plus chia seeds help keep you hydrated because they absorb water (a must for healthy skin and inner body health/healing). More than 20% protein, chia seeds are filled with a good mix of essential amino acids that your body doesn’t naturally make. Recommended dosage varies, but 3 tablespoons, 3 times a day is commonly recommended. Excellent place to purchase online: http://salba.com
Incidentally, a great website for checking out nutrition data is www.nutritiondata.com. It covers everything and has useful tables and comparisons.
So the winner? Undeclared. After researching both of these, I’d love to incorporate both; they serve different purposes and complement each other well. So my future smoothies will have both… It’s a win win for everyone.
I have been meaning to try Chia Seed! Thanks for the great info.
You’re welcome! What do you use now? I’ve been trying it out for the last month, and I love it! I actually now buy it in bulk from a coop, so it’s really cheap, and I add it to diluted juice or my kombucha smoothies. What do you mix it with?
I use both. Why not?
I bought a few pounds of chia seed from my local health food store. Then i found out Amazon are selling them much cheaper…
anyway i gather 20+ chia seed recipe and read to mix in all of my meals. I heard some people even add them into coffee and tea. Just wonder how that work..
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Check out our delicious and nutritious Chia Seed beverages!
Check out our delicious and nutritious Mamma Chia beverages!
I like doing batches . . .
I dilute 3 TBL Chia seeds in 32 oz water and store in fridge.
I also grind flax seeds about once every two weeks and keep them in a dark glass jar in my fridge.
I drink about a cup a day of the Chia Water, and use the flax in my morning smoothie. Other ingredients in the smoothie include blended greens, blue-green algae, maca powder, psyllium husks, and Vitamineral Green. (small amounts of each).
Blessings!
I use both flax and chia seeds for my morning smoothie or oatmeal. I would recommend both in your daily diet, as they have important nutrients in high quantities that we traditionally don’t get in a western diet.
A great source for chia seeds is FitFlax. It’s a delicious blend of golden roasted flax seed and chia seeds. A super healthy breakfast is greek yogurt with berries and FitFlax. For flax seed weight loss and chia seeds weight loss check out FitFlax.
I found this site while searching chia vs flax. I ended up getting Chia because it was lower in calories (per serving). I’m not used to adding fiber to my diet like this but am looking to do so. I’ll come back and post my experience in a month.
I got my chia from ForestRx.com they also have other stuff too that I purchased, Maca powder for example, great energy stuff.
Well, I find chia to be a miracle food. Totally hassle-free. Just dip two table spoons into water [or any beaverage you like], ten minutes before every meal and they become a fine gel. You can ingest them even dry. We DO TAKE dry and repulsive pills ” dry”.When first I got aware of this miracle seed, I couldnot find in any store. Online it was $ 6.99/lb. Accidently I landed in ‘International Foods’ Raleigh, a Mexican grocery store. The manager there didnot know what ‘chia’ was, but he helpfully directed me to his senior, a fat guy who himself was consuming these to keep his BP in cheque. Price: just $ 2/- for half lb!