It is right that chia seeds can give a positive contribution to the health of women and men alike. They are the little black seeds that contain a lot of nutrients that we need each day. It also helps to stabilise blood sugar levels. Women also say that their intestines become happier and you are best off eating a tablespoon every few days. Many more women are doing this nowadays and you can also start to discover the benefits to the body that chia seeds can bring.
Before you just start to eat the seeds, you would also like to know what it is and where they are from, right? The seed is from the Chia Plant (Salvia Hispanica). This is a Mexican family member of the mint plant. The flowers of the plant produce little seeds. These look a little bit like poppy seeds that you can find in bread. Appearance wise they would be the best comparison. The plant was used for thousands of years by the Aztecs and the Mayas as medicine but also as a food. They would get an energy boost from eating the chia seeds and their endurance was also increased. At the moment that Aztec warriors needed to cover a long distance, then they would eat chia seeds. They would also bring a handful of them for on the road.
There are people that eat chia seed because it can contribute to your health. For women of the age 40+ the properties of chia seeds are very positive. In chia seeds you will namely find magnesium, omega 3 fats, calcium, protein, selenium, iron, potassium and the seeds are also rich in fiber. Our intestines need a lot of fiber, they need them to be able to do their work properly. The chia seeds can give a good supply of them.
You can use chia seeds in different ways. The moment that you let chia seeds soak for about ten minutes, the seeds start to become a bit gel like. When you eat this it will come into your stomach and it will make the transformation from carbohydrates to sugars and glucose go slower. Because of this the blood sugar levels are kept in a better balance. This ensures that the body has to make less insulin. When blood sugar levels are stable, then hormones are also more balanced and this is important for women of 40 years and older. Because you let the chia seeds soak, you will also feel full quicker, and that is handy if you are trying to lose a few pounds.
Chia seeds are rich in protein. You need protein to build up muscle and other tissues in the body. When you do sports, it is thus ideal to eat chia seeds, because the muscles use more calories when resting than fats. More muscles are thus also good if you want to achieve a healthy weight and chia seeds can help with this. So you see that chia seeds are very useful!
Chia seeds can also help with a proper absorption of calcium. This is an important building material for your bones. When you become older you should be aware of this. It is important to have a good absorption of calcium. This is also important for a good contraction and relaxation of your muscles. It is also an important source of omega 3. Your brain needs these to work properly. Omega 3 also slows down inflammations and will therefore also lower the risks of heart and vascular diseases. Chia seeds are also seen as food for your brain.
Be careful when you are starting to use chia seeds, because not everyone is well equipped against them, not everyone can digest them properly. The usage of chia seeds also has some side effects. People that cannot handle chia seeds that well will notice that instantly, because they will experience a bloated feeling and nausea. But you can also get diahrrea and suffer from flatulence. This is because they contain so much fiber. May you want to take chia seeds and you are suffering from the side effects, then you may have used it too quickly. It is important that you start slowly by building up your tolerance. When you are experiencing constipation, then the fiber in chia seeds are an advantage and they will help you. It i important that you keep drinking enough water (but this is always important). When you would not do this then the fiber in chia seeds could be the cause of constipation and we of course want to prevent this problem.
You can use chia seeds in different ways. You can thus make it into a gel, like we discussed above, then you let the chia seeds soak for about ten minutes. Then you can use it as a basis for your muesli breakfast. But you can also add it to a salad. You can even use it in your smoothie. But it is important that you do not eat too much, so that your body can slowly get used to it. Build up the eating of chia seeds slowly. In this way you will prevent getting all of the side effects at one, and you won't be happy with them. By building it up responsibly you will hardly ever experience any of the side effects. Are you in bad luck to belong to the group that does experience the side effects of eating chia seeds, then follow the advice as given in the paragraph above.
Look up some recipes on the internet, there's loads of nice things that you can make with chia seeds. You can for instance soak the chia seeds in coconut milk or in apple juice and let them soak overnight. Then in the morning you can add some nuts, fresh fruits and raw honey to it. And voila, a wonderfully healthy breakfast that tastes delicious! You can buy chia seeds in the supermarket, health stores but also online.
