Ever wonder why we include raw chia seeds into our protein blend? Well, it’s because of the abundance of health benefits that Chia Seeds can bring to our body.
A one-ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains (1):
- Fiber: 11 grams.
- Protein: 4 grams.
- Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are omega-3s).
- Calcium: 18% of the RDI.
- Manganese: 30% of the RDI.
- Magnesium: 30% of the RDI.
- Phosphorus: 27% of the RDI.
- They also contain a decent amount of zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2.
Mind you, we are talking about an ounce over here. Amazingly, This small amount supplies only 137 calories and one gram of digestible carbohydrate.
Apart from that, chia seeds are technically “tasteless” thus making it easy to include them in your everyday diet.
Chia seeds were used by Mayan and Inca warriors, hence called warrior food. Today, often time’s runners also call them runner’s food, but before that they were called warrior’s foods and below are the various reason why.
1. High in Nutrients
Chia seeds are so high in nutrients, specifically in Omega-3 fats, B-vitamins and they’re also high in various minerals such as selenium. So, we know that chia seeds have great health benefits.
2. Energy Booster
Warriors would carry a little pouch of chia seeds on their belt and they just take one tablespoon of chia which worth a day’s energy. So when they were in battle, having to fight, they would use it.
This is proven today with medical studies. A recent study was published in the Journal of Strength and conditioning, they found that consuming chia seeds was as energizing as consuming a popular sports drink or Gatorade because it contains a lot of healthy fat and protein, but small amount of complex carbohydrates.
If you’re finding something for boosting your energy, I’ve got a great recipe of chia seeds that I’m gonna share with you at the end of this post.
3. Plant-based source of Protein
Chia seeds are the highest plant-based source of protein along with another superfood spirulina. Thus, you can find this tiny little superfood in al LyteProtein powder because we are more focused on adding natural ingredients in our product instead of artificial ingredients.
4. Omega-3 Fats
We know omega-3 fats reduce the inflammation so that can help fight joint pain or arthritis, heart disease. So anything that’s inflammatory chia seeds can fight with that as well.
5. High in Fiber
Chia seeds are high in fiber so they can be very helpful in fat loss. We know fiber helps cleanse the colon, and it helps keeps you full longer. They contain a unique kind of fiber, known as mucilaginous fiber, which has white sort of gels up which helps detox the colon.
Some of our favorite chia seeds recipe would be:
1) To make a chia seed super shake. You put in one cup of blueberries, 1-2 ripped bananas and half - a scoop of LyteProtein powder and 2-3 tablespoons of chia, then voila! You got yourself a fulfilling protein supershake!
You can add several tablespoons of chia seeds in a superfood smoothie, as it is a great natural mineral supplement. It’s high in vitamins and minerals using it this way.
2) You can make a chia seed pudding because chia seeds have mucilaginous properties, it will give that kind of gel-like texture, which makes it great to add into a pudding. So, you can make chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding using LyteProtein powder.
3) Chia seeds can be used as an energy booster snacks. You can mix chia seeds with some coconut oil and a drop of peppermint oil. That’s something you can have when you’re going out for training because the combination of these three ingredients is an ultimate energy boosting snack.
Bottom Line
Chia seeds are not only rich in nutrients, omega-3 fat, antioxidants and fiber but also easy to prepare. People commonly add them to their smoothies and according to recent study, it helps to support weight loss!
If you have yet to include chia seeds in your diet, you should definitely start trying it now.