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Chia Seed Recipes Transformed into Smoothies
Chia seed recipes? I thought that chia seeds were for the chia pets advertised on TV or on department store shelves. Perhaps, you even have one of these sprout-covered clay sculptures displayed on your counter right now. What you might not know is that the chia seeds that create the adorable fluffy green afro are packed with amazing health benefits.
What are Chia seeds?
If you live in the Southwest American, chances are you walk by chia plants every day and don't even realize it. This Mexican mint, Salvia hispanica, is a plant native to the central Mexican plateau and Guatemala. It can even grow as far north as Texas, Arizona, and southern California. The plant grows about 3 feet (1 m) tall, with leaves alternating on opposite sides of the stem. The white or purple flower spikes produce mottle-colored white, brown, purple, or black seeds about 1 mm (0.04 in) in diameter.
Health Benefits of Chia Seeds
What are the health benefits of chia seed recipes? Chia seeds are very beneficial to the body because of their extraordinarily high content of omega 3-fatty acids. Over half of the weight of the seed is omega 3-fatty acids. They contain about 20% protein and 16% cent fiber.
Chia seed recipes also contain quercetin, myristicin, and kaempferol. These are naturally occurring antioxidants that help stabilize tissues.
The greatest health benefit of chia seeds today seems to satisfy an uncontrollable sweet tooth. Animal laboratory experiments find that adding chia seed to a high-sugar diet gradually reduces insulin resistance.
When the muscles and liver cells are more sensitive to insulin, the pancreas does not have to release as much insulin to keep bloodstream glucose levels normal. When less insulin is released into the bloodstream, fewer fatty acids are stored in fat cells. This is because insulin is approximately 300 times more efficient at storing fatty acids than it is at storing glucose.
After all is said... the long-term consumption of chia seeds, in laboratory studies, is reduced body fat, lowered insulin levels, and lowered blood sugars.
Chia seed recipes also help with hunger as chia seeds swell up when liquid is added. When this happens in the stomach, your brain will be sent a message that your stomach is full. This will help satisfy your appetite until the next meal.
3 Tips to Blend a Chia Seed Smoothie
Tip #1 - The key to making a perfect chia smoothie is to use no more than 1 tablespoon of seeds to 8 ounce of liquid added to any type of smoothie. Fruit smoothie recipes are a good place to start. Chia seeds have the ability to soak up 12 times its weight in water.
Tip #2 - Unless you want a thick chia gel smoothie, you will need to drink your smoothie immediately after blending.
Tip #3 - It is beneficial to soak the seeds with the liquid of the smoothie for about an hour prior to blending. Pour the chia gel into the blender with the frozen fruit of choice and blend. Add more liquid, if needed.
You could even make extra chia gel and freeze it in an ice cube tray for future smoothies. Now that's quick nutrition!
Want to lose weight with chia seeds... but don't have any in your cupboard? Most grocery stores sell these seeds now.
Happy Blending!
DaNae
Selected references:Chicco AG, D'Alessandro ME, Hein GJ, Oliva ME, Lombardo YB. Dietary chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) rich in alpha-linolenic acid improves adiposity and normalises hypertriacylglycerolaemia and insulin resistance in dyslipaemic rats. Br J Nutr. 2009 Jan;101(1):41-50. Epub 2008 May 20. Ulbricht C, Chao W, Nummy K, Rusie E, Tanguay-Colucci S, Iannuzzi CM, Plammoottil JB, Varghese M, Weissner W. Chia (Salvia hispanica): a systematic review by the natural standard research collaboration.Rev Recent Clin Trials. 2009 Sep;4(3):168-74. Vuksan V, Whitham D, Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins AL, Rogovik AL, Bazinet RP, Vidgen E, Hanna A. Supplementation of conventional therapy with the novel grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) improves major and emerging cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: results of a randomized controlled trial.Diabetes Care. 2007 Nov;30(11):2804-10. Epub 2007 Aug 8
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The contents are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This website is for sharing knowledge and information from the research and experience of DaNae. She encourages you to make your own health decisions based upon your research and discussion with your own qualified professionals.