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How To Use Chia Seeds For Weight Loss | Proven Methods

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How to lose weight? This is possibly the most searched topic over the internet in recent times. Despite that, we continue to eat foods that are low in vibration. But are excellent for our taste buds.

Eating junk has made our bodies paunchy. Not only that, this food has made us sluggish too.

Most of us are struggling with losing weight and finding a perfect diet. While searching for foods that help in weight loss you must have come across chia seeds.

Chia seeds have gained popularity recently. Many nutritionists suggest including these in your diet. Before including them, stop!


First, look at what they are.

Read Also: How to Drink Kombucha for Weight Loss

Superfood Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are tiny oval shapes, grey with black and white spot seeds. These are grown in the region of Mexico.

Plus, they come in the category of edible seeds. Talking about the nutritious value per hundred grams they tend to have the following ratios:

  • Total Calories- 486
  • Total Fat- 31 g
  • Protein- 17 g
  • Calcium- 63%
  • Carbs- 42 g
  • Potassium- 407 mg

Looking at these figures you might be amazed and excited to add them to your diet for weight loss. We will discuss later whether these should be included or not.

Read Also: How To Eat Carbs And Lose Weight

Texture

This pseudo-grain turns into a thick gel after coming in contact with water. Thus, they have a mushy texture.

If you put seeds in water for about 30 minutes they will expand, making that thick gluey gel.

Chia Seeds
Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds And Weight Loss

Scrolling down Instagram, we come across many reels that tell us how chia seeds help in losing weight.

Digging deeper, we found that no research suggests chia seeds as a weight-loss food.

Does This Work For Weight Loss?

Researchers say that chia seeds have a high fiber content which holds a large amount of water. This is the reason why these are always used with liquids.

No doubt they are a good source of important essential nutrients. But put in your mind that they are not low in calories and have a good amount of transfer fats.

It contains omega-3 which is always termed a fatty acid. This is a boon for vegetarians who could not add other sources, like fish, to their diet. The presence of omega-3 will help in reducing cardiac problems in human beings.

Due to high fiber content, they tend to break slowly. In other words, we can say they are slow to digest.

Meaning thereby, eating chia seeds can help you be fuller for long hours. Thus helping you in curbing hunger.

There’s an important point here: If you want to lose weight then these seeds can’t help you unless you eat a good diet with them.

What Experts Say?

  • The Food and drug administration has issued a list of food items that are not registered. Chia seed is one of them. They say that Chia seeds have not met the evaluation standards. These can pose health risks and their quality is not assured.
  • A study conducted by Nutrition Research states that, when chia seeds were given in the diet to overweight adults, there was no influence on their bodies. They didn’t lose any weight.

Benefits to health

Although, chia seeds don’t help you directly in shedding weight. But these tiny seeds are packed with numerous nutrients. Now let’s discuss how can chia seed help you

Loaded With Several Nutrients

 These little seeds are bunched and packed with multiple micronutrients, fatty acids, proteins, and fiber.

  • Calcium: Calcium helps in keeping our bones and teeth strong. To provide good bone health, calcium plays a very important role.
  • Omega-3: although Chia seeds have a high content of omega-3 but not also contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). This acid is then converted into DHA (docosahexaenoic) which is an active form. DHA provides you with certain health bodies. But chia seeds do not convert ALA into DHA. So experts advise eating fish, fish oil, or DHA supplements.
  • Fiber- It has a high content of fiber. Because of it, they absorb large amounts of water. After eating them our stomach remains fuller for a long time.
  • Protein- We find high portions of protein in them. This protein helps in reducing unwanted hunger which in turn boosts our metabolism. It also helps in lowering blood pressure levels. Thus, they perform a major role in weight loss.

Lower the risk of heart problems

Heart problems often arise when we are overweight. Due to the presence of protein in it, they somehow help in reducing cardiac diseases. Therefore helps in getting better health.

High antioxidants

Antioxidants are very important for the human body. They reduce the risk of cancer and even help your skin look young by lowering skin aging factors.

Reduce blood sugar level

 Chia seeds help in stabilizing sugar levels in your body. These are rich in fiber and fiber does not contain any sugar which could spike your insulin. Thus, they help in reducing the overall sugar levels in the human body.

Flexible in usage

Chia seeds are flexible in their usage. Add some milk or water and let them sit until they get bigger. Now eat them in any way you want to.

Point to remember: try not to eat them dry as they can choke your food pipe.

5 Ways In Which Chia Seeds Can Help You

1. Add it to your morning drink

Everyone has a habit of drinking lukewarm water in the morning. Some squeeze lemon and honey into it.

Getting bored drinking it? Let’s add some chia seeds to it. It will not only make the water satiety but also helps you to detox your body. This water is an excellent morning drink. This will help you to provide immunity while keeping you away from munching.

Easy Recipe

  • Soak 1 tablespoon of seeds overnight, in water.
  • In the morning, add some fresh lime and one spoonful of honey.
  • Bravo! Your super healthy drink is ready.

2. Adding It To Your Vegetable Salad

It is always recommended to eat vegetable salad 15 minutes before your meals. This will help you to get proper fiber which will prevent overeating. Adding one tablespoon of seeds to it will make the salad more nutritious.

Easy Recipe

  • Take your favorite vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, capsicum, cucumber et cetera. Cut them.
  • Now add 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds and pumpkin seeds to it.
  • Add some lemon and enjoy your salad.

3. Yummy Puddings

You must have seen that fancy pudding in your instant feed. Making cheesy pudding is very easy yet delicious. Before we continue you should note that eating pudding the wrong way can add up to your weight. So let’s see the right way to add them to your yummy pudding.

Easy Recipe

  • Soak chia seeds in almond or oats milk for at least 10 minutes.
  • Pick your favorite fruits and nuts and add them too.
  • Enjoy!

4. Smoothie Topping

We know that Chia seeds don’t have any taste. So they are versatile. You can easily add them to your favorite smoothie. By expanding they will form some gel structure. Drinking this will help you in eating less.

5. Add to your overnight oats

People tend to add them to their oats bowl to make it more nutritious. When the duo of oats and chia seeds gets together they tend to suppress your appetite. Both have High fiber content. The slow-to-digest property makes them best for those on diet.

Final Say

The bottom Point is that food exports are still being researched on whether chia seeds help in weight loss or not.

Because of the super hype, people are including Chia seeds into their diet without knowing much. Before following that influencer’s diet you should know its pros and cons.

Alone chia seeds can’t do anything magical unless you eat well and do regular exercise.

 They provide you with multivitamins and minerals, which can assist you in reaching your weight goals indirectly.

The goal should not be to lose weight instantly. Instead, it should be to eat healthy which, ultimately helps you to be happy.

Note: it is always recommended to eat 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds daily. More quantity can lead to side effects.

Disclaimer

This article is purposive for intended general information and does not mark individual circumstances. It is not an alternative to professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician must be consulted to diagnose and treat any medical condition. Any decision you make depending upon the information highlighted here is strictly at your own risk and responsibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there any best time to consume chia seeds?

It is always advisable to have Chia seeds in the morning. Most people preferably take them on an empty stomach. During this time, they will help you to increase your metabolism and also curb your digestion problems.

2. Can we get EPA from them?

Although they have all the nutrients in them, they are not the perfect source for EPA and DHA.

3. Can we have chia seeds during medications?

The experts do not recommend eating Chia seeds along with ongoing medications.

4. Which provides more benefits: flax seeds or chia seeds?

Debating both of these seeds, we come across that both of them contain the same amount of nutrients except flaxseed contains more protein and omega-3 while on the other hand, Chia seeds have fewer calories.

5. Can we eat both seeds; flax and chia together?

The answer is yes you can eat both of them together. This will add to your daily nutrient portion.

Sharing Is Caring:

Rishi Govind is a nutritionist and nutrition counselor in New Delhi, India. He is a Postgraduate and passionate about his work. Rishi has over 3 years of experience helping people change their relationship with food and their bodies. He specializes in helping people with chronic dieting issues, food allergies and sensitivities, and digestive problems. Rishi's approach is rooted in the belief that everybody is unique and deserves individualized attention. Rishi is passionate about helping his clients feel their best. He is committed to helping them find peace with food and their bodies so they can live their lives to the fullest.

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