As a long time advocate of flax seeds and one of the most educated persons on the web about their cancer fighting benefits, I am leaning more towards chia seeds. I have wrote literally hundreds of articles on the benefits of flax seeds on how to prepare them to the use of the flax oil diet with Dr. Johanna Budwig, but I am leaning towards chia seeds.
Flax oil is unstable and does tend to go rancid easily from the light. Flax seeds must be consumed within ten minutes of grinding and recently there is much talk about women with estrogen dominance problems, so I am leading more towards chia seeds.
The all too familiar chia pet is what most people know about the seeds. We have grown up for years watering our little chia pets and never realizing how many benefits those little pets have. Chia seeds are most often known as being able to sprout easily, therefore that is why my little pet chia grows so quickly. Recently, with much controversy, they even came up with an Obama Chia.
Chia Seeds are very similar to flax, except they do not have the estrogen and phytoestrogen element. They are high in omega 3 and Omega 6 and will increase your health and give variance to your skin. As I begin to study the marvelous little black seed called chia, I was amazed at it's properties and benefits. They are known as "The Indian Running food," as the Mayans use to carry a packet of seeds with them on their journeys. Some of the many benefits of chia seeds include:
- Chia seeds are high in calcium. They contain 631 grams of cajcium per 100 grams of Chia Seeds. -
- Chia seeds are high in protein. They have 18 grams of protein per 100 grams of seeds. They have twice the protein of other seeds. -
- Chia seeds have the optimum ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 of 3 to 1. -
- Chia seeds absorb up to 14 times it's weight in water. This helps extend energy and endurance. -
- Chia seeds are rich in antioxidant oils and contain, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, myricetin, quercetin and koemfferol flavonols. -
- Chia seeds are low in sodium also with only 19 mg per 100 grams. -
- Chia seeds are used for people wanting to lose weight, a true supefood. -
Amazingly a little over one ounce of these seeds contain as much omega 3 as 9 ounces of salmon, the same calcium as one cup of milk and as much iron or more of 1 and half cups of spinach. They have more antioxidants than three times as much blueberries and more vitamin C than 2 oranges.
Chia seeds have been shown to help in the reduction of cholesterol and cardiovascular problems, after using the seeds for 30 days. A study was done on humans showing the blood pressure of diabetics was reduced and even diabetic animals had their insulin dependence reduced. Chia seeds are a mainstay for holistic vets treating diabetic animals.
-Versatility -
Chia seeds can be used much the same as flax in the ways it can be eaten, such as added to liquids, sprinkled on foods and salads or added to your favorite smoothie. The downside here is that flax must be ground and eaten within ten minutes and cannot be baked with, where chia is the opposite. Chia seeds can be consumed as is readily digested and not forming any colon problems. As stated earlier, flax tends to go rancid easily and chia is more stable. And one of our favorite reasons chia seeds are better than flax, is that we can use chia seeds to grow our chia pets.
As much as I like flax and I do have my regular Budwig Flax mixture everyday, I must say chia seeds are indeed more healthy. It is just a shame that in Jordan I cannot get them. Put this one on my dream list.
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