Vitamin Critic

The Benefit Of Chia Seed

2008-06-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the how eating a chia seed product can benefit your health:

Chia seed can lower your cholesterol by the large amount of insoluble and soluble fiber.
Chia seed can benefit you by the three grams of Omega 3 fatty acids for cardiovascular,brain and joint health per serving.
Another chia seed benefit is helping with weight loss. The large amount of fiber contained in chia (almost 6 grams of fiber per 2 tablespoons) and the ability of the fiber to help stabilize blood sugar levels make it beneficial for everyone
Chia seed is gluten free and hypo allergenic so it is suitable for almost everyone.
Chia seeds are one of the most nutrient packed seeds available on earth and consuming chia seed is an easy to add to your daily diet.

Over the last several posts we have discussed the benefit of chia seed as well as the advantages of different type of chia seeds and processing methods.

Ground Chia,Milled Chia,Cheap Chia-What Is The Difference?

2008-06-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

As discussed in previous posts, Chia seed,ground chia,milled chia have both postive and negative factors that we will discuss in this post.

Ground chia is a newer way to process Chia seed to diminish the previous problems we outlined with Chia in previous articles. While ground chia makes chia easily to mix with food and may allow more people to digest the benefits of the entire seed, the ground or grinding manufacturing process presents several serious drawbacks.

A typical ground or grinding manufacturing process involves heat, friction and of course, grinding the chai seed into a much smaller particle. Think of a coffee bean going through a coffee grinder and you get the idea.

While this may be ok for your coffee, for a chia seed, this is a potential disaster! Because the chia seed is so nutrient rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, this grinding process as well as packaging the product reduces the quality of the ground chia and the possibility over time of the ground chia becoming rancid as the Omega 3 fatty acids are exposed directly to the air.

One way to help preserve your ground chia product is to store it in smaller quantities in the freezer to slow down oxidization and help to maintain the nutrient profile. However, we still believe there is a significant nutrient loss to the chia seed through this type of manufacturing process. As well, most chia products including chia seed, ground chia and milled chia do not list nutrient facts so as a consumer, we are left in the dark as to what is left in the chia after processing.

Chia Seed-Three Problems With Chia Seeds

2008-06-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

While the Chia seed is an excellent "super food" packed with nutrients there are three major potential disadvantages to people who consume as outlined below:

While some Chia seed companies claim that all of the Chia seeds nutrients are absorbed in the digestive tract and the outer husk is passed out of your body through a bowel movement, we have seen little science to prove this. In fact, many people pass the whole seed a day or so later in their bowel movement so one potential drawback of the chia seed is that you may not be getting all of the benefits of the nutrients within the seed and it may just be a source of fiber for you.

Another drawback to Chia seed is that it tends to expand when it comes into contact with liquid due to the high insoluble fiber content. The chia seed is designed to do this and there is nothing wrong with it. As an example, put a few chia seeds in water and in less than five minutes you will see the chia seed start to resemble what looks like slimy fish eggs. This becomes a problem if you like to mix your chia seed into food and it will make the food quite slimy in a fairly short time.

Not all Chia seed has the same nutrient quality as there is some extremely cheap chia seed products available. A good quality Chia product will list nutrient facts on the package.

So, while Chia seed is a fantasic source of nutrients you can see that it may have some potential disadvantages based on how you eat it and the quality of Chia you purchase. In a future post, we will discuss other forms of Chia including ground chia, milled chia and more.

Chia Seed-5 Quick Facts About This Super Seed

2008-06-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Chia seed is quickly becoming known as a "super food" for the five very important reason below. Most information on the Internet is totally INCORRECT or just a marketing ploy to sell you their own Chia or Chia seed product. Here are 5 quick facts about Chia seed:

Chia seed or its latin name "Salvia hispanica" usually comes from Southern Mexico or South America. There are over 200 different Chia plants and only several plants are used for human comsumption. Yes, one type of chia seed is used for the famous "Chia Pet" but the seeds you consume are from different chia plant varieties.

Chia seed contains a huge amount of nutrients packed into one small super seed. On average, 2 table spoons of Chia seed contain almost 6 grams of fiber(65% insoluble and 35% soluble fiber), 3 grams of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, 4 grams of protein containing 18 amino acids including the 10 essential amino acids. Chia seed has the most amount per serving of protein of any seed discovered.

Chia seed has more calcium per serving than milk and more omega 3 essential fatty acids than salmon!

Chia has a slightly nutty taste and can be eaten by itself, mixed with food or liquid or even baked with.

Chia seed also contains a relatively high amount of antioxidants as well which offers additional health benefits.

As good as Chia seed sounds, it is not without certain challenges for the consumer to buy the right type of Chia product as there are several variations on the market including ground chia, milled chia and of course Chia seed.

Each type of chia offers some benefits as well as some substantial drawbacks which we will discuss in a future post.

Vitamin,Supplement,Natural Health Products Review

2008-06-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

This blog is dedicated to finding and bringing you reliable information on the newest supplements, natural health products, sports nutrition,weight loss and diet products,herbs and everything else related to naturally living a healthier lifestyle.

With over 10 years of experience in this field, I will enlighten, entertain and educate readers on what supplements and natural products are worth the money, and which ones are not.

Stay tuned for new posts as I will unravel and reveal what you need to know to empower you to make the right decision for yourself and purchase the right supplements.

At this point, feel free to email me about questions you may have and I will do my best to email you back in a timely fashion with an answer.