Chia seeds, a tiny miracle?

Chia seeds have been around for a long time but they have recently become very popular as a new food trend. They are tiny seeds that can be black, white or grey. They can be used in cereals, in smoothies, as a sprinkle over salads or as a thickening agent.

Chia seeds don’t have a taste but they do have some great soluble fibre and a surprising amount of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, Omega 3’s, phosphorous, iron, folate and potassium. Their calcium content is probably the most amazing thing about the chis seeds at 255mg/100g. Pretty amazing considering milk is only 120mg/100g.

I can’t leave this post without talking more about the fibre content of the humble chis seed. For 28g of chia seeds, you will get 11 g of fibre! Wow. Plus they are a wholegrain which means that the majority of carbohydrates in this little seed are fibre.

Because the chia seed has a lot of soluble fibre in them, they will absorb up to 10 times its weight and therefore fill you up quicker and for longer. This also slows the absorption of your food and if you are fuller you won’t eat as much. Chia seeds are a good carbohydrate for those who need to control insulin resistance issues such as those with diabetes or PCOS.