Transcription
If you think chia seeds are a super food, and you're planning to include them in your health routine, then you need to know these five common mistakes that majority of my clients were making before they met me. And this is not as simple as whether you should soak chia seeds or eat them dry. This is more subtle mistakes that nobody is talking about, but it makes a whole world of difference whether chia seeds are going to help support your health or in some cases they can actually harm your body too. Because I've seen people complaining before, well, chia seeds gave me stomach upset. I feel bloated. Or for some people they felt tired after taking chia seeds. But the fault is not in your body. In reality, people are making these mistakes which makes chia seeds completely useless.
Hi, I'm Dr. Anshul Gupta, a former Cleveland Clinic functional medicine physician from US. I help people improve their chronic diseases by making personalized functional medicine plans. Now, I personally believe chia seeds are one of the most nutrient dense food which is available worldwide. They are not only high in fiber, but they provide good quality protein, good quality omega-3 fatty acids. They are high in antioxidants, as well as they are a good source of magnesium and calcium. And that's the reason chia seeds are a part of my health routine. But here's what I learned about these nutrient dense superfoods that they have to be used in certain ways, then only they can actually help your body. And when not used correctly, they can actually be harmful for a person.
Let's start with mistake number one. Now, this mistake might sound very obvious, but I was surprised that so many people were making this mistake. It is about how long you have to soak these chia seeds to activate the nutrients in them. What I realized that people were soaking these chia seeds for only 15 to 20 minutes. Well, that's a big mistake. Now, you might argue that you still see gel formation of these chia seeds in 15 minutes, but what you don't know is that this hydration is only reaching the outer cover shell of chia seeds. And majority of the nutrients of chia seeds are located inside this outer shell. And unless they are hydrated, you are not going to get all the antioxidants, all all the vitamins and minerals from chia seeds. So, for that you need to soak chia seeds for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours. Ideally, if you soak them overnight for 10 to 12 hours, that's the ideal time of doing it. When these chia seeds are not completely hydrated and you consume them, they draw fluid from your digestive tract. That irritates your gut. And that's the reason it can give you some gas, bloating, or stomach upset.
Now, let's talk about mistake number two. Now, this might completely shock you because this is about the time when you consume chia seeds. A lot of people have been told that they should consume chia seeds empty stomach first thing in the morning. A big mistake. Don't do that. The reason being chia seeds are very high in soluble fiber. And if you consume these chia seeds early in the morning empty stomach, again, they irritate your gut. Plus, it interferes with proper digestion of other foods and also slows down your gastric emptying. The better time to eat these chia seeds is mid-morning or with your breakfast. There should be some food already in your stomach when you are eating these chia seeds. Now, for some people, they are adding these chia seeds to their smoothies or they are adding them to their oatmeals. Now, this is fine because you have other foods along with chia seeds, which is entering your stomach. So, doesn't irritate your stomach and this way you still get the benefits of chia seeds.
Now, let's talk about mistake number three. This mistake number three is what kind of liquid you should be using for soaking these chia seeds. Whether it is water, whether it is any kind of juice like orange juice, or whether it is milk or dairy-free alternative. So, if you are soaking your chia seeds with milk and some sugar into it, then it is not going to be beneficial for you. The reason being, sugar degrades the beneficial effects of chia seeds because one of the beneficial effects of chia seeds is reducing the insulin spike, and sugar nullifies the insulin spike, so they don't work. So, first of all, do not add any sweetened drinks to soak your chia seeds. The second thing is that if you're adding any kind of juices like orange juice or any other fruit juices, do not do that because the acidic nature of these juices degrades the external covering of chia seeds and makes it more acidic for your body, which is totally not beneficial. So, the best way of soaking chia seeds is either soak them in plain water, or you can do dairy-free alternatives like coconut milk or almond milk.
Now, let's talk about mistake number four. This is about the quantity of chia seed that you should be consuming. Again, there are no standards which have been set, but people think more is good. So, people are consuming between two to four tablespoons of soaked chia seeds every day. Again, for most of my clients, that backfired. It is very important for your body to get used to these chia seeds because as I said, they are superfoods. So, that high amount of fiber, high amount of protein, and high amount of vitamins and minerals entering your body all together, it is very difficult for your gut to handle all of those things. So, we have to work with our body so it can utilize the full potential of these chia seeds. So, the best thing is to start slow and start with only half a tablespoon of soaked chia seeds initially so that your gut and your body gets used to them and then slowly increase the amount of chia seeds you are consuming. For most people, I recommend sticking with one to two tablespoon of chia seeds at one time. If you want to take additional one tablespoon, then do it mid-afternoon or late afternoon. But in one sitting, do not use more than two tablespoon of soaked chia seeds because then you do not get all the benefits of chia seeds.
Now, let's talk about mistake number five. And if you're making this mistake, then everything falls apart. And this is one of the lesser known facts about consuming chia seeds. You have been soaking chia seeds. You are consuming them every morning with your breakfast, but you're not seeing a difference. The reason is not in your diet, but in the water consumption throughout the day. Now, chia seeds are hygroscopic. What that means is that they absorb water like crazy. So, you need to keep your body hydrated so that the chia seeds keep working in your body properly. And just soaking chia seeds in a glass of water is not going to do it. You have to hydrate your body periodically throughout the day when you are consuming chia seeds. And this is a very common mistake. Most people are not consuming enough water and that doesn't let these chia seeds to work inside your body. What that means is that you need to consume a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses of water throughout the day, not in one go, but throughout the day so that your body is hydrated throughout the day and can utilize all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from these chia seeds. But without keeping your body hydrated, you will not see the beneficial effects of chia seeds.
So, yes, chia seeds are a superfood, but only if you don't make these five mistakes, then only they can help you in improving your body. I make them as a part of my health routine and I would like you to start using chia seeds also to improve your health, but use them in the right way. I have made another videos talking about the right way and a chia seed protocol that gives you step-wise approach of how to include chia seeds on the daily basis. The link will be in the description. Share in the comment section if you were making any of these mistakes and how you are going to change your way of using these chia seeds. I hope you like this video. If you do, please like and subscribe to my channel. So, in the future, you keep on getting these natural healthy tips in your inbox. And also share this video with others who might benefit from this information. Until next time, take care. Bye-bye.