Chia seeds started out as the super food for die-hard health gurus, but now they’re absolutely everywhere you turn.
Even the big supermarkets have shelves full of chia seed bags and you can get everything from chia bread to chia pudding. Who knows… Chia Rice Bubbles may not be that far away 
But does it live up to the hype? We think yes! And the best part is they’re good for your insides AND your outside.
Chia seeds have become so incredibly popular because they have some awesome health benefits. Some of their many talents for your precious insides are:
- Improved Digestion.
Chia seeds are very high and fibre and promote regular bowel movements. They form a gelatin-like substance in your tummy which makes you feel fuller but it also acts a prebiotic to help maintain healthy gut bugs. Double tick.
- Stronger Bones
28g of chia seeds contain about 18% of your recommended calcium intake. They also contain boron which makes it easier for your body to put the calcium to good use.
- Building muscle and boosting energy.
Chia seeds are one of biggest sources of plant based protein which is vital for muscle repair. With high levels of essential minerals calcium, phosphorous, manganese, magnesium, niacin and zinc they’re a better recovery option than Gatorade.
- Keeping your ticker ticking.
Omega 3 needs no introduction for its health boosting prowess. Omega 3 is known to assist with heart disease, diabetes, inflammation and lowering blood pressure. Chia seeds are chock full of Omega 3.
How do you eat Chia Seeds?
Random Chia fact: Chia is a member of the mint family
Chia seeds are really easy to add to your food so you can easily get the benefits of chia seeds every day.
Their mild flavour allows them to be sprinkled on just about anything – sweet or savoury. They absorb up to 10 times their weight in water, so they could even be used to thicken sauces.
If you’re cooking biscuits or muffins, give them a bit of a superfood kick by adding chia seeds. You won’t even taste them. Pop a tablespoon into your breakfast juice or smoothie.
You can use chia seeds as an egg replacement too. Combine 1tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water and wait about 10 minutes for it to go all goopy, stirring a couple of times.
Phoebe’s all-time favourite breakfast recipe is a chia and brown rice pudding. Take 1 cup cooked brown rice (we use leftovers from dinner – white rice is fine too), ¼ cup chia seeds, 1 ¾ cups almond milk (or switch out 1/2 cup for coconut milk for a creamier pudding) and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. Make it the night before, give it a good mix a few times before bed, cover and pop into the fridge, and serve it in the morning with your breakfast finest… we love yoghurt, blueberries, macadamias and maple syrup. Yum-O! (Serves 4, keeps well in the fridge for around 5 days).
Chia does wonders for your skin too
Your skin craves minerals and essential fatty acids. So when Chia seed oil comes along with its bags full of antioxidants, omega 3, zinc, manganese and magnesium wonderful things can happen. It protects, rebuilds, calms and moisturisers.
The Korea University of Dermatology conducted a study using chia seed oil on patients suffering kidney disease or diabetes (people with those conditions have extremely dry and itchy skin).
A product containing 4% chia seed oil was used in the patients over 8 weeks. The improvements experienced by the patients were
- Improved hydration
- Improved skin barrier function
- Reduced moisture loss and
- Reduced itchiness
Chia seed oil doesn’t only help dry and itchy skin. It’s brilliant for all skin. It has
- Vitamin B3 – a natural anti-inflammatory which is great for calming skin.
- Zinc – for balancing oil production in combination and oily prone skin.
- Omega 3 – strengthens your collagen and elastin which lessens fine lines.
- Anti oxidants and flavonoids – to keep your skin protected from oxidative stress caused by your environment and UV damage.
How could we ignore the benefits of Chia Seeds?
To cut a long story short – we couldn’t.
Chia seed oil is more than hype; it has the goods. So we knew we had to find a place for it in our products.
An ingredient has to be something pretty special for us to change a tried and tested formula, but that’s exactly what we did.
The TLC Intensive Repair Oil didn’t originally have chia seed oil. But after doing more research and deciphering scientific study notes, it had to be added. It has been a while now (over a year I think – time flies!) since we added Chia seed oil to the TLC Oil and we have never looked back. It made a good product even better.
Chia Seed Oil is also one of the important ingredients in the Good Vibes Omega Facial Oil. It was our little secret weapon to boost the omega 3 content for the ideal omega 3/omega 6 balance.
