Nutritional Facts and Health Benefits of the Chia Seed

The benefits and nutritional contents of Chia Seed, considered to be nature's new superfood, are analyzed and a comparison with other foods is presented.

Chia seed, scientifically known as Salvia hispanica, has risen from centuries of obscurity and is now considered by many to be nature’s new “superfood”. Chia was considered to be a very valuable seed in most pre-hispanic cultures, especially by the Mayans and Aztecs. These people had some understanding of the high nutritional properties of chia and this is why it was used as a form of currency and the staple food given to messengers who had to travel long distances (Ayerza, et. al., 2005).

Once the Spaniards conquered Mexico and Central America, the cultivation of chia was banned because the seed was also used during traditional religious ceremonies, considered pagan by the Europeans (Ayerza, et. al., 2005). A relatively large percentage of the Mexican population has still consumed chia in various forms throghout the years, but it is not until recently that the world has become fully aware of the properties of this highly nutrituous food.

Health Benefits of Chia

The main reason why Chia is considered to be a “superfood” is because it contains high amounts of many essential nutrients when compared with most nutrituous foods. Chia seeds contain 20% protein, 37.7% soluble fiber, 43% carbohydrates, and 31% fats, making it a better source of protein than beans and other legumes, and a better source of dietary fiber than oats and other grains.

Even though chia seeds contain a relatively high percentage of fats, most of these are omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce levels of triglycerides in the body, blood pressure, and the risk of suffering heart attacks as well as improving blood circulation. On the other hand, Chia provides an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and is completely gluen free.

Chia is a mucilagenous seed, which means that it has gel-forming properties that occur in the stomach, thus creating a barrier between carbohydrates and digestive enzymes. This is why chia slows down the converstion of carbs into sugar and can stabilize sugar blood levels.

Nutritional Comparison Between Chia Seeds and Other Superfoods

Surprisingly, chia seed also contains high contents of several essential vitamins and minerals. According to some studies, a gram for gram comparison between chia seeds and other foods showed that chia contains six times more protein than kidney beans, twice the amount of dietary fibre than bran flakes, three times the amount of iron in spinach, twice the amount of potassioum than bananas, and six times the amount of calcium than milk (Bourne, 2002).

In order to do a proper factual comparison between the nutritional contents of chia and other foods, the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory homepage was accessed. The nutritional contents of oats and flaxseed were retrieved and compared with those of chia since these two foods are also considered to be very complete in terms of their nutritional value.

Nutrients (per 100 g) Chia Flaxseed Oats

Protein (g) 20.7 19.5 13.7

Carbohydrates (g) 43.8 42.0 6.8

Fats (g) 30.8 42.0 6.8

Dietary Fibre (g) 37.7 27.3 9.4

Calcium (mg) 631 255 47

Phosphorus (mg) 948 642 458

Potassium (mg) 160 813 358

Iron (mg) 6.5 5.7 4.6

Copper (mg) 0.2 1.2 0.3

Zinc (mg) 3.5 4.3 3.2

Vitamin C (mg) 0.0 0.6 0.0

Thiamine (mg) 1.4 1.6 0.5

Riboflavine (mg) 0.2 0.1 0.1

Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.1 0.4 0.1

Vitamin E (mg) 0.0 0.3 0.7

Vitamin A (IU) 10 3 0

This comparison confirms the fact that chia does contain higher amounts of most essential nutrients than flaxseed and oats, with the exception of vitamin C, vitamin E, copper and potassium. Chia does contain higher levels of protein, dietary fiber, calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, iron, and vitamin A.

Best Ways to Eat Chia Seeds

Perhaps the easiest way to eat chia seeds is to ground them and sprinkle them on cereals, milk, juices, yogurth or shakes. Some companies have started baking bread with chia seeds and ground seeds can also be added to cakes, pancakes or waffles. Surprisingly, chia can also be part of a refreshing drink; in Mexico a lot of people squeeze lime juice and add a little bit of sugar, water and whole chia seeds. Regardless of how you do it, it seems that adding chia seed into your diet will definitely bring a lot of healthy benefits.

References

Ayerza, R., Coates, W., 2005: Chia. Rediscovering the Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson AZ.

Bourne, D., Prescott, J., 2002: A Comparison of the Nutritional Value, Sensory Qualities, and Food Safety of Organically and Conventionally Produced Foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition., Vol, 42, No. 1:1-44.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-45-00, accessed on the 6th of August, 2010.

First published Aug 5, 2010 Andres Hernandez