I'm really excited to share that I've teamed up with a great group of bloggers! Balancing motherhood, blogging, and coaching can be a struggle, which has unfortunately led to some inconsistency on my part with how often I produce new articles. I'm thrilled to partner with these women who hold certifications in personal training, nutrition, and coaching in order to provide you with consistently great content.
So let me introduce you to one of the wonderful ladies in my new content tribe: Lina M. Quin.
Lina is a Certified Nutritionist and great resource of nutritional info. You can find out more about Lina at the end of this article. Go and check out her website!
And without any further ado, here is Lina's guest blog post. Enjoy! We are looking forward to your comments!
So let me introduce you to one of the wonderful ladies in my new content tribe: Lina M. Quin.
Lina is a Certified Nutritionist and great resource of nutritional info. You can find out more about Lina at the end of this article. Go and check out her website!
And without any further ado, here is Lina's guest blog post. Enjoy! We are looking forward to your comments!
Seeds, (just like nuts) are nutritional powerhouses, packed with protein, fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Many people ask me about the difference of these tiny little seeds and which of these seeds have more nutrition.
So, this will be one of those lengthy posts — everything you want to know about cooking with chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds. I love using these seeds in my recipes!
Incorporating seeds into your favorite recipes not only boosts flavor and texture but it can make any meal even healthier.
Let’s get right to the benefits of these wonderful seeds.
Chia Seeds:
Enjoy them: by sprinkling ground or whole chia seeds onto oatmeal, cereal, salads, yogurt and smoothies. Use hydrated chia seeds as an egg-substitute.
So, this will be one of those lengthy posts — everything you want to know about cooking with chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds. I love using these seeds in my recipes!
Incorporating seeds into your favorite recipes not only boosts flavor and texture but it can make any meal even healthier.
Let’s get right to the benefits of these wonderful seeds.
Chia Seeds:
- Balances and stabilizes your blood sugar — it slows the effect at which glucose enters the bloodstream (making it ideal for diabetics)
- Improves insulin sensitivity — by lowering insulin it will indirectly help with belly fat (as fat in this area is associated with excess insulin and cortisol)
- High in fiber — it has more fiber than wheat bran and it won’t bloat your belly (just say bye-bye to bran cereals)
- High in omega-3s — chia seeds are one of the highest and greatest plant sources of a fatty acid called Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It can help reduce inflammation and its important for brain health and development.
- Lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, and high blood sugar after meals. All these three are considered “Metabolic Syndrome” — if you have it then you should let a holistic nutritionist guide you (book a consultation here)
- High in antioxidants — and thanks to their antioxidant qualities, chia seeds don’t go rancid as quickly as flaxseeds do. Plus you don’t have to grind them either. Yay!!
Enjoy them: by sprinkling ground or whole chia seeds onto oatmeal, cereal, salads, yogurt and smoothies. Use hydrated chia seeds as an egg-substitute.
Flaxseeds:
Note: Since flaxseeds are not absorbed in their whole form, you need to grind them to provide the most benefits.
Enjoy them: ground flaxseeds on organic yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal. You can also use flaxseeds as an egg substitute for vegan cooking or egg-free recipes.
- They have a similar nutritional profile as chia seeds.
- Great source of omega-3 fatty acids — which lowers cholesterol and reduce inflammation. To access the omega-3s you will need to grind them
- High in fiber — flaxseeds rank second in the fiber department with 2.8 g of fiber per tbsp.
- Provide phytoestrogens — plant compounds that are similar to estrogens in the form of lignans. Some studies suggest that consuming flax lignans may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Note: Since flaxseeds are not absorbed in their whole form, you need to grind them to provide the most benefits.
Enjoy them: ground flaxseeds on organic yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal. You can also use flaxseeds as an egg substitute for vegan cooking or egg-free recipes.
Hemp Seeds:
Enjoy them: by sprinkling over salads, cereal, or yogurt. My favorite way is to sprinkle them on almond butter toast.
There you have it… the health benefits of chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds and how to enjoy them.
And in case you were wondering, my favorites are chia seeds and hemp seeds. But I do like using this Sprouted Chia And Flax Seed Powder from Organic Traditions in my smoothies.
- Complete source of vegetarian protein — hemp seeds contain all 9 essential amino acids and 20 amino acids in total. Making them a great choice for people who don’t eat animal foods. Plus its a very easy to digest protein.
- Source of essential fatty acids — they contain “good fats”. Hemp have a higher amount of omega-3s than flaxseeds. Hemp seeds contain gamma-linolenic acid which helps balance hormones and lower inflammation (reduces PMS symptoms and menopausal hot flashes)
- Packed with nutrients — these little seeds have a whole lot of nutritional benefits. Their great source of antioxidants, fiber, iron, zinc, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B6, D and E and enzymes.
Enjoy them: by sprinkling over salads, cereal, or yogurt. My favorite way is to sprinkle them on almond butter toast.
There you have it… the health benefits of chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds and how to enjoy them.
And in case you were wondering, my favorites are chia seeds and hemp seeds. But I do like using this Sprouted Chia And Flax Seed Powder from Organic Traditions in my smoothies.
Lina Quin
Hola, I'm Lina! Certified Nutritionist, fitness lover and a green smoothie girl. I'm passionate about plants, whole foods and embracing the mind-body connection.
My health journey began in 2008 when I was diagnosed with VUR, which caused some kidney damage. Throughout the years, I’ve also suffered from hormonal imbalance and allergies. In an effort to find answers, I’ve visited doctors and specialists and the only solutions given to me were prescriptions after prescriptions to alleviate the symptoms. After feeling the same or sometimes even worse from all the side effects, I decided to take control of my health and search for the root cause of my health issues. I wanted a natural solution. I wanted a life that wouldn’t involve unending tests and pills. This is when it all really began – I switched majors from Pharmaceutical Science to Food Science and Nutrition.
My website Simplemente Healthy is an amazing resource of delicious recipes, lifestyle tips and inspiration to live a healthy and happy life.
Hola, I'm Lina! Certified Nutritionist, fitness lover and a green smoothie girl. I'm passionate about plants, whole foods and embracing the mind-body connection.
My health journey began in 2008 when I was diagnosed with VUR, which caused some kidney damage. Throughout the years, I’ve also suffered from hormonal imbalance and allergies. In an effort to find answers, I’ve visited doctors and specialists and the only solutions given to me were prescriptions after prescriptions to alleviate the symptoms. After feeling the same or sometimes even worse from all the side effects, I decided to take control of my health and search for the root cause of my health issues. I wanted a natural solution. I wanted a life that wouldn’t involve unending tests and pills. This is when it all really began – I switched majors from Pharmaceutical Science to Food Science and Nutrition.
My website Simplemente Healthy is an amazing resource of delicious recipes, lifestyle tips and inspiration to live a healthy and happy life.
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