The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation conducted a survey in 2018 and found that 36% of surveyed Americans are following a specific eating pattern or diet. They also found that 29% of their surveyed participants also prefer getting products that are labeled as natural and organic.
The percentage of Americans who are now turning into certain diets have improved compared to their data from 2017. Their 2017 data only showed that 17% of their surveyed participants are following certain diets.
With this, it’s easy to assume that more and more people are getting more concerned about what they are eating. If you’re trying to figure out your options when it comes to purchasing healthy food, you can start with implementing seeds in your diet.
Seeds are known to be very nutritious mainly because these contain the nutrients necessary to develop in any plants or vegetables. Most edible seeds are known to be rich in fiber, protein, and important vitamins and minerals.
In this post, we’ll let you know of the healthiest seeds you can include in your diet and what you need to know about them.
. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds may be one of the most powerful superfoods out there. There are studies that found evidence of how consumption of flaxseeds can help reduce risks of heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Primarily, flaxseeds have omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, and fiber.
Omega-3 fatty acids are known as good fats, and these fats have a positive effect on one’s heart health. A tablespoon of flaxseeds has about 1.8 grams of omega-3s. Meanwhile, lignans contain estrogen and antioxidants that can aid digestion. Lignans are most known to be present in flaxseeds and sesame seeds.
Lastly, flaxseeds contain both soluble and insoluble types of fibers. A tablespoon of flaxseeds contains about 3 grams of fiber. To be able to fully enjoy the benefits of flaxseeds, it’s best to have this ground first.
Most of the nutrients found on flaxseeds are found beneath its shell. Eating this seed as it is may not really be an efficient way to consume it. Ground flaxseeds are much easier to absorb by your body, unlike whole seeds that can just pass your digestive track.
. Chia Seeds
Chia is known as a good seed to help with weight-loss. However, there’s really more to it than just a weight-loss supplement. Chia seeds also contain antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, calcium, and carbohydrates.
This seed is nutty in flavor and can be easily added on any food. It is tiny in size and doesn’t have a hard shell or coating, so this means that you can eat it as it is. Most people would add it in any drinks, oatmeal, or even baked goods.
Mixing this in water is also good. You may also notice that it will look as if its coated in gel-like substance when soaked in liquid. An ounce of chia seeds alone can already give you 18% of your daily calcium needs.
Chia was already popular back in the day because of Chia pets. These are novelty gifts that you can get, and they are basically figurines that allow you to grow sprouts that act as hair or fur. Well now that chia has made a come back as a superfood, you can easily have this purchased on most organic supermarkets.
What’s great is that you can easily have chia seeds and other natural food delivered to your doorsteps nowadays because of online shops and apps.
. Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are tiny, and you probably easily ignore these on your burger buns. This seed is mainly popular in Asian cooking, but you may be surprised to know how much nutrition this has. It can also be added to some dishes, as long as its nutty taste can serve as a complementary addition to the food.
Some of the nutrients found on sesame seeds are protein, omega-6 fatty acids, fiber, magnesium, manganese, and lignans that contain antioxidants. This means that sesame seeds can aid healthy digestion.
Fiber is one of the main benefits that you can get from sesame seeds. Thirty grams of sesame seeds can give you 12% of your daily fiber needs. That’s 3.5 grams of fiber, to be exact. Fiber is good for digestion and it can also help reduce the risks of certain cancers and obesity. To fully enjoy the benefits that sesame seeds have, it’s suggested to have a handful of this in a day. So this means that you have to be creative when it comes to adding it to different dishes. You can directly eat sesame seeds if you can, but you can also buy commercially available sesame oil that you can use in your cooking.
