Most adults think that milk is good for them. After all, we have been told since we were children that drinking milk will make your bones grow strong and healthy, and it is one of the best sources of calcium.
Yet despite this, milk is not as healthy as you think. In fact, adults do not get as many benefits from milk as children do, and lots of research indicates that milk might actually be bad for us.
For instance, less than 40% of humans on earth can actually digest milk properly – and only 5% of Asians can digest milk properly.[1]
This is because milk is meant for babies, not adults. When humans are little they produce lactase, which helps to break down milk so that it can be digested properly.[2] However the gene that produces lactase stops working as we get older, so most people don’t create lactase by the time they are five.
This new knowledge has vastly reduced milk consumption across the world. For instance, sales of milk in Britain have dropped by 30% over the last twenty years.[3]
An Alternative To Milk
Thankfully chia seeds are a fantastic alternative to milk, as they provide nearly as much calcium. This means that chia seeds are great for your bones – and they are also much easier for your body to digest!
Research has found that chia seeds contain 233 milligrams per three tablespoon serving, which is almost as much calcium as one cup of milk (299 milligrams).[4] You should try to consume around 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day, so that means that three tablespoons of chia seeds contain nearly a quarter of your daily recommended amount of calcium!
But that isn’t all – there are also lots of other benefits to choosing chia seeds over milk. Milk is known for being difficult to digest, but chia seeds are very easy to digest – and research from the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal found that eating more plant protein can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, which is an added bonus.
The study also found that substituting animal protein for plant protein results in a reduced risk of death from nearly all causes – which is definitely a good reason to replace your milk with chia![5]
Other Benefits Of Chia Seeds
There are lots of other benefits to eating chia seeds regularly. Here are five of the main benefits of chia seeds.
1. Chia Seeds Can Prevent Aging Skin
Researchers from Mexico recently found that chia seeds have a very high concentration of antioxidants – twice as many as previously expected. These antioxidants were found to stop up to 70% of free radical activity, which helps to prevent skin damage and signs of aging.[6]
2. Chia Seeds Can Improve Digestive Health
Chia also contains a lot of fibre; nearly 11 grams per ounce! One serving contains your entire recommended fibre intake for the day, which can help to improve your overall digestive health.
3. Chia Seeds Can Help To Treat Diabetes
Researchers from the University of Litoral found that chai seeds can help to prevent metabolic disorders (such as insulin resistance) as they contain lots of alpha-linolenic acid and fiber.[7] These metabolic disorders can lead to the development of diabetes, so you can use chia seeds to help reduce the symptoms of diabetes.
4. Chia Seeds Can Help You To Build Muscle And Lose Weight
Chia seeds are also a fantastic source of protein, so they are an ideal snack for anyone who is hoping to build muscle or lose weight.[8] They are also filled with antioxidants so they will help to replace any nutrients your body lost during your workout.
5. Chia Seeds Can Improve Heart Health
Chia seeds have also been found to reverse inflammation and regulate cholesterol, so they are a great way to improve heart health.[9] They can also help to reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease.
Reference
| [1] | ^ | Jezebel: Adults Should Not Be Drinking Milk |
| [2] | ^ | How Stuff Works Health: Are humans built to drink milk as adults? |
| [3] | ^ | Independent: Should we be drinking milk? Arguments for and against dairy |
| [4] | ^ | Saving Dinner: What seed has almost as much calcium as a cup of milk? |
| [5] | ^ | Express: A spoon of THESE miracle seeds worth 15p has MORE calcium than milk and aids weight loss |
| [6] | ^ | Journal of Chromatography: Phytochemical profile and nutraceutical potential of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) by ultra high performance liquid chromatography |
| [7] | ^ | The British Journal of Nutrition: Dietary chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) rich in alpha-linolenic acid improves adiposity and normalises hypertriacylglycerolaemia and insulin resistance in dyslipaemic rats |
| [8] | ^ | Dr. Axe: 8 Health Benefits of Eating More Protein Foods |
| [9] | ^ | Cleveland Clinic Wellness: Chia Seeds |
The post Eat Chia Seed Instead Because Contains 6 Times More Calcium Than Milk! (and Has More Benefits!) appeared first on Lifehack.
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