Chia Seed Health Benefits Start With You

What is Chia?

This flowering plant belonging to the mint family is cultivated for its seeds, which have come to be known for their multiple health benefits.

What is in chia seeds that make them so healthy?

Most importantly, chia seeds are especially high in Omega-3 fatty acids – in fact, they are the highest plant source of Omega-3. Omega-3 is not produced internally, so we have to get it from foods. It is necessary for maintaining good physical health. For example, studies indicate that these fatty acids reduce inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease and arthritis. They have also been shown to be beneficial in lowering the risk of many cancers and treating depression.

This food is a fantastic source of vitamin A, B, D, and vitamin E as well. Plus, chia offers calcium, phosphorus, iodine, copper, potassium, sulphur, iron, zinc, and other essential minerals. In addition, you can find high levels of antioxidants in chia.

The seeds are also packed with soluble dietary fiber and protein. Soluble fiber slows down the absorption of sugars and starches by your body, so chia, as a source of this kind of fiber, is useful for stabilizing blood glucose levels.

What is the history of chia?

Chia was a main food crop and trading material of the Aztec population. Warriors and messengers ate chia seeds to sustain themselves during strenuous expeditions.

Today, chia is sometimes called “Indian running food,” “superfood,” or “power food” because of the energizing effects of this amazing seed. The seeds are rising in popularity among healthy eaters, weight loss hopefuls, and those with gluten-free diets.

How can I use chia seeds in my diet?

Chia is easy to incorporate into your weight loss goals or healthy eating plan. You can eat the dried seeds just as they are, or use chia flour for baking or cooking. You can mix the seeds with water to form a gel, and then add the gel to butter, spreads, soups, stews or use it as a substitute for eggs. You can sprinkle chia on salads or toppings. There are many ways to eat chia so there is sure to be a good way for you that suits your family’s habits.

Remember, chia’s high in fiber so you don’t have to eat much to feel full. You can bulk up a recipe with chia gel and this is a safe way to lose weight.

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The Health Benefits of Chinese Tea

While tea has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine, modern research has begun to show evidence that many Chinese teas can be very good for your health. It has been shown to boost your immune system, aid digestion and help with weight loss. While information on tea health benefits has previously been scattered and unreliable, this article will give you an overview of many Chinese tea health benefits, and tell you which teas can best help you live a more healthy and happy life.

Teas Which Aid Digestion

Do coffee and soda tend to upset your stomach? If so, tea can be a very efficacious alternative, giving you the caffeine you need to get your day started without the side effects. In fact, I can personally attest to this being true. I suffer from both acid reflux and a severe caffeine addiction, and have greatly reduced my own discomfort and heartburn by cutting coffee and soda out of my diet. I still get my caffeine fix though by drinking up to or over five cups of tea a day, and have yet to feel any discomfort from this.

While black tea, green tea, pu-erh and herbal teas all claim to aid in digestion, the most important thing to look for is not the specific type of tea, but rather its production method. The best teas for aiding digestion have been “post-fermented” as part of their production process. These teas typically begin as green teas or oolongs, but then go through a period of open-air aging which oxidates and ferments the tea, mellowing it out. Not only are these teas less harsh on the stomach, the enzymes and microflora which develop in the post-fermentation process can actually aid in digestion, making these teas ideal for drinking after a heavy meal.

The most common post-fermented tea is pu-erh. When buying a pu-erh for aiding digestion, make sure to buy a shou, or “ripened,” variety, as the sheng, or “raw,” variety has not gone through this process, and can actually be quite harsh on the stomach.

Teas Which Aid Weight Loss

While there are quite a few “weight loss” teas on the market, you may have been wondering whether or not they actually work. Sadly, many of them promise much more than they actually deliver. However, there have actually been a wide range of studies showing that many teas–especially green tea–has a positive effect on metabolic rate and cholesterol levels, which can be useful for aiding in weight loss.

If you want to buy a tea for weight loss, you really don’t have to spend big money on special blends. Most types of Chinese green tea-including Pi Lo Chun, Mao Jian and Gunpowder Green-contain the compounds which aid weight loss, and, when combined with proper diet and exercise may expedite weight loss.

Tea for your Immune System

Chinese teas have long been used to ward off disease and boost peoples’ immune systems. Recently, modern science has confirmed what people have suspected for thousands of years: many teas have subtle but positive effects on the human immune system. The main reason for this is that tea contains Theanine, an amino acid which has been shown to boost immune response by increasing the disease-fighting capacity of the body’s T Cells, a type of white blood cell. In fact, in a study comparing tea drinkers to coffee drinkers, the tea drinkers’ production of antibacterial proteins was found to be up to five times higher than that of the coffee drinkers’!

Almost all Chinese teas contain Theanine, but there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, most herbal teas do not contain this compound, and their health benefits may vary. Both green tea and black tea contain Theanine, meaning that you can drink your favorite tea and do right by your body at the same time!

Clearly, switching from coffee to tea, or just expanding your tea-drinking horizons to encompass the dizzying variety of Chinese teas can be very beneficial to your health! In addition, Chinese tea has a number of other helpful compounds which researches are very optimistic about, which could assist in diabetes prevention, mood elevation and fighting bad breath.

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Benefits of Having Health Insurance

Insurance is an interesting concept that most Americans understand. We all have auto and homeowner insurance but hope to never have to use it. If we use it, it means something bad has happened. The same mentality goes for medical insurance. Most people who are healthy do not believe that they need medical insurance because they don’t go to the doctor. Insurance is not for the things we know will happen, but for those things that we don’t know about.

Even if you feel healthy, everyone needs to see a doctor for an annual physical. If you have health insurance, you will automatically get a free annual checkup. The doctor will do blood work and check to make sure that your cholesterol and blood sugar are in good shape. These simple checkups can detect health problems long before you know they exist. If you find everything in time, you may be able to cure them before they become life threatening.

New medical benefits can come with a waiting period for pre existing conditions. If you do not have any conditions now, that does not mean you will not have any in the future. If you have had continuous coverage prior to getting the new plan you will not have to worry about the waiting period. For this reason getting the least expensive plan available such as a short term health insurance plan to bridge your gap in coverage could save you a lot of money on claims in the future. Having health insurance keeps you from having pre existing condition waiting periods.

Also if you have coverage you will get a discounted rate for services. Insurance companies negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals. If you do not have coverage you will be billed a much higher amount for the same services that you would get if you did have coverage. Even if your plan only covers expenses with a deductible and co insurance, you will be able to get the discounted rate for your charges. If you don’t have coverage you can expect to be charged much more.

People do not realize how expensive medical care is. A doctor visit might only be a few hundred dollars. But if someone needed something specific and rare such as anti-venom for a poisonous snake bite, you can find yourself with a 25,000 dollar bill. Regardless of the costs, if you run on a trail and get bitten by a poisonous snake, get the anti-venom. That is not something you could budget for, but with insurance, you will not have to nor will you have to worry about it.

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