I thought I’ll talk to you guys today about how I make time and prioritize a daily dose of chia seeds in my day. For most of us, with our busy and often overfull and calendars lives these days, we are constantly pulled in a million different directions. To top it off, all of the stress we carry in our bodies slowly but surely kills our metabolism. This is where incorporating quick healthy hacks, like chia seeds, which nourish our bodies and boost our metabolism can be life-saving (literally – keep reading!). Add to that that they are easy to pre-prep and grab on the go, and chia seeds will have you addicted in no time!

My day normally starts with a 5.15am alarm to get to my 6am workout. I know for a lot of my girlfriends who are busy moms now, their days start with absolute chaos which normally involves waking up the kids, getting them ready for school or daycare, getting themselves ready for work or a whole list of chores to get through for the day. My go-to thing to do as soon as I’m back from my workout? Down a glass of my sparkling orange-mango water with two tablespoons of chia seeds soaked overnight (I use Sodastream and their Zero sugar water flavor – more on that later).

So you might be wondering why I am raving about chia seeds non-stop – well, here’s why. As you might know already (since you’re on this blog), keeping your intake of dietary fiber, protein and water high are three of the best things you can do if you’re trying to lose or maintain a healthy body weight, like me. And when it comes to chia seeds, well, they knock it out of the park in all three areas. In case you needed more convincing, here’s a bit of a laundry list of the many benefits of chia seeds:

• How they support weight-loss:
  • Fiber: One serving of chia seeds (28 g) has close to 10 g of dietary fiber. That means they’re a whopping 35% fiber by weight.
  • Protein: One serving has close to 5g of protein which can help build lean muscle, reduce appetite and food intake, while increasing your fat-burn at rest from the increased muscle mass.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids: Chia seeds are abundant in essential omega-3 fatty acids, or Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Omega-3 fatty acids help regulate our blood sugar and insulin levels. They help us burn more fat. They help keep hunger at bay, which can lower inflammation and cholesterol levels.
  • Hydration: When you drop chia seeds into water, they absorb the liquid. Their absorption capability is so impressive that chia seeds can actually become up to 12 times their original size when soaked, so its an easy way to get some extra water into your body.
• How they help lower risk of heart disease:
  • Chia seeds are loaded with antioxidants, but some such as chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol are particularly good for us. These may all have protective effects on your heart and liver, as well as anticancer properties. For example, chlorogenic acid may help lower blood pressure, while caffeic acid has anti-inflammatory effects
• How they support skin, hair and bone health:
  • Chia seeds are high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and Alpha-linolenic acid. All of these nutrients have been linked to improved bone mineral density.
• How they reduce blood sugar levels:
  • The fiber in chia seeds helps slow down digestion, which in turn results in slow and steady release of glucose into your bloodstream, thereby stabilizing and over time, reducing blood sugar levels.

Do you have to drink them in water? It is recommended to do so, in order to ‘activate’ them, or in other words, help break them down during digestion so that your body can properly absorb all their benefits. I know it can be boring, so a fun way I like to drink them is by mixing them in my zero-calorie orange-mango sparkling water. I simply sparkle my water using my SodaStream machine and add in the recommended amount of SodaStream’s Zeros Orange-Mango flavor. I then pour this into a glass containing two tablespoons (roughly 28g) of chia seeds!

Making time for these changes and choices in my routine has not at all been easy, but it truly has helped me be the best version of myself. I know many of you often feel “in a rut” at work or home or just exhausted by parenting so I encourage you to also incorporate little habits of self-care in your day. When I really leaned into fueling my body with good things like chia seed water, the positive changes had an incredible domino effect on the rest of my day. While it’s hard to prioritize yourself, I think we can all agree that it is vital to our sanity as busy millennials.

I would love to hear more on how you create little pockets of time or healthy habits in your day for yourself!