Creating juice blends is one of the healthiest and easiest ways to improve your nutrition, as it allows you to introduce a wide range of fruits and vegetables into your diet in an almost effortless method.
One way to take your juice blends to the next level in terms of health impact is to incorporate ground seeds, as they can carry a significantly high amount of vital nutrients in a surprisingly small dosage. If you’re curious about the benefits of ground seeds, and how to work them into your juices, you’re in the right place.
Ground seeds basics
There are hundreds of different varieties of seeds to choose from, with some offering almost no nutritional value while others are practically exploding with nutrients. Two of the most common, and popular, types of seeds for health consumption is flax seeds and chia seeds.
Despite their diminutive side, each seeds boast some of the highest levels of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other elements of any type of food. The caveat is that the seeds are sometimes too small for the body to break down effectively when eaten whole, meaning that it can’t always extract these nutrients during the digestive process.
For this reason, consuming ground seeds is the best way to take advantage of the health properties. Grinding the seeds allows your body to digest them more completely, rather than passing them through the system whole.
However, both ground flax seeds and ground chia seeds react with water and other liquids to begin solidifying, creating a slightly viscous solution. A tiny tradeoff for the overwhelming positive attributes.
Understanding health benefits
Chia seeds provide some of the highest levels of health benefits per calorie, making it an ideal addition to any juice. A standard serving size of 2 tablespoons of chia seeds can deliver 4 grams of dietary fiber and 2 grams of protein for only 60 calories.
Most of the carbohydrates within the ground chia seeds also come from dietary fiber, which is insoluble to the body and thus helps promote a healthy digestive system while also posing little risk of unwanted weight gain. Chia seeds also include high levels of minerals such as iron and calcium, which help the body repair itself and carry out normal functions.
Ground flax seeds also include a similarly high amount of dietary fiber and protein as well as high levels Vitamin B1. Even with all of these working in its favor, the most significant health benefit of ground flax seeds comes from its large levels of the Omega-3 fatty acid.
This compound carries numerous health benefits, most notably its ability to improve hearth health by lowering levels of bad cholesterols and increase brain function. Again, ground flax seeds are also low in calories, meaning they pose little threat to your diet in exchange for their benefits.
How to incorporate seeds effectively
The major issue with these superfood seeds is that they must be ground in order for the body to absorb their nutrients. Unfortunately, their small size also makes it difficult for most juicers to grind the seeds.
As such, it is best to grind the seeds first, or purchase pre-ground seeds, and add this along with the other ingredients in the juicer. This helps to better incorporate the seeds into the liquid, and may also grind some up further, making it easier to digest.
Another issue is that the ground version can noticeably alter the composition of liquids. Many people take advantage of this change to use ground flax seeds as a stabilizer for baking, or chia seeds to thicken smoothies.
If you’re not interested in thickening your juices, make sure you drink the juice immediately after preparation. Also, avoid simply mixing the ground seeds in the juice and leaving the mixture to set.
In the end, the health benefits of ground seeds in juices are numerous and far outweigh the minor inconveniences that come with preparing them for consumption. Follow the recommended service size instructions on your seeds to make sure achieve the proper nutrition balance in each juice.