3 healthy seeds you must eat

3 healthy seeds you must eat

You already know that seeds have all the basic materials required to develop plants. This is why they are very nutritious. Seeds have lots of fiber, along with healthy polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and various vital antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, when you consume seeds with a healthy diet, they can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. In this blog post, you will get to know about three healthiest seeds you can eat.

 

  1. Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are also called linseeds. They contain a lot of lignans, omega-3 fats, especially alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), fiber, and many other nutrients. However, the omega-3 fats are present in the seed’s fibrous outer shell, which is not easily digestible. Thus, if you want more omega-3s, you must eat ground flaxseeds.

One ounce or 28 grams of flaxseeds contain many nutrients, including 152 calories, 7.8 grams of fiber, 5.2 grams of protein, 2.1 grams of monosaturated fat, 6.5 grams of omega-3 fats, 1.7 grams of omega-6 fats, 35% of the RDI manganese, 31% of the RDI thiamine or vitamin B1, and 28% of the RDI magnesium.

Studies show that flax seeds are helpful in reducing cholesterol, blood pressure, and the risk of cancer.

 

  1. Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are quite same as flaxseeds since they also contain good amounts of omega-3 fats and fiber, along with many other nutrients. Just like flaxseeds, these seeds have many vital antioxidant polyphenols.

One ounce or 28 grams of chia seeds contains 137 calories, 10.6 grams of fiber, 4.4 grams of protein, 0.6 grams of monosaturated fat, 4.9 grams of omega-3 fats, 1.6 grams of omega-6 fats, 15% of the RDI thiamine or vitamin B1, 30% of the RDI magnesium, and 30% of the RDI manganese.

Chia seeds help in reducing blood sugar and risk factors for heart disease. Moreover, many studies show that eating chia seeds increases ALA in the blood, which is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that helps in reducing inflammation.

 

  1. Hemp Seeds

Hemp seeds provide over 30% vegetarian protein, along with many other important nutrients. Hemp seeds are one of the few plants that are complete sources of protein, including all necessary amino acids made by your body. Studies show that the quality of protein in hemp seeds is better than many other sources of plant protein.

One ounce or 28 grams of hemp seeds have 155 calories, 1.1 grams of fiber, 8.8 grams of protein, 0.6 grams of monosaturated fat, 10.7 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 45% of the RDI magnesium, 31% of the RDI thiamine or vitamin B1, and 30% of the RDI zinc.

Hemp seeds held in reducing the symptoms of chronic inflammatory conditions and eczema.

Seeds are full of healthy fats, fiber, antioxidant polyphenols, and vegetarian protein. Moreover, they can lower the risk of certain diseases. The lignans in some seeds help in lowering the risk of cancer as well as in reducing cholesterol. Therefore, you should incorporate healthy seeds in your diet. You can easily add them to smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, and salads. This way you can simply add healthy nutrients to your diet.

4 best gluten-free flours

4 best gluten-free flours

One of the most common ingredients used in foods is flour. It’s used in a lot of foods, including desserts, noodles, and breads. Flour is also used to thicken soups and sauces. Most of the foods are made using wheat or white flour. However, these two types of flours are not good for people who suffer from celiac illness, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or those who avoid gluten for any reason.

Luckily, you can find many flours that are free from gluten on the market. All these flours have a different taste, nutrient composition, and texture. So, let us take a look at the four best gluten-free flours you can use.

  1. Almond Flour

Almond flour is quite common. It’s free from gluten as well as grain. This type of flour is made from blanched, ground almonds after removing the skin of the almonds. One cup of almond flour has nearly 90 almonds with a nutty flavor.

Almond flour is usually used in making baked goods and is a great grain-free substitute to breadcrumbs. While using this flour, you need to use one additional egg, which makes your batter thicker and results in a denser end product.

  1. Coconut Flour

As the name suggests, coconut flour is made from dried coconut meat and has a mild coconut flavor. It has a light texture that gives the same results as when using regular flour. Coconut flour is great for baking desserts and breads.

You must know that this type of flour absorbs much more water as compared to almond or regular flour. Moreover, coconut flour has high saturated fat lauric acid. It’s great for people who have gluten or nut allergies.

  1. Buckwheat Flour

Even though the name of this flour is buckwheat flour, it’s free from wheat grain and gluten. It comes from the pseudocereals family, which is a group of grains that are not from the grass family and are consumed like cereals.  

Buckwheat flour has a rich and earthy flavor. It’s ideal for baking yeast and quick bread. This type of flour is crumbly in nature owing to it being gluten-free. You can combine it with other gluten-free flours, such as brown rice flour, in order to make a quality end product.

  1. Brown Rice Flour

Brown rice flour is made using ground brown rice. This whole-grain flour contains the endosperm, germ, and bran. This type of flour has a nutty flavor and it can be used to thicken sauces, to make a roux, and to make breaded foods such as chicken and fish. You can also use it to make noodles and combine it with other flours free of gluten for making cakes, cookies, and bread.

So, these were the four best flours that are free from gluten. You can make your food using these flours if you have celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or if you simply want to avoid gluten for some reason. There are a lot of gluten-free healthy alternatives to regular wheat flour.

Moreover, some flours that are free from gluten have more nutrients as compared to others, which make them healthier options for your diet. Therefore, you must choose gluten-free flours after comparing their taste and nutrients.