Can you take Chia Seeds and Apple Cider Vinegar together?
Can you take chia seeds and apple cider vinegar together?
Absolutely! Chia seeds and apple cider vinegar have both shown incredible potential for boosting a healthy lifestyle. Combine the two to create the ultimate superfood, and really kick your morning off!
Chia Seeds: Aztec Superfood.
Chia are the edible seeds of Salvia hispanica, a flowering plant native to southern Mexico. It’s in the same botanical family as mint, and the plant and seeds were major contributors to the diet of pre-Colombian Nahuati tribes. Offerings to Aztec priests were often made in chia seed.
Nowadays, our nutritional choices are far broader than that of the Aztecs’. Chia seeds, however, have returned as a superfood staple, now renowned for their incredible macronutrient content.
Fuelling your Heart, Brains and Bones.
25 grams of chia seeds – roughly a handful – contain staggering amounts of healthy minerals:
- 158mg calcium
- 84mg magnesium
- 93mg iron
- 15mg zinc
- 68mg manganese
The calcium content of a handful of chia seeds is one major benefit. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body; the building blocks of your bones and teeth. Bone is a mineralized connective tissue, and without enough calcium your skeletal health drops significantly.
Not getting enough calcium can lead to higher rates of bone fractures and even osteoporosis later in life.
Thankfully, one handful of chia seeds makes up a quarter of your daily recommended calcium intake.
Chia seeds also help support the muscles around your bones. Not only do they contain 9g of protein per 25g, but they’re high in omega‒3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are proven to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, and promote heart health.
Chia seeds are also important for what they don’t contain. They’re gluten-free – making them a healthy source of carbohydrates for those with celiac disease – and contain no lactose. This means that chia seeds are a fantastic source of calcium for those struggling with lactose intolerance, too.
Chia seeds are naturally hard, and should be soaked before being eaten (keep that in mind for later!)
Apple Cider Vinegar: The Good & The Bad.
Apple cider vinegar is produced by the fermentation of – you guessed it! – cider apples. It contains trace amounts of calories and vitamins, and is largely made up of acetic acid, enzymes and friendly bacteria. Apple cider vinegar is considered a weight-loss ace-card. There are only a few studies that support this, such as a 2018 trial, which saw 39 subjects follow a diet with apple cider vinegar for 12 weeks. While both the vinegar-drinking and vinegar-free groups lost weight, the apple cider vinegar group lost more. This study was small-scale and short-term, however. Another study found that consuming vinegar made the recipients feel fuller after eating – but did so by causing nausea. Despite its yet-unaccredited weight loss capabilities, it’s clearly worked for thousands, who now tout it as a metabolism booster and pre-meal digestive aid. Acetic acid is the real health-boosting component to vinegar. For many diabetics, eating a high-carbohydrate meal creates a dramatic surge in insulin production. The two responses – over and under-production of insulin – create a variety of unpleasant effects. These include damage to blood vessels, dramatic slumps in energy, and hypoglycemia. Adjusting the level of insulin circulating throughout the body is one of the hardest day-to-day tasks of managing diabetes. Acetic acid – taken shortly after a meal – has been proven to increase glucose uptake by the muscles. This could help those of us even without diabetes, as large spikes of insulin contribute to feeling hungry sooner after a meal. However, the acetic acid in vinegar can also be dangerous, as it has a mildly corrosive effect on the teeth. Make sure to drink it through a straw, so you’re not undoing any of the benefits of the chia seeds.
Combining Chia Seeds and Apple Cider Vinegar
Remember how I mentioned that chia seeds should be soaked?
This not only helps your body to digest the seeds – but also makes them a perfect addition to a drink!
If you’re not a morning person, don’t worry. A tasty chia and apple cider vinegar drink doesn’t have to take the whole morning to prep and combine. Instead, go for uber-simple recipes such as Wholefully’s ‘my morning elixir‘.
Throw together lemon, apple cider vinegar, water, and chia seeds for a hydrating, healthy start to your day.
If you’re feeling fancy, or want an alternative to processed post-workout drinks, then perhaps this green smoothie is of interest. This includes chia seeds and apple cider vinegar, as well as high in beta-carotone baby kale, and fibre-full pears.
A chia fresca can be a refreshing alternative to sugary fruit juice, too!
Chia seeds and apple cider vinegar are not only safe to take together, but both actively benefit the body in different ways. The two ingredients can be taken together as part of an active, healthy lifestyle.
Hey'all I'm Amy, a born foodie and diagnosed with celiac disease 7 years ago. I refused to cave into tasteless, boring gulten free food and create my own!
On my blog you'll find info & cool facts along with recipes, all on gluten free foods!
I’m a registered Dietitian with more than 8 years of experience.
Besides being a registered Dietitian I am also a Certified Diabetes Educator and have certifications in sports nutrition, women’s health hormones, and gut health.
I love turning complex topics and writing them into easy to read articles to help people have a healthier lifestyle.
Dear sir/madam
Can I drink ACV n Chia seeds before eating breakfast??
Pls adv