It makes me really frustrated reading every day about news in food&health sector. Every single day you can read headlines telling you what to eat and what not to eat.
They are all based on different studies, but most of them are poorly written and only trying to be as provocative as possible.
Most of them don’t give you all the facts because they don’t even make an effort to gather all the relevant informations.
So, although internet can provide you with a lot of useful informations, you have to be careful about the sources that you get those informations from.
One of the examples that I wanted to talk about is chia seeds. They are one of the so-called ‘super food’ because they provide with a lot of health benefits. If you want to know more about chia seeds health benefits read more here.
The health benefits of chia seeds are pretty much available everywhere, but there are very little resources where you can find warnings about potential health risks.
The biggest mistake that people make is not gathering enough information about how and why something works.
Chia seeds can absorb 27 times their weight in water (or any liquid) and because of that, the only right way to use chia seeds is to mix them with liquid and let them stay in liquid for at least 10 minutes.
Taking chia seeds by swallowing them directly (without liquid) will make them absorb saliva (or any other body fluid) and expanding in your esophagus which may result in obstruction of esophagus and further problems.
People who have problems with reflux, gastritis or other digestive problems should be very careful with consumption of chia seeds.
Another thing that you need to know before following other people health advice is the condition of your own body. For example, chia seeds is an excellent source of calcium (among other things), but if you have problems with kidney stones which are resulted by high calcium levels in your body, taking large quantities of chia seeds might do you more harm than good.
So, if you really want to make better health choices and embrace healthy lifestyle, you need to:
Know your body
Go to your doctor, get your physical exam and check your sugar level, vitamins, minerals, cholesterol etc. Find out what condition your in.
Make a list, two, three
Based on your body, make a list of food sorted in three main groups – one that is recommended for you, one that is ok, and one of the food that is forbidden.
Gather the informations
About food that you plan to consume, what is the recommended way to use them and how often. Gather some recipes and make a menu plan.
Don’t eliminate any food group completely
Unless your doctor tells you that you have celiac disease it’s not necessary to completely switch to gluten-free food. Gluten also has it’s good benefits. It’s the same with sugar and carbs in general. It’s good to cut them down, but do you really need to eliminate them completely?
BE MODERATE
In the old days people were ingesting small amounts of poison believing that it will make them develop resistancy. That doesn’t mean that I’m telling you should do the same (please, do not ingest poison!), but the idea is that you can eat anything in small amounts, even fast food, and you can develop all kinds of disease from eating healthy food in too LARGE amounts!
Did you know that you can die from drinking to much water? Yes, it’s true. If you drink a large amount of water in a very short period of time, your blood gets diluted and can cause death – it’s called water intoxication. So just, be moderate in everything.
Workout
Whether your choice is going to the gym, yoga at home or just longer walks in the park, working out is extremely important for your overall health.
FLOSS
Or in general take care of hygiene of your body and mind.
