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Does Chia Seeds Break Intermittent Fasting?

Does Chia Seeds Break Intermittent Fasting

Fasting can be an effective way to accomplish your goals of maintaining or losing weight or to add more nutritional value or health benefits to your diet.

Intermittent fasting is considered to be a smarter, more long-term effective approach than just fasting alone because it allows you to focus on your overall diet and not just certain or quick results.

Some factors are involved that could be considered breaking your fast, like adding certain additions such as seeds or nuts, because they contain certain properties that work against the idea of fasting.

So the question remains, Does Chia Seeds Break Intermittent Fasting?

Technically, Chia seeds break intermittent fasting.

I would not recommend avoiding eating them during your fast.

Since Chia seeds contain a high amount of calories in their little seeds, Chia seeds can be considered to break intermittent fasting.

There are varying levels of what should be considered when intermittent fasting, such as certain health factors.

Chia seeds are difficult for your body to process if they have not been properly soaked and can be incredibly painful for your body to process if they aren’t prepared beforehand.

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If you have to watch certain health factors, like your insulin levels or have renal issues, you may want to steer clear of Chia seeds.

Can I Put Chia Seeds in my Water While Fasting?

No, you shouldn’t put chia seeds in your water while fasting.

Since Chia seeds are high in calories, putting chia seeds in your water while fasting will break your fast.

This all depends on your routine or what regimen your fast is because if you aim to fast at certain times but still keep your nutrient levels high, Chia seeds can be a great addition to your fasting plan.

There seems to be a lot of support behind the idea that intermittent fasting isn’t really about eating or drinking anything besides water but a time to focus on your nutrient intake and cut out what’s unnecessary in your diet.

When Chia seeds absorb in the water you drink, they can absorb around 8 to 27 times their weight in water, allowing them to naturally hold and expel the nutrients they have in them.

When you drink water that’s been allowed time for Chia seeds to soak into, you’ll give your body a punch full of fiber and other nutrients that can be helpful if you’re trying to fast but still improve your diet.

Since Chia seeds have high amounts of fiber, they can be included in your regimen if you focus on weight control and fiber intake.

If you don’t go overboard with how many Chia seeds you add to your daily diet, you could effectively help keep your internal “pipes” clear, aiding in the weight loss category.

When you put Chia seeds in water and allow them to fully expand outside of your belly, they’ll hold and release their nutrients to be dispersed over time, allowing your body to better fully absorb everything Chia seeds have in them.

If you don’t soak Chia seeds before you eat them, they could cause the opposite effect in your body and leave you with serious constipation or diarrhea, among other things.

Percentage of Nutritional Benefits in One Ounce of Chia Seeds

Fiber Protein Fat Calcium Manganese Magnesium Phosphorus
11g 4g 9g (5g are Omega-3’s) 18% of the RDA 30% of the RDA 30% of the RDA 27% of the RDA

If you want to avoid dealing with some of the complications that come with Chia seeds, soaking your Chia seeds in water beforehand is highly recommended.

To get the fullest amount of nutrients you can or to activate certain properties Chia seeds have, like fiber, you’ll want to ensure you chew everything very well before swallowing everything down.

Chia seeds have mucilage properties that can stick to your throat after you eat them, so chewing everything the best that you can decrease the likelihood you’ll experience complications.

Do Chia Seeds Spike Insulin?

No, Chia seeds don’t spike insulin.

If you soaked Chia seeds in water before eating them, you’d have allowed them to expand to their full size so they won’t be soaking up the water inside your body.

Once they’re in your body like this, the Chia seeds start slowly dispersing their nutrients, allowing your body more time to process everything.

Because of this, Chia seeds will slow down the pace of absorption for things like sugar, which can lead to a decrease in spikes in insulin levels.

Chia seeds are being seen as a food that can even reduce insulin sensitivity in addition to this and can serve a part in stabilizing blood sugar after meals.

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Things that are high in fiber are also known to decrease insulin spikes, and eating Chia seeds are a great source of fiber.

Amongst other nutrients that come in Chia seeds, being high in fiber helps Chia seeds slow down the absorption pace for things like sugar in your body.

Because Chia seeds don’t rely on insulin to be broken down and absorbed into your body, there’s a less likely chance you’ll experience a spike in insulin. If you’re fasting and trying to watch your insulin spikes, a small portion of Chia seeds can help you keep those glucose levels low.

There is a point of caution to be taken if you’re someone with renal issues, however.

Eating Chia Seeds For 2 Weeks – Before & After

 

Renal issues usually include the groups of people who would be watching their insulin levels, as most heightened cases of diabetes involve issues with the kidneys.

Diabetes can cause you to have damage to the nerve vessels in your kidneys, which can lead you to have renal issues over time.

Outside of fiber, Chia seeds are also high in protein and phosphate.

You can gain large quantities of phosphate from a small number of seeds, and phosphate can be great to add in moderation to your diet if you don’t have renal issues.

The problem with having too much phosphate in the body is if you have problems with renal issues, adding phosphate to the mix only makes things worse.

You can easily go overboard in phosphate amounts by eating just a few tablespoons of Chia seeds, which makes Chia seeds not highly recommended for people who are watching their insulin or have renal problems.

Can you drink water with chia seeds?

Can you drink water with chia seeds

Yes, generally, you can drink water with Chia seeds (but not when fasting).

You can drink water with Chia seeds, but be mindful of how you do it.

Since Chia seeds can absorb up to 27 times their weight in water once submerged, they need time to expand to reach full absorption.

If you were to eat dry Chia seeds and then slam down some water, they’d start to expand in your stomach, and the only source of water they’ll be able to pull from is your body.

Doing this can lead to some serious stomach complications, such as constipation, diarrhea, or even in extreme cases, vomiting.

When prepared correctly, drinking water with Chia seeds after you’ve let them fully absorb themselves in water can help keep your body from becoming dehydrated.

If you let the seeds soak up to their fullest amount in water, they’ll retain that water during digestion and incrementally disperse water to your body, which can be extremely helpful if you’re fasting.

This process has been seen to even keep hydrating you even after exercising. Soaking Chia seeds beforehand also allows them to expand their nutrient levels, so after you’ve eaten them they’ll keep slowly dispersing their nutrients to your body over time.

If the main regimen in your diet is to take breaks while you fast, Chia seeds can be a great healthy boost to your daily lifestyle and diet.

Considering the alternative things you could eat that would break your fast, eating Chia seeds would be something you could eat and still be questionable as to how much of your fast you’re breaking.

If you’re watching your insulin spikes, Chia seeds could be something you incorporate into your fast and help you feel energized while decreasing your insulin levels.

However, if you’re someone who has to pay attention to health issues like renal failure, you may want to stay clear of Chia seeds as they could make matters worse for you.

Because Chia seeds have so much nutritional value, you may not even consider them a component that would break your fast at all.

Before you go, I wanted to introduce you to some of the Top Fasting Book Resources.