Superfood Series: Chia Seeds

The term ‘superfood’ has become a common concept in our everyday conversations. What makes a super food so super, and do we have to eat these magical foods to stay healthy? Can we eat a variety of ‘normal’ foods and get similar health benefits? Let s take a closer look to see what superfoods are all about.  All types of food provide our bodies with a variety of nutrients. We classify the nutrients in two groups namely macro and micro nutrients.

Macronutrients are nutrients that contribute to the energy value or content of the food and appear in large quantities in foods. There are 3 macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micronutrients do not contribute to the energy content of the food and appear in small quantities in foods and are known as vitamins and minerals.

Sufficient quantities of macro and micro nutrients are vital for good health. Superfoods become super when the food contains  an abundance of micro nutrients in large quantities that are deemed good for our health. Let’s compare the popular health claims made for some superfoods and then check how each of these superfoods compares to a ‘normal’ counterpart in relation to their macro and micro nutrient composition.

Chia seeds:

Health claim

• High in omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFA) 

Chia seeds vs Sardines (per 100g dry/ tinned) 

Conclusion: Firstly, it is important to note that although we compared chia seeds and sardine’s by weight, it is unlikely that you will consume 100g of chia seeds but very likely that you can get in that amount of sardines (it’s just more than 1 tin!)

Omega 3 fats are known as essential fats (meaning your body does not produce it on its own) they comprise of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) found mainly in plant sources like chia seeds. ALA needs to be converted to the active metabolites EPA  (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) EPA and DHA are also found in mainly in oily fish, like sardine’s, herring, salmon and mackerel.

EPA and DHA are widely studied and have been found to be positively linked to improved heart health (especially in those who already suffer from heart disease), brain health, as well as cognitive and visual acuity development in the foetus. While ALA is also an important nutrient, its benefits are not as well known. ALA is converted to EPA and DHA, but the rate of conversion is low, with only about 5% to 15% of ALA converting to EPA and less than 1% of ALA converting to DHA. Thus, in order to get the proven benefits from omega 3, one should consume sufficient quantities of EPA and DHA which unfortunately is not found in this superfood!  

References:

1. Vannice G, Rasmussen H. Dietary fatty acids for healthy adults. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014:114(1):136-153.
2. Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infarction: results of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial. Lancet. 1999:354(9177):447-455.
3. Mozaffarian D. Fish and n-3 fatty acids for the prevention of fatal coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(6):1991S-1996S.
4. Swanson D, Block R, Mousa SA. Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA: health benefits throughout life. Adv Nutr. 2012:3(1):1-7.