Garden of Life - the leader in RAW whole food nutrition - is on a mission of Empowering Extraordinary Health. Offering the highest quality, whole food ingredients that are USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified in our supplements is paramount to that mission. Now, we bring that same philosophy to our line of RAW Organics food items.
For starters, chia seeds and flaxseeds are the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s, of course, support healthy inflammation levels, cardiovascular health, eye health, brain power, healthy skin, hair and nails—plus additional benefits. What’s more is that our bodies can’t make omega-3s, so they have to come from our diet. We need ample amounts of them, too, because omega-3s are the impetus behind making new cells and regulating a variety of processes in the body. Unfortunately, however, most people don’t get enough omega-3s from their diet, but the good news is that just one ounce of either chia seeds or flaxseeds provides healthy amounts of plant-based omega-3s.
Whole Chia Seeds
Chia seeds contain eight times more omega-3s than salmon, six times more calcium than milk, three times more iron than spinach, fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli, two times more fiber than bran flakes. six times more protein than kidney beans—and chia seeds offer a complete protein, and four times more phosphorous than whole milk.
Chia also provides the body with vitamins A, B, E and D and other nutrients beyond the aforementioned calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorous. Additionally, chia provides boron, copper, molybdenum, niacin, potassium, silicon, sulphur, thiamine and zinc. You might also be interested to know that the trace minerals magnesium and boron in chia seeds help the body to absorb and utilize the calcium content in chia seeds.
What’s more is that the healthy omega-3 fats in chia seeds—including alpha linolenic acid (ALA), the only known essential omega-3 fatty acid the body can’t produce on its own—help the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E, while supporting cellular, cardiovascular and reproductive health, among other areas.
Cold Milled ground Flaxseeds
Lilian Thompson, Ph.D., an internationally known flaxseed researcher from the University of Toronto cites research indicating that among flax’s health benefits are cellular, cardiovascular, breast, colon, prostate and lung health. What’s more is that the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, and the lignan content in flaxseeds appear to be primarily responsible for those benefits.
In fact, flaxseeds provide a rich source of ALA, which is important because the human body uses ALA for healthy cellular growth and cellular energy production. Likewise, the ALA in flaxseeds supports cardiovascular health in a variety of ways, including supporting healthy inflammation levels by blocking the release of pro-inflammatory agents and supporting a normal heartbeat, healthy arteries and blood pressure levels.
Speaking of cardiovascular health . . . Kelley Fitzpatrick, M.Sc., director of health and nutrition with the Flax Council of Canada, makes an amazing observation about flaxseeds and unhealthy plaque buildup. Fitzpatrick says that lignans—plant-based compounds known for their protective health properties—in flaxseeds support the body’s ability to manage atherosclerotic plaque buildup in the arteries and help prevent white blood cells from sticking to the blood vessels’ inner linings.
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