Doctor says chia seeds can help you lose weight - but there's a catch

A doctor has warned people who want to eat - or drink - chia seeds to steer clear of a common mistake that could land them in the hospital. Sharing the advice on TikTok, the expert, known as @doctorsoo, explained that incorrect usage could lead to a "blockage." Dr Sooj began by asking: "Is a spoonful of chia seed water really going to make you lose weight?" with many thinking that this one drink might be the solution to their weight loss struggles.

The drink, which admittedly looks a bit like something scooped from a pond, can actually be beneficial - but there is a catch. As the doctor explained: "Drinking the tadpole water offers numerous benefits (because) it’s packed with nutrients.' "It contains a lot of fibre, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and even essential micro nutrients.



Because of how much fiber and protein they contain, they can help you with your weight loss journey." He said that this is "because they will make you feel full for longer". Many in the comments saying it helped them to eat less because they felt like they did not need to eat.

According to Holland & Barrett : "Chia seeds are shiny, smooth, grey/black seeds that measure only a few millimeters." The health experts reveal: "In the Mayan language, ‘chia’ means ‘strength’, so it comes as no surprise that they were a fan of these little seeds. "It’s believed that they made up one of the basic four food groups of Central American civilisations.

Fast-forward to now, and they’ve obtained ‘superfood’ status and a lot of love in nutrition worldwide – for good reason!" Before you eat the seeds, the doctor warned: “The worst thing you can do is just dry scoop the chia seeds because they can get stuck” and if you do this, the seeds “can create a blockage and it would just be horrible to try and manage.” Because they can send a lot of fiber at once, the doctor says that you may need to go to the toilet straight afterwards. After this, “your weight will drop because you will lose a lot of matter in the toilet.

” However he warned: “But remember, like with all of these wellness things, just this one change to your diet is not going to make you suddenly shed loads of weight. “Also, it is important to remember that chia seeds expand in water. So when you put that spoon of chia seeds in water, you need to leave it for an appropriate amount of time so I can really expand into frog spawn.

” This means you'll need to wait while the seeds absorb water and expand. You’ll know they’re ready when they resemble something, as the doctor put it, that you might find in a pond. It’s generally recommended that you don’t exceed 15g of chia seeds a day.

This is approximately one tablespoon. Try leaving the seeds to soak for 20 minutes until they are visibly bigger. If you think they need longer, leave them and check again until they look like 'frog spawn'.

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