SEEDS – MIRACLE FOOD

By Chris Thompson

Dubbed a ‘Superfood’ by countless magazines and newspapers we’ve all got the message that seeds are good for us but do we know why?

Fruit and vegetables usually catch the healthy headlines with the 5 a day slogan and I think we should be doing the same with seeds!

With dozens of different types are they really all that good for us and is eating one type enough to get the benefits? Before you stop reading – the quick answer is yes, yes they are!

The easiest way to sum it up is as follows… Inside a seed is the necessary nutrition for a plant or a tree to grow, so by eating seeds you take all this compact nutrition straight from the source and put it directly into your body! 

Just like fruits and vegetables, getting the most out of seeds is about eating a range of them as they all bring something different. And don’t worry; it’s a lot easier than you think! We’re not just talking about the celebrity of seeds – pumpkin and sunflower but all the b, c and even lesser recognised z-listers of the seed world!

Did you know that many things you already eat are seeds? Oats, rice, wheat are actually seeds and you wouldn’t just eat these on their own would you?  To make them yummy you would add different things to them or make foods from or with them. This is exactly what we should be doing with seeds to get more of them into our diet.

I started eating seeds when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and lost 4 stone in 6 months. My dream career as a professional wrestler had to be put on hold and my focus was getting myself better. It was at this point that I realised how good seeds actually were for me.

I researched all the different kinds and tried to eat them but even knowing how good they were for me I found it boring. So headed to the kitchen and created a range of different foods with them. I added them to salads, soups, stir-fry’s, yogurt, porridge… and I created the Seed Stacked Flapjacks.

Through my recipes I was harnessing the compact nutrition my body needed along with the good fats our western diet often lacks. The added dose of omega oils helped to reduce the inflammatory swelling in my intestine and went along way to helping me be placed in remission in 2008.

These anti-inflammatory properties can also be beneficial for a range of inflammatory conditions including asthma and arthritis.

Enjoying the benefits of seeds is about being creative in the kitchen and adding them as a health boost to things you currently eat and love. Next time you make a chilli add some pumpkin seeds in at the end, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over your Chinese or toss a handful into a batch of cookies.

Seeds have been eaten for thousands of years, from the Egyptians to the Romans, so why stop now? Lets continue to give our bodies the nutrition they need and still enjoy our food at the same time. Have you had your 5 portions of seedy goodness today?
About the Author
Chris Thompson is founder of Seed Stacked. See:  www.seedstacked.com