Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Lately I have been getting so many questions about these seeds and wanted to talk to other vegans and/or professionals on their take.
Which do feels is best and why?
Which do you believe is higher in protein?
Also how do you consume your seeds?

Thanks so much!

I don't think any is really "best." Flax is the cheapest and most widely available. Some will warn you against cyanide in them, but it has been shown that the minuscule amount of cyanide only begins to pose a risk at intakes of about 1/2 cup per day. Chia has the same level of omega 3s, but is more expensive and not as widely available. If you are worried about cyanide, I recommend to just eat chia, or a combination of chia and flax. Hemp is rather low in omega 3s compared to the two, but is the highest in protein, and the tastiest in my opinion. I would not recommend to rely on hemp for your main source of omega 3s, but maybe to slightly supplement it. Flax needs to be ground, chia and hemp can be eaten whole. If you have a Vita-Mix or similar, they are strong enough to throw whole flax seeds in and grind up right with the rest of your smoothie. If not, use a coffee grinder, which is preferable over pre-ground seeds. You can grind up a pound of flax at a time and store it in the freezer.

Flax.

It is monumentally cheaper than chia seeds in my area. Cheaper than hemp too.

Vegans and many other people tend to have their balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 out of whack with too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3. It has been a few years since I read it, but I remember reading in "Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill" ( the bible of the EFA thing ) that Flax has much more Omega 3 than either hemp or chia.

You can go to nutritiondata.com to see which seed has the most protein.

I grind my flax seeds in a cheap $20 coffee grinder I got from Starbucks. I will grind a tablespoon of it, then mix it into oatmeal or into a glass of water before drinking it.

Thank you both for your replies!

They each have their merits. I haven't used chia yet. I like both hemp and flax and sometimes it depends on how you want the taste and texture to be. Variety is nice.

Just as a related comment - I recently have read about 'iskiate' and am going to get some Chia tomorrow to give it a go.

How was it?

Mixed up a tablespoon of Chia seeds in some warm water, added lemon juice and some honey (I'm one of those vegans) and sipped over a few hours.

It was tasty, but I have no idea if it came me more endurance. I had not much sleep thugh and did feel alert most of the day, so maybe? I'm gonna have it daily anyhow

Chia is fantastic, so that gets my vote. As well as exhibiting a positive effect on blood sugar levels, they've been a staple of the Aztecs for many, many years. Runners of the hidden Tarahumara tribe use it as a fuel, they mix half a teaspoon of Chia with a pinch of brown sugar, mix up in a small glass of water and they're away ~ instant energy. These are people that even the older members of the tribe, often in their 80's can run continuously for a whole day or more through the mountains on very little food:

"The Tarahumara are literally born to run and from an early age Taramuhara children play running games which continue well into their old age. It is not uncommon for 80 year old Tarahumara to run litterally all day long through rough, mountainous terrain on little more than Pinole (a corn mixture used as a type of superfuel - There are no gels in the Copper Canyon!) Not only are the Tarahumara excellent runners, they are also known for incredible health, long lives, serenity, and their peaceful and reclusive nature."

From the limited knowledge I have with regards to hemp, it does seem pretty good.

I personally think that flax is a poor choice, so I'll go into a little more detail and explain why:

When you start looking at what happens to flax in the body you'll notice that flaxseed has very poor EPA conversion of around 10% and ZERO conversion to DHA (DHA is an extremely important omega 3 fatty acid with benefits to the eyes, brain, heart and nervous system):



Flax contains omega 6 which is pro-inflammatory, basically meaning that it increases the production of inflammatory chemicals known as eicosanoids, Also worth bearing in mind is that a lot of people, including vegans are significantly deficient in Omega 3's, and the ingestion of Omega 6 further reduces omega 3 blood levels. Just to make matters even worse, women tend to be more efficient at converting it than men are

So I'd go for hemp, chia and/or a vegan omega 3 oil (microalgae oil is a great choice due to it being high strength). The one I use has 833mg omega 3 per capsule and provides 200mg DHA/100mg EPA.