TeeChia's Health Benefits

Empty calories are those that do not provide any nutrients – refined sugars and grains (white flour versus whole wheat flour) are prime examples. Stripped of the nutrients and fiber that were part of the original food source, they are quickly converted to glucose resulting in a temporary blood sugar spike that then triggers an insulin cascade and ends in a low blood sugar crash.

This is the high/low energy cycle that commercial cereals provide. You feel an energy rush upon eating the stripped, processed grains laden with sugar, but then you burn through it quickly, especially if you’re an active person. By mid-morning, you’re hungry again and feeling brain fog coming on with a vengeance. Even oat-based cereals like oatmeal and granola have too much added sugar and not enough protein or the right kind of fats to provide lasting energy. Granola is oatmeal backed with sugar and oil to make it crispy!

TeeChia has the opposite effect. Nutrient-dense calories bound in fiber take longer to digest and yield their energy continuously and slowly. The nutrients fuel our cellular metabolism, and our blood sugar remains stable. We’re powered by a sustainable energy source that doesn’t drop off the cliff. When we feel hungry again, it isn’t accompanied by desperation or fuzzy thoughts. Hours will have passed before you even think of eating again.

The Atkins Diet, which has now morphed into the Keto diet, gave carbohydrates a bad reputation. The premise was you’ll lose weight if you eat very few carbs and lots of fats. This is true in the short term, but unhealthy in the long term. Carbohydrates come from plants and there is no doubt that a plant-based diet provides the phytonutrients that humans evolved to eat and are required to create optimal health.

The problem was, Atkins didn’t make the proper distinction between the health benefits of “slow carbs” meaning those carbohydrates from plant sources that haven’t been refined or processed, and “fast carbs”, which are high in starch, low in fiber, and rapidly absorbed. He lumped all carbs together without distinguishing that “fast carbs” are the real enemy of your waistline and your health.

Carbohydrates are the energy storehouse of plants. You need them, but you just don’t want them refined. Eat them the way nature intended, just like they are in TeeChia, and you’ll discover that slow carbs are your body’s best energy source.

Fat is calorie dense, which means a little bit goes a long way. A tablespoon of fat contains over twice the number of calories as carbohydrates and protein. If you are eating foods that contain natural amounts of fat, you’ll feel full longer and have more energy to burn. Your body converts food to energy using both carbohydrates and fats, so you want both in your diet in the right balance for sustained energy production.

The problem with fat in food arises when fat is extracted to make oils, including vegetable oils and animal fat (e.g. butter or lard). When these concentrated fats are consumed in high quantities, your weight and health can be compromised.

Saturated fat found in animal foods is known to increase cholesterol, leading to a buildup of plaque in the arteries and heart disease. Vegetable oils contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids but aren’t balanced with the same ratio of omega-3 fatty acids. This imbalance can create a pro-inflammatory condition that can lead to chronic diseases.

While most cereals including granola are manufactured with vegetable oils, TeeChia is not. The fats in TeeChia come from the seeds themselves. TeeChia contains high quantities of omega-3 fatty acids that can help balance the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids that you’re getting from other foods.