It may not be a wise choice to eat your Chia Pet, but it would be to start eating Chia seeds. I can hear it now, “Mark has finally lost his marbles.” Perhaps, but the fact remains you will be hearing more about the health benefits of Chia seeds.

Why should you be eating them everyday? They pack 5g of fiber per tablespoon which accounts for all the carbs in them (a good thing for a fat loss diet). More importantly they offer 2.5g of heart healthy omega-3′s per serving. Omega-3′s are an anti-inflammatory for which many diseases can be tracked back to elevated inflammation in the body. The great thing about these fats is their ability to help with fat loss. Low blood levels of omega-3′s are also associated with depression.

I know it may seem weird at first to start eating seeds from something thousands of people have bought as a gimmick household plant, but quirkiness aside, they are healthy.

They  also  don’t have a taste. Simply add them to your protein shakes, or what I do is toss them into my oatmeal. A word of caution when adding to a shake is that the seeds will grow in size due to drawing water into them. Experiment with a tablespoon at a time.

If you decide to try them, you can pick up a 1 lb bag for about $16 (at MOMs Organic Market in Bowie) and they will last quite a while. If you find them to be a staple of your diet then you can buy a 5 lb bag on Amazon for about $25 shipped.

There are currently two supplements that you should absolutely be taking. That’s right! Some nutritionists or trainers will say that “we don’t need supplements”. I’m sorry, but those people are wrong. In a perfect world where everyone is eating six quality organic meals a day, these two supplements would even be tough to get optimal amounts of. I’m only going to cover one of those supplements this issue.

Vitamin D- the “sunshine” vitamin gets that name because we can actually produce the Vitamin D we need by being exposed to sun light. But, let me ask you a question. When was the last time you were outside for a solid 15-20 minutes with a good amount of your skin exposed to the sun, and without sun block? We have been inundated with scare tactics from the media about the dangers of sun exposure, but the question must be asked, “Does sunblock cause more harm than good?” As someone who has been known to lather on sunblock every 20 minutes when out in the sun, I have since changed my ways and will wait 15-20 minutes, to help ensure adequate Vitamin D levels.

But, if I eat foods with Vitamin D, that will take care of it right? Nope! Unfortunately, the amounts that studies have shown we need, you will no way get from food alone. Even fortified milk isn’t doing the job. Close to 80% of Americans are deficient and the health risks are alarming. But before I get to those, let’s talk about the immediate problem. Those of you looking to lose body fat, low levels make it much harder.

As for the health risks, studies have shown low blood levels of Vitamin D can include; increased risk of cancer, pregnancy problems, birth defects, autism, chronic fatigue, seasonal depression (hello lack of sunshine), obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and the list goes on. Hmmm, getting the picture? You better believe supplementing with this vitamin is crucial for long-term health. If you’re weary of supplementing, your best bet is to get a blood test done to see where you’re at.

At the Shields’ house we supplement everyday with Vitamin D (higher doses in the winter and when tackling fat loss phases). Most experts suggest anywhere from 1,000-4,000 IU’s/day. The key is to make sure you get D3, as other forms of Vitamin D are not as potent. Carlson’s makes a great product, which you can pick up at Amazon.com for about $15 for 6 months worth. Not a bad deal to help ensure your health and body fat levels are where you want them.

If you want to know more about testing your Vitamin D levels and which test is the gold standard along with what your blood level should be, contact me.

Editor’s note: As of the last publishing of this article, a recent study on Vitamin D supplements has shown that many on the market shelves are much lower in concentration than what is listed on the label. Further proving the point to buy from reputable companies.