Q: I have lots of coconut oil, flaxseed and chia seeds because they’re healthy, but should I be worried about the calories?
All calories count, regardless of where they come from. If you were
to have 1tbsp each of coconut oil, flaxseed and chia seeds every day,
you’d add an extra 250kcal to your intake. If you don’t compensate for
these extra calories, in a year you could expect to gain almost 2st! So
you’re right to be cautious.
I’d start by ditching the coconut oil, which is also high in
saturated fat – just 1tbsp provides almost half the maximum amount of
saturates recommended in a day. And there’s not enough research to
suggest it has any true health benefits.
Flaxseeds and chia seeds contain protein and a variety of vitamins
and minerals in differing amounts. Chia seeds score higher than
flaxseeds for iron, phosphorus, calcium, selenium and niacin (vitamin
B3) and are slightly lower in calories and fat (486kcal and 30.7g fat
per 100g, compared with 534kcal and 42.2g fat). Flaxseeds are higher in
magnesium, copper and potassium, and have almost three times more
thiamin (vitamin B1) than chia seeds, plus they’re lower in carbs and
slightly higher in protein. Both contain similar amounts of omega-3
fats.
I’d suggest mixing it up by having 1tbsp chia seeds one day and 1tbsp flaxseeds the next