Chia seeds and water for weight loss
Bottom Line: Despite their tiny size, chia seeds are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Other seed appendages include the raphe (a ridge), wings, caruncles (a soft spongy outgrowth from the outer integument in the vicinity of the micropyle), spines, or tubercles. They are loaded with nutrients that can have important benefits for your body and brain. The form of the stored nutrition varies depending on the kind of plant. The endotegmen is derived from the inner epidermis of the inner integument, the exotegmen from the outer surface of the inner integument. Orthotropous ovules are straight with all the parts of the ovule lined up in a long row producing an uncurved seed. In addition to the three basic seed parts, some seeds have an appendage, an aril, a fleshy outgrowth of the funicle ( funiculus ), (as in yew and nutmeg ) or an oily appendage, an elaiosome (as in Corydalis ), or hairs (trichomes). In the past few years, they have exploded in popularity and are now consumed by health conscious people all over the world. Cotyledon C. Seeds have been an important development in the reproduction and success of gymnosperms and angiosperms plants, relative to more primitive plants such as ferns, mosses and liverworts, which do not have seeds and use water-dependant means to propagate themselves. Diagram of a generalized dicot seed (1) versus a generalized monocot seed (2). Within the seed, there usually is a store of nutrients for the seedling that will grow from the embryo. The seed coat develops from the maternal tissue, the integuments, originally surrounding the ovule. Bottom Line: Chia seeds are high in antioxidants that help to protect the delicate fats in the seeds. Zygote 3. The upper or chalazal pole becomes the main area of growth of the embryo, while the lower or micropylar pole produces the stalk-like suspensor that attaches to the micropyle. Other terms include crustaceous (hard, thin or brittle). Seeds are the product of the ripened ovule, after fertilization by pollen and some growth within the mother plant. In the latter example these hairs are the source of the textile crop cotton. Plumule E. Radicle F. Although antioxidant supplements are not very effective, getting antioxidants from foods can have positive effects on health ( 6 ). (Kozlowski 1972). Small seeds are quicker to ripen and can be dispersed sooner, so fall blooming plants often have small seeds. The last ovule shape is called amphitropous, where the ovule is partly inverted and turned back 90 degrees on its stalk (the funicle or funiculus ). Endosperm 2. The outer integument has a number of layers, generally between four and eight organised into three layers: (a) outer epidermis, (b) outer pigmented zone of two to five layers containing tannin and starch, and (c) inner epidermis. Just below it is a small pore, representing the micropyle of the ovule. In the fruit of grains (caryopses) the single monocotyledon is shield shaped and hence called a scutellum. Despite their ancient history as a dietary staple, only recently did chia seeds become recognized as a modern day superfood. The endosperm may be considered to be farinaceous (or mealy) in which the cells are filled with starch, as for instance cereal grains, or not (non-farinaceous). These antioxidants protect the sensitive fats in the seeds from going rancid ( 5 ). (October 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ). Right after fertilization, the zygote is mostly inactive, but the primary endosperm divides rapidly to form the endosperm tissue. In addition, the endosperm forms a supply of nutrients for the embryo in most monocotyledons and the endospermic dicotyledons. A scar also may remain on the seed coat, called the hilum, where the seed was attached to the ovary wall by the funicle. Plants generally produce ovules of four shapes: the most common shape is called anatropous, with a curved shape. The mechanical layer may prevent water penetration and germination. In the non-endospermic dicotyledons the endosperm is absorbed by the embryo as the latter grows within the developing seed, and the cotyledons of the embryo become filled with stored food. thick and hard in honey locust and coconut ), or fleshy as in the sarcotesta of pomegranate. g. A collection of various vegetable and herb seeds. In the inner epidermis the cells also enlarge radially with plate like thickening of the walls. Chia seeds are tiny black seeds from the plant Salvia Hispanica, which is related to the mint. Seed production in natural plant populations varies widely from year-to-year in response to weather variables, insects and diseases, and internal cycles within the plants themselves. Sunflower seeds are sometimes sold commercially while still enclosed within the hard wall of the fruit, which must be split open to reach the seed. these cells which are broader on their inner surface are called palisade cells. The surface may have a variety of appendages (see Seed coat). The maturing ovule undergoes marked changes in the integuments, generally a reduction and disorganisation but occasionally a thickening. The plumule, the tip of the epicotyl, and has a feathery appearance due to the presence of young leaf primordia at the apex, and will become the shoot upon germination. The commonest colours are brown and black, other colours are infrequent. Plant ovules: Gymnosperm ovule on left, angiosperm ovule (inside ovary) on right. The endotesta is derived from the inner epidermis of the outer integument, and the outer layer of the testa from the outer surface of the outer integument is referred to as the exotesta. The embryo has one cotyledon or seed leaf in monocotyledons, two cotyledons in almost all dicotyledons and two or more in gymnosperms. Dicotyledons have the point of attachment opposite one another on the axis. The scutellum is pressed closely against the endosperm from which it absorbs food, and passes it to the growing parts. Angiosperm seeds are produced in a hard or fleshy structure called a fruit that encloses the seeds, hence the name. Chia seeds were an important food for the Aztecs and Mayans back in the day. After fertilization the ovules develop into the seeds. The exalbuminous seeds include the legumes (such as beans and peas ), trees such as the oak and walnut, vegetables such as squash and radish, and sunflowers. Although misleading, the term began to be applied to all the nutrient matter. Seed plants now dominate biological niches on land, from forests to grasslands both in hot and cold climates. At maturity, seeds of these species have no endosperm and are also referred to as exalbuminous seeds. Seeds serve several functions for the plants that produce them. However, the seeds do become covered by the cone scales as they develop in some species of conifer. In most monocotyledons (such as grasses and palms ) and some ( endospermic or albuminous ) dicotyledons (such as castor beans ) the embryo is embedded in the endosperm (and nucellus, which the seedling will use upon germination. See the relevant discussion on the talk page. As the cells enlarge, and starch is deposited in the outer layers of the pigmented zone below the outer epidermis, this zone begins to lignify, while the cells of the outer epidermis enlarge radially and their walls thicken, with nucleus and cytoplasm compressed into the outer layer. Suspensor 5. In angiosperms, the stored food begins as a tissue called the endosperm, which is derived from the mother plant and the pollen via double fertilization. Diagram of the internal structure of a dicot seed and embryo: (a) seed coat, (b) endosperm, (c) cotyledon, (d) hypocotyl. In gymnosperms, which do not form ovaries, the ovules and hence the seeds are exposed. There may be one ( Monocotyledons ), or two ( Dicotyledons ).
Nuts are the one-seeded, hard-shelled fruit of some plants with an indehiscent seed, such as an acorn or hazelnut. Hilum D. A 1 ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains ( 1, 2 ). The embryo is developed from the zygote and the seed coat from the integuments of the ovule. Usually parts of the testa or tegmen form a hard protective mechanical layer. Embryo 4. peanut ) or something more substantial (e. It is usually triploid, and is rich in oil or starch, and protein. The seed coat in the mature seed can be a paper-thin layer (e. There are some claims online about chia seeds having more antioxidants than blueberries, but I was unable find a study to verify this claim. The embryo is the fertilised ovule, an immature plant from which a new plant will grow under proper conditions. The inside of a Ginkgo seed, showing a well-developed embryo, nutritive tissue ( megagametophyte ), and a bit of the surrounding seed coat. The radicle, the basal tip of the hypocotyl, grows into the primary root. Two sperm cells transferred from the pollen do not develop the seed by double fertilization, but one sperm nucleus unites with the egg nucleus and the other sperm is not used. Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced. Other less obvious terms include discoid (resembling a disc or plate, having both thickness and parallel faces and with a rounded margin), ellipsoid, globose ( spherical ), or subglobose (Inflated, but less than spherical), lenticular, oblong, ovoid, reniform and sectoroid. This tissue becomes the food the young plant will consume until the roots have developed after germination. g. The plumule is covered with a coleoptile that forms the first leaf while the radicle is covered with a coleorhiza that connects to the primary root and adventitious roots form from the sides. Orchids and a few other groups of plants are mycoheterotrophs which depend on mycorrhizal fungi for nutrition during germination and the early growth of the seedling. A. Gossypium described here) both inner and outer integuments contribute to the seed coat formation. The seed coat helps protect the embryo from mechanical injury, predators and drying out. In gymnosperms, such as conifers, the food storage tissue (also called endosperm) is part of the female gametophyte, a haploid tissue. The surface varies from highly polished to considerably roughened. Monocotyledonous plants have two additional structures in the form of sheaths. Embryo descriptors include small, straight, bent, curved and curled. The shape of the ovules as they develop often affects the final shape of the seeds. The formation of the seed is part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm plants. Seeds fundamentally are means of reproduction, and most seeds are the product of sexual reproduction which produces a remixing of genetic material and phenotype variability on which natural selection acts. The mature inner integument has a palisade layer, a pigmented zone with 15-20 layers, while the innermost layer is known as the fringe layer. Some fruits have layers of both hard and fleshy material. Most importantly, antioxidants fight the production of free radicals, which can damage molecules in cells and contribute to ageing and diseases like cancer ( 7, 8 ). Angiosperm (flowering plants) seeds consist of three genetically distinct constituents: (1) the embryo formed from the zygote, (2) the endosperm, which is normally triploid, (3) the seed coat from tissue derived from the maternal tissue of the ovule. A seed coat with the consistency of cork is referred to as suberose. When the seed coat forms from only one layer, it is also called the testa, though not all such testae are homologous from one species to the next. While the inner epidermis may remain a single layer, it may also divide to produce two to three layers and accumulates starch, and is referred to as the colourless layer. Seed Coat B. Here are 11 health benefits of chia seeds that are supported by human studies. They also contain a decent amount of Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B2. Anatropous ovules have a portion of the funiculus that is adnate (fused to the seed coat), and which forms a longitudinal ridge, or raphe, just above the hilum. The parts of an avocado seed (a dicot ), showing the seed coat and embryo. If the exotesta is also the mechanical layer, this is called an exotestal seed, but if the mechanical layer is the endotegmen, then the seed is endotestal. The cotyledons are also the source of nutrients in the non-endospermic dicotyledons, in which case they replace the endosperm, and are thick and leathery. Plants that produce smaller seeds can generate many more seeds per flower, while plants with larger seeds invest more resources into those seeds and normally produce fewer seeds. The endosperm is surrounded by the aleurone layer (peripheral endosperm), filled with proteinaceous aleurone grains. Depending on its development, the seed coat is either bitegmic or unitegmic. Different groups of plants have other modifications, the so-called stone fruits (such as the peach ) have a hardened fruit layer (the endocarp) fused to and surrounding the actual seed. Originally, by analogy with the animal ovum, the outer nucellus layer ( perisperm ) was referred to as albumen, and the inner endosperm layer as vitellus. Here the hypocotyl is a rudimentary axis between radicle and plumule. In endospermic seeds the cotyledons are thin and papery. In angiosperms, the process of seed development begins with double fertilization, which involves the fusion of two male gametes with the egg cell and the central cell to form the primary endosperm and the zygote. A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering. In endospermic seeds, there are two distinct regions inside the seed coat, an upper and larger endosperm and a lower smaller embryo. The funicle ( funiculus, funiculi ) or seed stalk which attaches the ovule to the placenta and hence ovary or fruit wall, at the pericarp. Bitegmic seeds form a testa from the outer integument and a tegmen from the inner integument while unitegmic seeds have only one integument. In bitegmic ovules (e. The ovule consists of a number of components. (Kozlowski 1972). The nucellus, the remnant of the megasporangium and main region of the ovule where the megagametophyte develops. Striate seeds are striped with parallel, longitudinal lines or ridges. The inner integument may consist of eight to fifteen layers. Chia seeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet. The micropyle, a small pore or opening in the apex of the integument of the ovule where the pollen tube usually enters during the process of fertilization. g. The cotyledons, the seed leaves, attached to the embryonic axis. They are loaded with fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and various micronutrients. Members Science of Diet Contact About Subscribe 11 Proven Health Benefits of Chia Seeds. Another area where chia seeds shine is in their high amount of antioxidants ( 3, 4 ). Key among these functions are nourishment of the embryo, dispersal to a new location, and dormancy during unfavorable conditions. The epicotyl, the embryonic axis above the point of attachment of the cotyledon(s). With continuing maturation the cells enlarge in the outer integument. The nature of this material is used in both describing and classifying seeds, in addition to the embryo to endosperm size ratio. The hypocotyl, the embryonic axis below the point of attachment of the cotyledon(s), connecting the epicotyle and the radicle, being the stem-root transition zone.
