Chia seeds are fun to eat, and they are very healthy. For those reasons, chia seed drinks are becoming very popular. Chia seeds when added in water gel up and give the drinks a good desirable consistency; besides they add on to the nutrition as well.
Here are benefits of incorporating chia seeds in your juices and lemonade along with Chia Lemoade recipes:
BENEFITS:
- Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, even more than flax seed.
- They help with hydration due to their ability to absorb up to 9-10 times their weight in water
- Chia seeds do not need to be ground to be absorbed by the body and they can be stored for long periods of time without going rancid
- Chia seeds deliver a massive amount of nutrients with very few calories
- They are loaded with anti-oxidants
- Almost all carbs in them are fiber
RECIPES:
CHIA RASPBERRY LEMONADE
To make this, you need 1 cup purified water, 3 tbsp chia seeds, 1 cup cooled green tea, 1 cup raspberries boiled with ¼ cup water, juice of 2 lemons and ½ cup honey. Combine 1 cup purified water with 3 tablespoons of chia seeds. Do this 2-3 hours earlier. In a saucepan, combine raspberries with ¼ cup water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Mash raspberries to release their juices. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and mash out as much juice as possible. Discard raspberry pulp. Combine the raspberry juice with the green tea. Finally blend together all the ingredients and serve chilled.
CHIA BEETS LEMONADE
To make this you need 1 ½ cups cold water, 1 teaspoon or honey, 1 tablespoon chia seeds (black or white), Juice from ½ lemon, a pinch of salt and ½ cup beet juice. Combine all the ingredients in a vessel. Let sit for 15 minutes, so the seeds can gel up. Afterwards, give it one last shake, pour into a glass, and enjoy!
CHIA ORANGE LEMONADE
To make this you need juice from 1 large lemon, juice of 1 large orange, 2 tbsp agave or honey, 1 ½ cups cold water, 1-2 tablespoon chia and Ice, if preferred. Combine lemon juice, orange juice, agave/honey and water in a pitcher. Once well combined, add chia seeds and let this sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the chia seeds to plump up. Serve over ice if preferred.
CHIA FRUIT LEMONADE
To make this delicious lemonade, you need 2 tablespoons chia seeds, ¼ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup orange juice, ¼ cup strawberry juice, juice of 1 whole lemon, sugar as per taste, a pinch of salt and 1 cup water. Combine all the ingredients in a vessel and let it sit for 15 minutes so that sugar dissolves and chia seeds puff. Transfer the lemonade to a glass ad serve chilled.