These tiny seeds called chia seeds, are packed with an abundance of nutrients, including fiber, protein, antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids and minerals. Chia is all the craze and for good reason- this simple seed packs a nutritional punch.
One serving will help you reach your daily vitamin intake; chia seed are chockfull of essential fatty acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin C, and potassium and have twice as much fibre as flaxseeds (per ounce).You can easily get them into your diet in the following ways:
Use chia seeds on salads or in dressings instead of using sesame seeds. Chia seeds will give you that great crunch with added nutritional benefits. You can also garnish your favourite fish, chicken, roasted vegetables and mashed potato dishes with chia seeds.
Add chia seeds to your sorbet or frozen yogurt. Who says toppings have to be unhealthy? Add chia and fresh cut fruit to your frozen desserts for that sprinkles-like crunch.
Toss on some berries and enjoy. Chia seed pudding tastes good plain, flavored with vanilla, chocolate, maple syrup, coconut, or your favourite fruits and berries. Serve it in a wine or cocktail glass for added flair.
A little chia on oatmeal or other hot whole grain cereals mixes in almost unnoticeably, making it a perfect and nutritious addition.
Combine chia with miso paste and mix into a hot batch of oatmeal. Let this mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator and you’ll be greeted with savoury fermented oatmeal in the morning. Don’t let the furriness scare you; It’s delicious and full of live cultures.
Mix with equal parts milk or your favourite non-dairy substitute to make a light, tapioca-like pudding you can eat with nuts, fruit, or all by itself. This also makes for a great substitute for sour cream in recipes.
Combine chia seed with peanut butter. Spread peanut butter-chia mixture and dried blueberries on celery sticks for a lunchtime snack kids will love. Combine peanut butter-chia mixture with soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, brown sugar, and hot sauce to make a Thai-style peanut sauce for a cold noodle side dish.
Like bean or alfalfa sprouts, chia seeds make delicious sprouts and wonderful additions to sandwiches or salads. Put some chia seeds in water, drain the water off and leave in a jar for a couple days. Every 12 hours or so, rinse with water and pour the water off. In a day or two, they’ll be ready to eat.
Ground or whole chia seeds make a great substitute for corn starch when thickening a soup.
Mix with ground beef to mind meatloaf or meat balls. This can be a perfect substitute for breadcrumbs or oats in any beef recipe that needs bound together. Substitute about half the amount of chia seeds and add some coconut milk to bind meat together.
Use the following easy and healthy ways to include chia seeds in your diet!