You may remember chia seeds from back in the 1990s when these seeds were spread on ceramics and sprouted to grow chia pets. Lately chia seeds have been getting a lot of attention because of the nutritional boost these superfoods can add to your diet. They are very small, oval shaped seeds that are usually black or white in colour. If you look closely they have tiny lines covering them and I describe them as looking like tiny dinosaur eggs.
Chia seeds are a good source of protein and good fat (rich in omega-3 fatty acids). They have even more omega-3s than flax seeds. Some of the minerals chia seeds provide include: calcium, potassium, sodium, manganese and phosphorus. Chia seeds are also a rich source of antioxidants.
Chia seeds are one of the worlds greatest sources of fiber. This fiber slows the speed of your meal traveling through your digestive tract and helps bulk up your stools. Since digestion is slowed you will feel satiated for longer after eating a meal containing chia seeds.
Flax seeds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and contain dietary fiber although I personally recommend using chia seeds in place of flax whenever possible. The reason I advise against eating large amounts of flax seeds is because they contain phytoestrogens that have an estrogen like effect on the body. Chia seeds can be substituted for flax in smoothies and dehydrated crackers. Since both seeds have a relatively neutral flavour the end result of your recipe will be very similar.
Chia Prep:
The best way to prepare chia seeds for use is to create a chia gel out of them. The recipe for making this gel is to take 1/3 cup chia seeds and mix them with 2 cups of filtered water. Let this mixture stand for 10 minutes before using the gel to allow the chia seeds to absorb the water. You can use any liquid you want to make this gel but filtered water and the seeds form a neutral tasting gel that work well in all recipes. If you want to get really clever you can soak the chia seeds in an herbal tea to ramp up the nutrition of the gel. Once the chia gel is complete it can be stored in your refrigerator in an airtight container for at least a week.
How do you incorporate chia seeds into your diet? Share in the comments section.
To your health!
Jesse
Chia seeds are extremely good for you. You do not need to make a gel out of the seeds, or even use seeds at all. I have a tablespoon of Chianex (Chia Oil) twice a day in my protein shakes. This oil is just as good for you as the seeds, and is much easier to integrate into a diet, it simply mixes in with anything.
(1 serving of dried chia seeds (28 grams) has 4915mg of Omega 3 and 1620mg of Omega 6, and 1 serving of Chianex (14 grams) contains 8765mg of Omega 3, 2690mg of Omega 6, and 1000mg of Omega 9)
I posted about the benefits of chia oil and coconut oil on my blog. Chia seeds and chia oil are a great addition to any diet.
I disagree if your saying the oil is superior to whole chia seeds. You may get some health benefits from the extracted oil in the form of omega 3s but with any food you are always better off getting all of the nutrients in its whole food form. When the oil is extracted it is much more likely to go rancid. Not to mention when supplementing with the oil all of the fiber is removed which is one of the many health benefits of the whole food form of chia seed. Thank you for your comment.
Don’t get me wrong, I never said it is superior to the seeds, I’m just saying that it has more Omega 3,6,9. It does have less fiber, but I get my fiber from other sources. I’m sure that we can agree that both chia seeds and chia oil are good for you, just in different ways.
You must remember with nutrition more is not always better. Nature has things in the proper amounts and ratios. If chia oil is made using proper processing, proper storage materials and by a quality company then yes the oil would be beneficial 🙂
I use chia in salads and a lot of different foods. It can be used as a sauce thickener.
Thanks for the ideas 🙂
I put about a teaspoon of Chia-seed in to my yogurt cup every time i EAT it, as well on my salads. I love it !
What a couple of great ways of incorporating chia. Thanks!
We soak chia seeds in our home made yogurt or coconut yogurt, with seeds, nuts, raisins and oatmeal. Great breakfast.
Sounds like a delicious and healthy breakfast. Great way of incorporating chia 🙂
I love chia seeds. I put them in all kinds of things! Salad dressings, smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt….just delicious!
They are versatile. Great to hear you’re enjoying them! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Where can I buy decent priced chia seeds from ?
I would suggest iherb.com if you are in the US or Canada. Enjoy!
thanks, but is there a specific store in Windsor that I can buy them from ?
I would check at Enchie or Pure Nature. Good luck!
I would like to know where you source for the amount phytoestrogen in chia is. I can’t find that type of information. Flax oil gave me high estrogen. I don’t want the same with chia.
Chia contains phytoestrogens through plant lignans. Over 300 foods have been shown to contain phytoestrogens. This article explains… https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/cancer_flax.aspx
Thank you,
sharing the information chia seeds
Chia seeds are very healthy for the body.
Chia seeds are a lot of advantages
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