Adding Chia Seeds to your diet, What you need to know?

By Carlene Emmons
September 12, 2017
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Chia Seeds benefits and uses

My friend just started using Chia seeds in her diet and she asked if I would post about them. I told her of course I would, just give me some time to do a little research! In my experience, I haven’t had the best of luck adding seeds to my diet. For example, a while back when flax-seed was all the rage, I tried adding them to my diet. Of course I went out and bought this huge bag of seed and was super excited to add them to my diet but the bag went rancid on me. Unfortunately, I later found out I had stored them improperly, therefore wasting my money and ruining my excitement. Since then I have hesitated to add new or fad items to my diet without doing some research.

Chia Seeds one of the many foods titled as a “SUPERFOOD“!

I don’t know about all of you but the title of “Superfood” almost makes me cringe when I hear it. It is another one of those over-marketed, over used terms that pushes the consumer to buy a product. However, there may some merit to the term in regards to the Chia seed. This tiny little seed is packed full of nutrition and can easily be incorporated into your diet.

Facts about Chia Seeds

They are a member of the mint family and are known as salba grain or salvia hispanica, that are native to Southern and Central Mexico and Guatemala.
They were used by the Aztecs for their long-lasting energy, fiber, amino acids, and nutrients.
Chia Seeds are high in fiber and have the ability to absorb 10 times their weight in water.
Two tablespoons of Chia Seeds are approximately 130 calories and are considered a low-calorie food.
They are packed with nutrients.
And finally, the seeds can be used whole or ground.

Nutritional Content

According to WebMD, one ounce (2 tablespoons) of chia seeds contains:

130 calories
4 grams of protein
9 grams of fat
12 grams of carbohydrates
11 grams of fiber
Additionally, they are a good source of calcium, omega-3 and antioxidants.

Just to point out, there are some claims that Chia seeds can aid in weight loss and lowering of blood pressure but there just isn’t enough conclusive evidence to substantiate the claim. Nevertheless, they are considered a nutritious grain and will provide you with more nutrients than a slice of bread.

*Note: Since Chia seed absorbs water and expand, you may stay fuller longer, meaning you may eat less causing weight loss. And as a result, the claim “an aid in weight loss” will appear on the label. Marketing at it’s finest! Just to clarify, I am not saying it isn’t true, I am just showing how marketing works! Moving on…

Storage

Chia seeds are can be stored open/unopened in the pantry for 2 years, fridge or freezer 4 years. And, Chia gel lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge or freezer.

*Additional Note: For food safety and accurate dating refer to the manufacturer’s packaging for optimal use by and expiration dates.

Ways to easily add Chia Seed to your diet

Add Chia seeds to:

Cereal
Yogurt
Oatmeal
Juice
Smoothies

In addition, Chia seeds and water can be used as a substitute for eggs in many dishes because it forms a gel-like substance. To use as an egg substitute soak seeds for approximately 20 minutes before adding to a dish or recipe.

A few Chia seed recipes and links!

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

1 large banana, cut into 1-inch pieces, frozen
½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
¼ cup Blueberry–Chia Seed Jam
1 cup coconut water or unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon golden flaxseed oil (optional)

Blend banana, pineapple, jam, coconut water, and oil in a blender until smooth.

Recipe by Nicole Rucker

For 2 servings (1 cup each): Calories (kcal) 150 Fat (g) 1.5 Saturated Fat (g) 0 Cholesterol (mg) 0 Carbohydrates (g) 36 Dietary Fiber (g) 4 Total Sugars (g) 23 Protein (g) 2 Sodium (mg) 10

2. Cinnamon Chia Seed Granola, Recipe provided by Peanut Butter Fingers

Bake up a batch of this granola on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy it all week on top of some Greek yogurt, in a bowl with milk, or in a baggies for a healthy snack on the go.

Ingredients:
Makes four 1/4 c. servings
1 c. old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Combine oats through nutmeg in a small bowl and stir. Slowing stir honey and canola oil into oat mixture until oats are adequately coated. Spread granola onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool until oats become crunchy and enjoy.

3. No-Cook Overnight Oatmeal from Allrecipes

No-Cook Overnight Oatmeal

Prep, 5 min

Ready In 8 h 5 m

Recipe By: sonjagroset

Ingredients:

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Combine milk, oats, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, honey, and cinnamon in a 1/2-pint jar with a lid; cover and shake until combined. Remove lid and fold in blueberries. Cover jar with lid.
Refrigerate oatmeal, 8 hours to overnight.