How to incorporate Chia Seeds into Your Diet
By Kristen | June 12, 2020
Looking to boost your nutrition? Look no further than chia seeds. Chia seeds are considered a superfood giving the nutritional punch they pack for their (tiny!) size. Unlike many other seeds, chia seeds do not need to be ground before eating to unleash their nutritional benefits.
Chia seeds are typically combined with other ingredients, whether liquid or dry, before eating. When combined with liquids and allowed to sit, chia seeds will create a gel-like texture. When used without liquids, chia seeds add a nice crunch to just about anything!
Here are some great ways to incorporate chia seeds into your diet!
Drink them in a Smoothie.
Chia seeds can be added to just about any smoothie recipe. They also make a nice addition to lemonade or mango lassi, which is a delicious, yogurt-based mango smoothie.
Use them as an egg substitute.
Want to bake muffins, quick breads or cookies, but don’t have eggs? For each egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of warm water and set it aside for 15 minutes. Give the mixture a good stir and you will find it has the texture of a beaten egg. This same strategy will work for substituting eggs in savory recipes, like meatballs.
Sprinkle them raw on top of your food.
1 tablespoon of chia seeds makes a nice crunchy topping for oatmeal, cereal, and yogurt.
Mix and bake them into other items.
1 tablespoon of chia seeds can be added to almost anything to boost nutrition. I like to stir them into my granola before baking, mix them into my granola bars, and add them to pancake, waffle and muffin batters.
Use them as a topping.
when baking bagels, crackers, dinner rolls, and seeded breads.
Make pudding!
This is one of the more popular ways to incorporate chia seeds into your diet. Since they are relatively bland, chia seeds take on whatever flavors you add to them (think chocolate, raspberry, mango). And given the fact that they gel up significantly when liquid is added to them, they make a great base for pudding (a lot like tapioca!).
Use them to naturally thicken.
homemade fruit and berry jams.
Add them to vinaigrette.
and allow it to sit and thicken before using. It’s like a creamier dressing, but without the cream!
Here's to cooking in good health!
Kristen
