If you’re reading this, you have probably already heard about the amazing benefits of chia seeds and know that chia seed nutrition can help support your body through the daily rigors of life as well as the the most intense workouts and competitions. Of course, we love chia seeds too and wanted to share with you some of our favorite ways to use chia seeds in our favorite chia recipes. Of course, our favorite way to get these little chia seed dynamos into our diets is to Drink Chia! but these are great ways as well….
Chia seeds don’t really have much flavor on their own. Instead, they take on the flavor of the food they’re added to. This makes chia seeds uniquely versatile in a variety of situations. A good way to think about using chia seeds is to add them anywhere you would traditionally use flax or similar additions to enhance nutritional value to your foods. Chia seeds have about a 2 year shelf life, so you can keep them on hand longer than flax and not have to worry about spoilage.
Chia seeds can be added directly to the foods your are already eating. Used this way, they are hard (just like any other seed). We love them in yogurt ( you can grind them in a pepper mill if you wish), ice cream, on top of salads, in any and all of your pancake or bread batters (again the pepper mill) or just raw as a snack.
A great way to easily incorporate chia seeds into the recipes you’re already using is to make a chia gel. Chia seeds absorb the up to 12 times their weight when added to to liquid. The result is a soft seed that tastes like the liquid it’s placed in. Chia gel can be added to many recipes as a fat substitute, thickener or overall health booster. Chia gel can also be eaten all by itself.
To make chia gel:
- Add ⅓ cup chia seeds to to 2 cups of warm water (this is a 9:1 ratio) in a lid tight container
- Shake the container for 15 seconds
- Let stand for 1 minute – then shake again
- Chia gel can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
Chia gel contains all of the benefits of chia seeds. This includes all of the nutritional benefits of chia seeds like high antioxidants and Omega-3. One amazing benefit of chia gel is ability to slow down conversion of carbohydrates into sugars which, in turn, helps regulate healthy blood sugar levels.
Drink Chia! wants to help you be the best YOU you can be. We hope this helps you better understand how you can make the benefits of chia seeds part of your everyday life.