Can't Figure Out The Best Way To Consume Chia Seeds? Fret Not, Read On.

Can't Figure Out The Best Way To Consume Chia Seeds? Fret Not, Read On.

Chia seeds is a superfood that has gained much popularity in the recent years. It has been claimed to provide many health benefits to the body. Yet many people do not like its tasteless, gel-like constitution, leading to an evolution in its use in all kinds of recipes. You can now use it in anything you like; from smoothies to puddings to make your favourite multi-grain bread at home. Here we have compiled different ideas for you to go through and try at home.

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Benefits of Chia Seeds

Help with Weight Loss and Diabetes

The fibre in the chia seeds helps to increase the absorption of food into your bloodstream while the proteins help reduce your overall appetite. Due to this, if you are worried about your weight, you can give chia seeds a try. Another benefit of these is that they are also great to control your diabetes. The major cause of type 2 diabetes are excess fat and irregular blood sugar levels. The chia seeds help control both thus therefore, also help with management of diabetes.

Contain High-Quality Protein, Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Many Nutrients

You may be surprised to know that chia seeds also contain great amounts of ALA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid that helps with various health problems. For instance, it is known to help with blood sugar levels, diabetes, skin aging, and improved nerve function.

The high-quality proteins, on the other hand, make these seeds very good if you want to lose weight. These also help prevent depression, stress, and anxiety. Other nutrients in these seeds include the various amino acids, calcium, manganese, magnesium, fibre, healthy fats, and phosphorus, etc.

Best Ways to Consume Chia Seeds

You Can Easily Drink Chia Smoothies or Juice Soaked Chia Seeds

If you do not want to add the seeds to food or want an even simpler way, then you can try adding them to smoothies or soak them into juices. So, for the smoothies, you are to first add one tablespoon chia seeds, one frozen banana, one handful of spinach, two tablespoons cocoa powder, one cup almond milk, and some ice according to your preference a blender.

Now blend them together at high speed for one minute. Once done, add some more liquid and blend for another half minute before serving it chilled. For the juice, simply add 40 grams of chia seeds to one-litre juice of your choice and let them sit for half an hour before chilling chem and serving.

They Can Be Used in Puddings

This chia seeds pudding will surely satisfy your sweet tooth and is very nutritious, as well. So for this, first add some chia seeds to your pudding and let it sit for some time. Over time, it will soften and swell up to form a great texture.

Once done, add some yogurt, cocoa, or milk on top and enjoy. If you want to get an even healthier pudding, you can also add fresh fruits to the pudding or, if you do not like seeds in your puddings, you can also blend the seeds with the rest of the ingredients.

Use Them in Tortillas

In case you like tortilla chips a lot, you will be happy to know that you can also use chia seeds in them. To make low-carb tortillas, you will need one cup of almond flour, three tablespoons of coconut flour, two teaspoons of xanthan gum, one teaspoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of golden flax meal and half a teaspoon sea salt. You will also require two teaspoons chia seeds, three tablespoons of water. You may need another teaspoon of water with two teaspoons vinegar and one egg.

To get started, mix together all the dry ingredients in a mixer before adding in water, eggs, and vinegar. Now, wait for twenty minutes before heating an iron griddle and dividing the mixture into eight rounds. Next, press each tortilla with two parchment paper rounds before cooking for tortillas for thirty seconds from one side and ten from the other. By the time it is done, reduce the heat and make sure that you do not overcook it.

Make Crackers of Chia Seeds

Being one of the most delicious types of seeds, chia seeds crackers also happens to be one of the most nutritious. To make these, you will need to mix together about half a cup of chia seeds with the same amount of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and one cup of water.

Now, spread them out to form a thin sheet and bake at 300 degrees for half an hour. If you want, you can also add the herbs and spices that you like and make sure that these are properly browned or they may not be as tasteful.

They Can Be Used in Place of Eggs in Baking

In case you like baking a lot and carry it out regularly, you may be happy to know that you can easily substitute the eggs used for baking with the chia seeds. These will make it even more nutritious and are a great choice if you have run out of eggs.

So, to use these for vegan baking, you are to mix one tablespoon of chia seeds with three tablespoons of water before letting them sit for a couple of minutes. Once a gel-type structure is formed, you can add that instead of eggs.

Use Them in Jam for an Amazing Flavour

Jam is another great way of increasing your chia seeds intake. In order to make an extremely delicious half cup of blueberry-chia seeds jam, you will need three cups of fresh blueberries, two teaspoons of grated lemon zest, one-quarter of a cup of fresh lemon juice, three tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and one-quarter of a cup chia seeds.

To make the jam, first let the blueberries simmer along with the lemon zest, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a saucepan while stirring occasionally for five minutes. Now, mash half of the berries and release their juice before increasing heat to high and bringing it to boil. After that, taste and add more syrup if needed before boiling it again and stirring in the chia seeds, and cooking for a minute. Lastly, cool the jam off and let it thicken before storing it in heatproof containers.

Side Effects of Chia Seeds

Even though chia seeds are great for your health, consuming too much of them can cause various health hazards as well. For instance, these can cause gastrointestinal issues while also causing an increase in blood pressure, as well as blood sugar level issues. Other than all that, eating too much chia seeds are known to increase the risks of choking and can even cause prostate cancer.

In addition to all that, chia seeds can cause allergic reactions or affect the pregnant people badly. These can also be a cause of bleeding and can react badly with various medications, including diabetes medications and blood pressure medications.

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From our editorial team

Chia Seeds Are Not to Be Counted As Individual Source Of Nutrients!

While chia seeds include a lot healthy nutrients like Omega-3, proteins and healthy fats, it can not be used as an individual source of fulfilling the needs of the body. It means that they can not be a substitute of any artificial nutrients or medicine that is considered necessary by expert health practitioners. You should only consider it as a superfood that can be used to fortify the health benefits of your meals!