Tiny Chia Seeds offer a huge nutritional punch. Their high fiber and protein content, plus their low calories, make chia seeds a terrific weightloss food and a great addition to many recipes. The calcium and boron in this healthy food offers protection to your bones as you get older and the omega 3 fatty acids promote heart health.
Now that you know some of the benefits of this superfood, how do you eat them?
Smoothie Recipe
A single serving of chia seeds is just 1/4 teaspoon. These can be sprinkled on any foods your ordinarily eat, like yogurt, cereal, salads, soups, scrambled eggs or rice, potatoes. They can also be added to stir fry or a smoothie.
Chia Gel
This little seed absorbs many times its weight in water, creating a gel which you can also use in recipes. To make the gel, just add 9 parts water to one part chia seeds in a shaker bottle. Shake several times to prevent clumping. Once it's made, chia gel will keep in the refrigerator for several days and can be added to your morning smoothie or any other recipe.
Try These Delicious Chia Seed Recipes
Chia Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups green tea
1 small banana
1/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup yogurt
1/4 cups chia gel
Directions
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. You can substitute any fresh fruit that you prefer also.
Chia Seed Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
2 scoops whole seeds (scoop comes with them)
1 box pancake mix of your preference
fresh fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries
Directions
Make pancake batter according to directions. Add seeds and fruit, reserving a few berries to top the pancakes later.
Cook in heavy pan until golden brown on both sides.
Serve, topped with fruit and syrup, yogurt or other topping.
You can add chia seeds to any baking mix, such as muffins or bread. When using a bread machine, simply add a scoop of this healthy seed to the mix before starting the machine.
Now that you know how easy it is to incorporate this nutritious food into your daily diet, where do you get them?
Chia seeds are available at health food stores or natural food stores like Whole Foods or online at places like Amazon or websites specializing in them. The average cost is about per pound - that's a lot of nutrition for the money when 1/4 teaspoon is a serving!
Copyright 2010 Joan Jones
Be Healthy With Delicious Chia Seed Recipes
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