What Are Chia Seeds? |A Beginner’s guide on How to Consume Chia seeds - Recipes

Do you know what are chia seeds? Or Have you ever heard of the amazing health benefits of chia seeds?

you must have. But if you are someone who wants to add this seed in their diet but doesn't know how to.

Well, what's the need of worrying when I can solve your problem. Let’s dig into this topic a little more and then you will get to know how you can make delicious and nutritious dishes by adding this seed.

What are chia seeds?

Chia seeds are tiny black and white seeds that come from the plant Salvia hispanica. They contain loads of nutrients that are consumed by health-conscious people.

Chia seeds are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, and minerals. They are fully packed protein containing all essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body.

They are whole grain food, grown organically, so they are free of gluten and loaded with antioxidants.

Even though it belongs to the carbohydrate family, its health effects are totally different from those of digestible carbs like sugar and starch.

Due to its high dissolvable fiber content, chia seeds can assimilate up to 10–12 times their weight in water, turning out to be gel-like and extending in your stomach.

They are often consumed whole, however, if you don't like the gelly texture that it gets after soaking, then you can go for ground chia seeds (grind the whole chia seeds until you get powder form). It totally depends on your choice, be it whole chia or ground chia.

Despite their tiny size, you will be amazed by the nutritional value that chia seeds offer.

Only one tablespoon of chia seeds contains about;

 60 grams calories, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein, 5-6grams of fiber, 5-6 grams of fat plus some amount of calcium, magnesium, vitamins and minerals.

Now the question arises, “can we eat whole chia seeds without soaking them”?

The answer would be yes, you can. But I would say, always eat soaked chia seeds or ground chia seed because it helps to maximize the benefits of nutrients.

Chia seeds are tasteless so you can easily add it to many foods and recipes-the possibilities are endless.

Simplest ways of eating chia seeds

Honey lemon chia seed drink

Ingredients

2 glasses of Water

1 tbsp Chia seeds

1 tbsp Lemon juice

2 tbsp honey

¼ tbsp Cinnamon powder

Recipe:

•   Take one tablespoon of chia seeds, soak them in two glasses of water for like 20 minutes or you can soak them overnight.    
•  Add lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon powder. Mix well and stay hydrated.

Every diet conscious person will say, “If you want to lose weight, start drinking chia water. It works wonder”!

It does, however, you’ll need to follow a proper balanced diet and do regular exercise to lose your belly fat.

Chia cereal

Ingredients

3 cups milk (low-fat milk or almond milk)

1 tbsp Chia seeds

½ cup Oats

8-9 Nuts

2 tbsp Honey

¼ Cinnamon powder

¼ Cardamom powder

Recipe:

•             Pour some low-fat milk or almond milk in a bowl.
•            Add chia seeds and oats of your choice, well I prefer Quaker oats but you can add rolled oats also. Let it soak overnight.
•           After soaking them overnight, add nuts, sliced bananas, strawberries or whatever fruit you may like.
•            Sprinkle some cinnamon powder and cardamom powder on top of it.
•            Try adding honey instead of sugar for sweetness.

And your breakfast will never be boring again.

Strawberry yogurt chia

There are a lot of healthy toppings you can put on your yogurt bowl but what about adding something extra nutritional power on the yogurt? Well, this recipe will make your boring yogurt interesting and tasty, loaded with protein, fiber and many more.

Ingredients:

1 cup Yogurt

1 tbsp Chia seeds

6 Strawberries

4-5 Almonds

4-5 pistachio

Recipe 

•  Put your favorite yogurt in a bowl.
• Add soaked chia seeds or ground chia in it.   
•  Now for strawberry pulp, you can mash freshly sliced strawberries but if you don't have strawberries, you can also use 2 tbsp of strawberry syrup. 
•  After adding all the ingredients, garnish some almonds and pistachio on top of it.

Banana Chia Milkshake

Ingredients:

3 cups low fat milk or almond milk

1 frozen Banana

¼ tbsp Cinnamon powder

1 tbsp ground chia

1 scoop protein powder

Recipe:

•          Add low-fat milk/Almond milk/coconut milk, cinnamon powder, protein powder of your choice, ground chia and frozen banana (sliced) into a blender.
•            Blend until smooth.
•            If the shake is thick you can more milk and if you like it cold, you can add some ice cubes.

Peanut Butter Banana Chia Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 bananas

1 tbsp Ground flaxseeds (powder form)

4 tbsp Peanut butter

2 tbsp Maple syrup or honey

2 cups Milk

1 tbsp Chia seeds

5-6 Nuts

2 tbsp Freshly grated coconut

Recipe:

•            Add 1 banana, flaxseed powder, peanut butter, maple syrup or honey (healthiest sugar substitute), and milk (depending on your desired thickness) to a blender.
•            Puree the banana (blend it until you get smooth consistency).
•             Now add overnight soaked chia seeds or chia powder
•            Top with some banana chunks, freshly grated coconut and nuts. And the recipe is done.

Yogurt Chia Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

Diced apples

Sliced bananas

Grapes

Sliced pineapples

Strawberries

Kiwis

1 cup Yogurt

1-2 tbsp Honey

1 tbsp Ground chia or soaked chia

Recipe:

•              For this recipe, all you need to do is, put freshly cut fruits in a bowl, you can add any fruit you'd like.
•            Top this salad with just by adding yogurt and honey for a creamy dressing.
•             Finally, add chia seeds to it or you can just sprinkle some chia powder. And your recipe is ready.

Chia fruit salad is the quickest yet healthiest recipe anyone can make. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals which will help to vitalize your body.

Chia Fruit Chaat (Indian fruit salad)

Ingredients

10-12 mint leaves

2 tbsp Honey

1 tbsp Lemon juice

6 strawberries

1 banana

1 tsp Chia seeds

¼ tbsp Black pepper

¼ tbsp Cumin powder

½ tbsp Chaat masala

¼ tbsp Salt

Recipe:

•            Make a syrup just by boiling mint leaves, honey and lemon juice for two to three minutes.
•            Put this syrup on the top of your chopped fruits and mix well without smashing fruits.
•           Now add overnight soaked chia seeds.
•           Sprinkle some black pepper, cumin powder, chaat masala and salt on the top of your salad. Enjoy.

Chia Cake (and many more)

We all love eating cakes, pastries, muffins, and cookies, don't we? so if you also have sweet tooth like me and you love baking cakes, muffins, cookies then you should definitely include chia seeds in your recipe. This will not only make the recipe more nutritious but also make your cake or muffin so soft and moist.

If you are vegetarian like me you can use chia seeds as a substitute for eggs. Ground chia works well as a binder in baking where smooth texture is desired. You can also sprinkle some chia seeds on the top of any baked goods like Garlic bread or simple bread.

Recipe :

•           Simply add 2 tbsp whole chia seeds or 2 tbsp ground chia in your batter then proceeds with your recipe.

So next time you're baking something, definitely add chia seeds instead of using poppy seeds in your recipe and make it healthy yet delicious.

Bottom line

There are plenty of ways you can use chia seeds in any dish you are creating, as I said possibilities are endless. I will highly recommend to people who are diet conscious, add chia seeds in your diet and see the amazing health benefits of it. From antioxidants, fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, protein, calcium and what not! they have got everything.

Here are some important benefits of adding chia seeds in your diet;

1. Many people don’t eat meat or are vegan, just add chia seeds in your morning breakfast and get protein easily.
2. Suppose you are making coffee, whether it’s hot or cold, add chia seeds and get an energy booster drink ready in just a few minutes. Or if you’re having your favorite soup, add them directly or use ground chia for thickness.
3. If you are working and you’ve got no time for preparing all these things, just put 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in your water bottle and get sufficient energy while doing work.
4. Believe me or not, Chia seeds can also take your skincare routine to the next level, giving you gorgeous and healthy skin. Chia seeds are a potential source of antioxidants that protect your skin from sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles thereby reducing early signs of aging.
    It also lowers your risk of getting chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer.
5. Chia seeds are good for pregnant women as it contains omega 3 and calcium which is much needed for the skeletal growth of the baby.
   In short, they are great for bones and dental health.
6. Fiber promotes fat loss by reducing your appetite and helps in reducing risks of heart problems and obesity. Never skip your breakfast, try the chia cereal recipe or you can make chia fruit salad if you are in a hurry.
7. Talking about carbohydrates, we all know carbs are essential in your diet. But you need to be a little careful while picking the right carbs. When I say right carbs, I obviously mean Chia seeds as it contains 6 grams of carbohydrates per tbsp. Try out my chia cereal recipe to take your boring recipe to the next level.

Now people often get confused about whether take it in the morning or night? Basically, you can eat chia seeds anytime you like. You can have it your breakfast, lunch or even as an evening snack. Take it before workout or post-workout totally depends on your wish. Just make sure you are consuming the right amount of chia seeds.

Chia seeds offer a plethora of health benefits. So, what are you waiting for?

Start including chia in your diet and see the results.

Until then, eat healthily and stay healthy.

I hope you will enjoy my Chia recipes and you will try them soon. If you can’t find any particular recipe, feel free to ask me here. If I know the recipe, I will surely add another on this site as soon as possible.