How to Achieve Choice Nutrition with Chia?

Answer 1

Chia--it's been in the news of late, and while you still may not find it easily at the regular grocery, your natural food stores have it by the bag full..and like the old baa baa black sheep song goes, three bag fulls of these fabulous tiny seeds will do you good for many a song to come that you might be singing. You don't have to get three bag fulls at a time, of course, but it is worth your while to experiment with how easy it is to sprinkle, place, grind, combine and otherwise use these versatile, tasty and goodness providing seeds in your daily diet. In flavor, they are nicely nutty, and easy to add to foods, beverages, mixed with water for making a gel, cooked, or raw.

Chia Nutrition as Old as the Hills

Chia seeds come from a desert plant, and is a member of the mint family. Chia are an ancient edible seed that was used as far back as Mayan and Aztec cultures. The chia has really great folklore to begin with, as they were touted to be an energy booster, and the word Chia itself means strength. The Aztecs and Mayans used chia seeds as a basic in their diets, and also as a medicinal for helping saliva flow and for relieving sore skin problems and joint paints. There are other writings that claim just one tablespoon of chia seeds helped one individual live for 24 hours.

But it is indeed not just folklore about the strength giving abilities of chia seeds. Because nutritional science has shown that these tiny black and white seeds do contain an amazing amount of protein, the good fats, the good whole grain carbs, the excellent fiber, and lots of important vitamins and minerals--and the huge amounts the seeds have in the small form means that their goodness is highly concentrated.

Chia and Weight Loss and Protection

There has been some news about chia seeds and weight loss. Well, the truth is, that the amazing amount of great fiber in chia seeds--11 grams in 2 tablespoons, works the way wonderful fiber does work for you. It helps you to feel full, satisfied, processes your digestion and wastes great. This fiber slows down the process in digestion where digestive enzymes break down the carbs that you eat and converts them to sugar. So you are not so compelled to snack and overeat, your energy level is balanced with the slower digestive process, and this way does help you to lose weight, and probably be more selective in meals and healthy foods.

What is most fabulous about chia seeds, besides for being able to use them in or for anything, is that nutritionally, they have immense antioxidant ability--some indications show that they are even better than blueberries in antioxidants. Recent nutritional studies have indicated that black chia seeds even have a little more antioxidants than white seeds. But their huge array of antioxidants include all those you have been reading about, and two of these are super important: quercetin, and caffeic acid. Quercetin is the super antioxidant that you probably really want because studies have shown this to boost endurance and energy, and increase energy supply to cells in the brain and muscles. So, the early Aztec folklore does have a foundation in science!

Quercetin and other nutrients in chia has also shown some promise in protecting against Heart disease, and lung and prostrate cancers, diabetes, and asthma.

Chlorogenic acid that is in chia seeds has been found in studies to be helpful in protecting against cancer.

These anti-oxidants have also been studied as nutrients that can help with anti-aging prevention by preventing oxidation of your body cells.

The Good Fats

The wonderful amounts of essential fatty acids of omega-3 and omega-6 have been mentioned in many studies for their good work in helping to lower blood pressure, boost metabolism, promote lean muscle mass, and to be anti-inflammatory. Research has shown that also these essential fatty acids help to make cell membranes more flexible and this is great thing because that means nutrients can get to your cells faster, especially to your brain where you want them to work faster for memory and concentration!

Using Chia

Chia seeds are easy to use--just about with anything and for any meal. You can just sprinkle the raw seeds on cereals, vegetables, rice or pasta or potato dishes, yogurt, sauces, added to any baked goods, and even mixed into drinks and creating drinks on their own. They can be added to soup as a nutritious thickener. They can be ground and mixed with hot milk for a great hot cereal, ground and mixed with your flour for pancakes, muffins, cakes. Chia seeds can even be used whole in cakes to make an interesting poppy seed type cake.

If you want to cut back on egg use in baking, 1 teaspoon of chia seeds with 1/4 cup of water makes an egg substitute for cakes and cookies. A special healthy tasty beverage mixes chia seeds with apple juice. Chia can make nutritious puddings adding whole seeds to milk, or soy or nut milk, and if you make it vanilla--use both black and white chia seeds to make it polka dotted for your kids. They can be added to your eggs for your omelets. You can even make great crackers from chia seeds by making a thin batter with ground up chia seeds and milk, and bake in a slow oven. Add ground chia seeds to your fishcakes, or your ground beef or turkey meatballs, and/or to your sauce. Come Thanksgiving, you can add chia seeds to your stuffing mixture. If you want a quick healthy snack or breakfast, or breakfast for dinner, add milk, fruit juice and they will keep crunchy for a while, or just add them to your granola mixture.

Keeping chia seeds is not a problem because the seeds do store for a long period without becoming stale and rancid as other nuts and seeds can. You can get them online or in healthy food stores.

Chipper Chia Smoothie

use 1 banana-and it's so great when it's cut up and frozen first to get a real thick and cold mixture, 1/2 cup of blueberries so great in this season, add some strawberries and both the blueberries and strawberries can be frozen berries also, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, and 1-3 tablespoons of protein powder of your choice. Add water or milk of your choice, and additional ice cubes to make the thickness or smoothness of your tasting preference.

Chipper Chia Veggie Smoothie

Use your 1 frozen sliced banana, 4 cups of frozen baby spinach, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 scoop of protein powder of your choice, 1 cup milk of your choice, sweetener to taste.

A Chia Cake in the Microwave

Here is a really healthy and quick and easy cake and you can make it right in a coffee mug. Mix up in your coffee mug, 1/4 cup of ground chia, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon oil of your choice--coconut adds interesting flavor, a handful of berries if desired or dried chopped fruit, or indulge in chopped Dark Chocolate, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1-2 tablespoons sweetener of your choice--stevia is a nice choice. Stir it up and microwave just a few seconds over 1 minute. Check for doneness.

Chia for Breakfast Burst

Here's a breakfast dish you can make the night before and there it is ready for you in the morning without even having to think or worry. Mix up 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt--flavored your choice, 1/3 cup milk of your choice, 1/4 cup fresh fruit of your choice. Stir or shake it up, refrigerate and there you are in the morning.

Chia Cauliflower Side Dish

Here's a mashed side dish that great for a change from potatoes. Use about 1/4 of a cauliflower, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon of oil or butter, seasonings to taste. Soak your chia seeds in the water for 10-15 minutes which will make a thick gel. Steam your cauliflower until it is soft, drain and blend it up with the chia gel, seasoning and oil or butter.