Yesterday a bag of very expensive organic chia seeds made its way into my grocery cart.  I’m not sure what compelled me to buy them right then and there since I’ve been walking right by them and ignoring them at least twice a week for a long time. I’m not talking about those ch-ch-ch-chia pets, although those really were my first introduction to anything chia. Possibly all of those articles I’ve been reading about the health benefits of chia seeds finally got to me. The chia seeds were calling my name in aisle 9 and here’s why:

Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

• Chia seeds are mentioned by Christopher McDougall in the book Born to Run. He claims chia seeds are a great addition to an athletes diet-providing extra energy during and after exercise.
• Chia seeds are very rich in omega-3 fatty acids-even more so than flax seeds and salmon.
• They are rich in antioxidants
• One serving size includes 18 percent of recommended daily calcium and four grams of protein
• They’re low in cholesterol and sodium.
• There’s been talk that chia seeds aid in weight loss, but the evidence in inconclusive.
• Chia seeds are packed with fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, iron,  niacin, and zinc. WOW.

What are Chia Seeds?

Chia seeds come from a flowering plant in the mint family. Chia is native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. Now chia seeds are becoming popular in the United States and other parts of the world.

How to Use Chia Seeds

I found out very quickly that I’m way behind the eight ball when it comes to using chia seeds. Thankfully I have a wonderful and knowledgeable community of chia seed users on Twitter and Facebook who were happy to share their chia seed concoctions. Here are some of my favorites:

• Mix 1 dessertspoon of chia seeds with a quarter cup of water to make an egg substitute for baking cakes and cookies. Anna from Green Talk warns that this might dry out the batter.
• Kathy from Safe Mama makes a pudding by soaking them in almond milk and use it in smoothies. She can’t eat them straight… so she tosses them in salads and sneaks them into her kids quesadilla’s and pancakes.
• Stephanie from Good Girl Gone Green shared a recipe for Raw Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding from Forks and Beans and a recipe for jam from Healthy Blender Recipes.
• Robin from Simple. Green. Organic. Happy. sprinkles them on yogurt, add to salads, make jams and compotes.
• Danika from Your Organic Life puts them in her smoothie every morning.  She says you can mix chia seeds with nut milk to make a raw porriage/oatmeal and add berries on top. You can also mix chia seeds with berries and nut milk to make a pudding.
• The Cruncy Hippie shares a delicious recipe for Chocolate Chia Pudding!
• Janice from MommaWords likes to add them to cookies. She also adds chia seeds to the mix she uses to coat her kid’s chicken nuggets.

There were so many more suggestions. Check out my Facebook page to see them all!

How do you like to eat chia seeds? I’ll take any help I can get.

Ground chia seeds | Stock Photo © PixelsAway #7592847