We’re all looking for easy ways to boost the nutrition of our meals as we remain safely at home during the coronavirus outbreak. So, you’ve heard chia seeds have superpowers. But, how exactly, does this little seed work wonders for your health? First up, there’s their omega-3 fatty acid content, which is a veritable boon for your body: “Chia seeds are high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that plays a key role in heart health,” explains vegan nutritionist Tiffany Ma, RDN. “Diets high in ALA may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, increase healthy cholesterol and improve blood pressure,” she continues, noting that the ALA content in chia seeds exceeds the recommended Dietary Reference Intake for Americans, which is 1.6 grams per day for adult males and 1.1 grams per day for adult females. Just one tablespoon of chia seeds provides 1.32 g of ALA, surpassing the recommended daily amount for women and providing 83% recommended for men.
Chia seeds have been popular in Europe and the United States in recent years under the trend of promoting healthy eating. Many well-known movie stars use it to shape their perfect body. It can be seen in general drugstores and even beverage stores. This seed looks like a sesame. It is rich in dietary fiber, protein, antioxidants, and can even help lose weight, so people call it miracle seeds, super foods, so don’t underestimate this little seed
Chia seeds are suitable for those ethnic groups
- Rich in protein, suitable for vegetarians or people who do not eat meat
- Rich in calcium, fiber and omega-3, it can lower cholesterol. blood sugar. Triglycerides, suitable for people who want to prevent cardiovascular disease
- Due to the swelling properties of chia seeds, they can increase satiety and reduce the rate of blood sugar rise after consumption, which is suitable for people who want to lose weight and maintain their body shape.
Since chia seeds are tasteless when eaten with water, everyone prefers to add them to their favorite foods, not only will not affect the original flavor, but also increase the chewing taste (but please remember that due to the fiber content of chia seeds High, it will absorb water in the intestinal tract. After a large amount of continuous intake, insufficient drinking water will cause the stool to be too dry and may cause constipation, so don’t forget to add the daily water needed)
7 ways to eat chia seeds
- It is recommended to try the original flavor for the first time. Add two tablespoons of about 30 grams of chia seeds to 300 cc of water. Let it stand for 5 minutes and it will appear a gelatinous substance. You can eat it after stirring. Although it has no taste, it is quite chewy. Also very full
- Adding to salads, oatmeal or yogurt is the most convenient way to increase nutrient intake
- If you do not want to use cornstarch to thicken or thicken, chia seeds are a very good alternative. You can add a few spoons of chia seeds to the soup or sauce you want to thicken, and let stand for 10 minutes to achieve the thickening effect.
- Chia seed pudding (chia seed pudding), this eating method is the most respected among them, and it is also a healthy ice product for cooling off in summer. The method is as follows
Ingredients: 400ml of milk or coconut milk, 100g of chia seeds, 2 to 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (for flavoring, you can mix it freely, you can also replace it with vanilla powder or cinnamon powder), 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar substitute ( Stevia)Put it in a container and stir evenly until it is creamy, put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight, take it out and enjoy the special pudding with a unique taste1 tablespoon about 15 grams chia-seed-pudding
- Chia Seed Pancakes
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons of chia seeds, 100 grams of flour, salt or sugar (add according to personal taste), coconut oil, strawberriesAdd 200 ml of water to the chia seeds, stir evenly, add appropriate amount of flour, and continue to stir to form a paste-like batter (not too thick or too thin). At this time, you can add salt, sugar or spices as you like to taste.Pour coconut oil into the pan and start adding an appropriate amount of batter. Fry the crust until golden brown and start the pan. Add sliced strawberries to complete the pan.
- Chia seed bread
Ingredients: 2 spoons of ground chia seeds, 200 grams of flour, 5 grams of yeast powder, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, 5 grams of salt, 2 tablespoons of pine nutsMix the above ingredients evenly into a dough, and let it stand for 30 minutes for fermentation (can be put into a toast container or cut into a preset size)Put the fermented dough into the oven (bake at 180 degrees for about 35 minutes until the surface is golden brown)
- As a substitute for eggs, eggs are an indispensable ingredient in baking pastries or bread. If you can’t eat eggs for some reason or because of religious reasons, you can use chia seeds instead of eggs. The method is 1 tbsp. Chia seeds (need to be ground into powder first), add 3 tablespoons of water, and the two are evenly mixed to give the effect of 1 egg.