Clean Eating Ingredient: Chia Seeds

I bought a canister of chia seeds from GNC earlier this month. I’ve just been sprinkling it over oatmeal, but will definitely have to try that tapioca-like trick. Does the liquid have to be warm or hot for the chia seeds to react that way?

I’d like to try it in blended bubble tea, a Chinese concoction of tea, ice, rock sugar and tapioca pearls (yeah, that’s where Starbucks got the idea). And, it’s even better if you use black or green chai tea bags (Yogi Tea has a positively uplifting blend).

I have been eating chia seeds for about two months now – I put them in my oatmeal every day and sometimes in yogurt. I still add flax to my eats- its a texture thing for me. I just mix it up – sometimes I add flax, sometimes I add the chia seeds!

I let the seeds soak in milk until they gel up then add it to my cereal. The texture is really different and, along with cinnamon, jazzes up my plain bran flakes.

Hi ~ do you need to grind them like the flax or would just adding them be fine?
I make oatmeal/egg white pancakes for my breakfast and add my ground flax to these ~ if I started using the chia also would I just add them into the “pancake” mix? Thanks so much =)

Every day for lunch at work I eat a plate of red and green shredded cabbage with a little balsalmic dressing and balsalmic vinegar… I add my chia seeds to that. A little extra crunch in my no mayo cole slaw!

I add them to my smoothies in the morning. I also add them to my fruit salad. (My family never knows that I added something different. They look kind of like kiwi seeds .I have been grinding them, though. I have read that they go right through you whole. Who knows?

What do the little seeds taste like?
Nutty like flaxseed?

I have been eating Chia for a year now. I love them so much, I started a company selling them. I bake with them, I sprinkle them on things, I grind them into Chia meal and use them in breads. I use them in chili and spaghetti sauces-they will thicken and add great nutrition. I make Chia gel and use it in smoothies. The great thing about them is that they are versatile. They take on the flavour of anything you put them in, especially if they absorb fluid. Try putting 2 tbsp of seeds in a container with a cup of frozen berries. The Chia seeds will absorb the fluids of the berries and will taste just like them. Add some yogurt for a great snack. I also substitute Chia anytime a recipe calls for bread or cracker crumbs. Great as a binder in burgers, meatballs etc. Chia to your health!

I’ve been taking chia every day for just under a year, and the benefits are GREAT! Everything from stronger nails & healthier hair, to increased energy, regularity and reduced PMS symptoms.
I usually put a tablespoon in my green tea each morning, with a tablespoon of honey and 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon. It’s delish…and the great thing is that the ‘gel’ around the seeds carries the cinnamon thoughout the entire tea, rather than it just settling on the bottom. Drink it with a straw…mmm..mmm.mm.

Since you first posted this I’ve been adding them to my cereal or sprinkling them on cottage cheese along with ground flax seeds, pecans and walnuts. They are tasty. I haven’t tried the gel trick. I guess it sort of happens with the liquid part of cereal or yogurt. I wonder how cold hardy they are, how big th plants can get. I’m thinking cover crop/green manure in my gardenalong with clovers, vetch, barley, buckwheat, oats, etc. I want thinks that will grow in the fall but winter kill so I can dig them in before I plant in the spring. That will add a lot of organic matter to our dense clay soil without adding to the weed problem. I’ll let you know how it works.

interesting~I think I will give them a try; I have read about them from runner friends but was not sure what they were. You learn something new every day!!

AMAZON!!! they ship overseas. I’m in Germany, and that’s where I get mine. therawfood.com is the supplier, you may try to contact them directly

Domgirl – Fabulous!!! Thanks for sharing that!

I am fascinated by all that I’m learning about these amazing little chia seeds. I’m looking to start implementing the eating clean lifestyle (one step at a time of course); and was all raring to go with starting to use flax seeds until I read the information you’ve posted with recipes regarding the amazing little chia seeds. Thank you so much for all the wonderful information you make so easy to access. I can’t wait to begin my new journey!