Chia … how do you use yours?

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  • posted by Verano
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    Have been thinking about chia seeds lately especially for their fibre content. I’ve done some reading and I must admit they don’t sound too appetising especially in their ‘gel like’ form.

    I would be really interested to know how you use yours?

    Thanks, in advance, for any tips.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    I bought a bag when in UK and I have no idea what to do with them, any advice appreciated

  • posted by Avila
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    I have never (knowingly) seen chia – but have picked up some sauerkraut for fibre at co-op this week.

  • posted by JulesMaigret
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    I use milled chia (or I grind my own) and add a tbsp to yogurt and berries for breakfast every morning, they add a bit of texture but no real taste. I also add a spoonful of milled flax – you need to mill flaxseed to get any nutritional value out of them, unlike chia that you can eat whole.

    There is some thought that you shouldn’t eat more than 15-20g per sitting/day but not sure why. Not sure I’ve noticed a gel-like quality either.

    I have seen a recipe that includes them in a basil and garlic topping/crust for salmon, but I haven’t tried it yet. Also I saw an idea to use them in pesto in place of pine nuts, but couldn’t really see the point.

  • posted by shalimar
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    I just put 1/2 teasp. of chia seeds in my mouth and chew a bit and take a sip of coffee or tea or whatever. The seeds don’t have any taste for me.
    I have 2 coffee grinders … and one is to chip up whole flax seeds (i don’t grind them fine, just chip them open a bit, and i usually put some chia in that mix)….. that i may put in oats, or yoghurt, or mush up with 1/2 a banana.

    Just watching some junk TV here in Canada … Rich bride, Poor bride …. mostly about how and how much the wedding costs. In this case the bride was paying for everything because the groom had been unable to work because of a diabetes problem …. yet there he is eating cake and renting a popcorn and candy floss machine for the wedding and partaking of sugar, sugar, sugar. And he looked on the unhealthy side…. it just made me cringe.

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    to get maximum benefit have soaked 15g of Chia in water in the fridge over night. It is absolutely tasteless and gel like. Have added a teaspoon of double cream which was sort of ok. Have tried adding teaspoon of meridian peanut butter and again that was sort of ok also – two teaspoons would be better and I will try it next time.

    Much more appetising was adding them to the stir fry or over a salad or in yoghurt.

    I feel better since I started using them. Am getting a delivery of 1kg of organic chia seeds tomorrow.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    I have just been reading a blog by David Mendosa on his web site http://www.mendosa.com and there is a fantastic article about chia. Apparantly there is no need to soak it but you can if you want to, there is no need to grind it though you can if you want, there is no need to cook it but you can if you want. Get it. You can do anything you want with this seed, it does not change in any process so does not degrade no matter what you do with it, it just keeps all its natural properties. You have to read the article and his web page is fantastic (I saw someone here recommend it to do with combatting the Dawn Phenonemon). Started reading and can’t stop, there is so much there. He sprinkles chia on salads or in yoghurts or whizzes in smoothies for just a couple of ideas.

  • posted by RozyDozy
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    There is a recipe for a chia mocha pudding in the Recipes section:
    https://thebloodsugardiet.com/recipes/mocha-blueberry-chia-pudding/

    This has become my most scoffed dessert on the BSD. Very quick to make & tasty. I’ve sometimes substituted the blueberries with raspberries or strawberries.

    I find having chia seeds helps to keep things moving, if you get my drift!

  • posted by Mixnmatch
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    I use 10g in my homemade chocolate protein shake, for my badminton days, add 10g to my buckwheat porridge, and have made the chia ‘jam’ with some plums I had. All very successful. Haven’t tried it in anything else yet, but will as I am a big fan of the digestive transit effect 😊

  • posted by ADoyle7487
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    I use milled Chia seeds, sometimes I make a smoothie or I will mix it with cereal, add to porridge or mix with fruit and yoghurt

  • posted by Switzerland
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    Hmmm palatable ‘delivery’ of chia seeds…….I sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon on yoghurt (with cinnamon and berries). I also found a recipe for chia pudding on the internet (just google chia pudding) it had milk, vanilla and chia seeds (soaked overnight) – it was nice with berries. The chia pudding definitely shows you the gel-like property of the seeds when mixed with liquid.
    I’ve also ‘thrown in’ some chia seeds when I concoct nut and seed bars with coconut oil (no recipe, I just wing it.)
    Beware the amount of chia seeds consumed – in my case less is best – to avoid GIT upsets.

  • posted by Verano
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    Thank you all so much for your ideas. I will try chia seeds but just start with half a teaspoon in my yogurt in the morning.

    RozyDozy sorry but there just isn’t one thing about that pudding that makes me want to eat it …. but thank you anyway!!!!

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    This morning I put 1 tablespoon in my smoothie and it came out so thick like a real ice cream smoothie with the frozen raspberries. I think maybe a teaspoon might be better but I have read so many good things about it now.

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Sunshine girl – I soaked just 15g of the seeds for about half an hour or so – just to make them very thick and gell like so I could thicken my soup. Then I added them to my home-made chicken and vegetable soup and (after quite a bit of stirring as the seeds tend to clump together) it made the soup lovely and thick. Because the seeds really don’t taste of anything they didn’t change the taste of my lovely soup but it felt much more filling.

    I was reading that chia seeds are packed with soluble fibre which acts as a pre-biotic. This has lots of benefits, especially if you have diabetes. So the more I read about these seeds – the more interesting they become.

  • posted by Su
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    I spoon 15-30g chia seeds into the yoghurt, nuts and blueberry green tea breakfast shake. (Which I make minus the tea-tho soaking pops the seeds.)

  • posted by Jande9
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    I just added it to yugurt. Be careful as it can bung you up, especially if you don’t soak it first. I found that a teaspoon was OK but when I got up to a tablespoon I started having issues. It blots up the extra water in your intestine and it seems to settle into a hard cannon ball kind of shape. Not fun. So take it easy and it should be fine. I liked the texture a lot when eating it because it is nice and crunchy.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Jande I find the opposite, I have a tablespoonful and went like crazy so have reduced it to 1 teaspoon and go normal but soft. Must be different for different people, some say eggs bung you up but they give me the trots. Lovely jubbly.

  • posted by JulesMaigret
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    Last night I tried mixing a dessert spoon of chia with the frozen berries for breakfast this morning. As the fruit shed juice as it melted this mixed with the Chia – very nice taste and texture with yogurt this morning…

  • posted by KitArgyll27
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    Hi, I’ve just started the BSD (officially Day 3). Before this I would stir them through my porridge, or put on toast and peanut butter. I suppose I could still put them on peanut butter and will probably add to yoghurt.

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