Chia Nutrition, Chia Dessert

Chia seeds are an ancient super food.  The word chia means ‘strength’ in the Mayan language. I have known about chia for some time, I am not sure why it has taken me so long to start incorporating it into my diet and cooking. With an impressive nutrition profile and being so easy to cook with I am finding ways to use chia, see our awesome chia dessert below.

Chia Nutrition

Chia is a complete protein, containing essential amino acids.   This makes chia a great choice for vegans and those wanting to cut back on red meat. It has soluble and non-soluble fiber a combination that is beneficial for bowel health. Chia nutrition reveals a very low carb food suitable for ketogenic diets.

In 1 oz of Chia seeds (28g)

Dietary fiber (11g – 42% recommended daily value)

• Protein (4.4g – 9% RDV)
• Omega-3 fatty acids (4915 mg)
• Omega-6 fatty acids (1620 mg)
• Calcium (77 mg – 18% RDV)
• Copper (0.1 mg – 3% RDV)
• Phosphorus (265 mg – 27% RDV)
• Potassium (44.8 mg – 1% RDV)
• Zinc (1.0 mg – 7% RDV)

Chia also contains essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including sulfur, iron, iodine,  magnesium, manganese, niacin, thiamine, and they are a rich source of anti-oxidants. (Source DrAxe.com)

~All the above goodness and only 137 calories.

~I love that chia seeds have calcium in them. On a dairy free diet, I am concerned that I get enough calcium in my diet and I am cautious about calcium supplements.

~In fact, chia seeds contain more ALA (alpha linolenic acid) Omega-3s than salmon, gram for gram.

~A study was conducted in Toronto Canada on 20 type 11 diabetics over 12 weeks. Participants were given 37g of Chia seeds daily. The result found improvements in several important health markers. Blood pressure went down by 3-6 mm/Hg and an inflammatory marker called hs-CRP went down by 40%. A risk factor called vWF also decreased by 21%. (Source PubMed).

Chia seeds are so easy to incorporate into your diet enabling you to eat them every day. You will love my healthy cake seen at the end of this post also my savory loaf, both have chia seeds in the recipe.

Egg replacement

1 tablespoon of freshly ground chia seeds, add 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for around 10 minutes. It will turn to a gel and be ready to replace one egg. If there is any concern about the stability of grinding chia seeds, the same thing can be accomplished using whole seeds; just let them sit a little longer.   (Ground flax seeds can be used as an egg substitute but there is a shadow over cooking ground flax seeds because of the unstable nature of the oil becoming toxic.)

Chia Dessert

A low-calorie dessert or chia pudding that is nutritious and satisfying. Make this chia dessert in just a few minutes.

Chia Dessert Ingredients

1 and a half cups of milk, I use coconut or almond milk.

2 teaspoons of maple syrup. For low carb diets replace the syrup with 1 teaspoon of zero.

Tiny bit of Stevia.

1/3rd cup of black or white chia seeds. Get organic chia seeds 1lb (454g) only $12.98

Additives – 1/2 cup blueberries or raspberries, chopped nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, the choice is endless.

Chia Dessert Method

Combine milk, maple syrup, and stevia. I give it a quick whizz in the blender. Pour this over the chia seeds, add your choice of additives, stir well and place in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours.

That is all there is to make four servings of this most nutritious, healthy chia dessert.

To make the nuts more digestible mix them into the chia dessert and they will become softer.

Chia dessert served with nut cream. A big plus for me is that my husband loves it and several times a week he will remind me to make it. That is awesome given how quick and easy it is to make.

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