Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Cha Cha Cha Chia

Remember these?


No no, I am actually talking about these. HAHA!





So I've had a lot of questions about Chia Seed lately. What to do with them, what are they good for, etc? I found the information below quite helpful and now I love Chia Seeds even more, haha!

What makes the Chia Seed the super food that many claim it to be?
- 30% of the chia seed’s oil is Omega 3 oil. C40% of its oil is Omega 6 oil. This provides the nice balance those who take supplemental Essential Fatty Acids are looking for. The chia seed’s substantially dense percentage in alpha-linolenic fatty acid also makes this seed a healthy dietary source of fatty acids.

- You do not need to grind the Chia Seeds to digest it. It is a relatively easy to digest seed, whereas flax seeds are not. Often, one has to grind flax seeds to be able to process them in their digestive system. That is not the case with chia seeds.

- The chia seeds are great for athletes because they are highly hydrophilic. Being hydrophilic means it absorbs large amounts of water. Chia Seeds can absorb over 10 times their weight in water making them a great enhancer in hydrating our bodies.

-They absorb the water we drink holding it in our system longer.
Studies show that eating chia seed slows down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrate calories into simple sugars. This leads scientists to believe that the chia seed may have great benefits for diabetics.

-The chia seed gels when becoming wet and this gel, when in our digestive systems, helps prevent some of the food, hence calories that we eat from getting absorbed into our system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes the chia seed a great diet helper. Eating the seeds also helps dieters by making them feel fuller faster so they will be less hungry!

-Chia seeds provide antioxidant activity

-Mix Chia seeds into yogurt, sprinkle them on cereal in the morning, add to salads, or even add them to your baking. There are many ways to add chia seeds into your daily routine!

Information provided by www.healthmad.com

Beeks eats had a great recipe for Chia Seed Granola. I threw in dried cherries as well.

3 cups rolled oats, (we use gluten-free)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (I used dark Agave nectar instead.)
Vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste.
2 T safflower oil
2 T chia seeds
1/3 cup dried cherries or berries (add at the end of baking)

Mix all together in a bowl or directly on a cookie sheet, bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, making sure to mix up the granola one or two times while baking, to ensure it doesn't burn. Should be golden light brownish.

This is great for on the snacking, pre or post workout snacks, etc.

Let me know if you try it.

Cheers,
LC

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you soooo much for posting this---I put in a chia seed request only a day ago- I'm impressed! I'm sooo excited to get home post workout and make up a batch of the granola. Will let you know how it turns out!

Unknown said...

Yep, thought you might like that. hehe!
Can't wait to hear back!

LC

Missa Taylor said...

This is generally my immediate thought after reading each of your blogs : "Lindsay should write a book and a cookbook" and yet again today I said it.
Luv ya girl! Thanks for all the great info.

janetha said...

ive been meaning to make beek's chia granola for ages. one of these days...

hey so about your Q on the bread~ you may want to ask april, or just experiment with the ingredients you have/can tolerate and see how it turns out!

xo

Unknown said...

Melissa,

I'd love to write a book and cookbook. Know of anyone that would fund that, haha?!?! Maybe some day, sigh.....


LC

Mike Russell said...

Tell me you don't have a ton of chia pottery sitting in the garage...

Anonymous said...

A book...LOVE IT! How about you start your own blog and then someone big from publishing gets wind of it, annnnnd VOILA! A book! :)

Just finished toasting the granola up---YUM. Skipped on oats--used quinoa flakes/amaranth flakes instead...still can't find the gluten free ones here in Canada...and haven't gotten around to ordering it online.
Regardless...my house smells delicious and tested it out...YUM (As all your recipes always are!)

Thanks Lindsay--- you are awesome!

Unknown said...

Mike,

No Chia pets here, although I always wanted one. Haha!

Gluten free in Canada-

Let me know if you ever want me to send you some gluten free oats! Its no prob!

Cheers,
LC

april said...

I love chia seeds! My favorite way to eat them is in yogurt... if you let them sit in it a while it thickens up!

Maggs said...

I've been eating chia seeds for a few months now. I eat them at night before bed and don't wake up as dehydrated as I used to. Really makes a difference for my AM workouts. Can't wait to try the recipe.

Bre said...

Hi Lindsay,
I was the gluten-free in cananda :) hahaha--I got around to jumping on the blog bandwagon so I can follow easier!
I had made the museli you posted awhile back and asked about the GF oats, and I've been on a hunt ever since. We have Bob's Redmill, but no GF oats...every other oat produced but not the GF. Is there a chain store/grovery in the US that tends to carry the GF oats regularly (i.e., Whole foods or grovery store?) I think I might be coming to a race or two in the States this summer---so I might be able to stock up that way! :)

Kiet said...

Thanks Lindsay, am a big fan of flax seed and am glad to learn of an alternative, keep the info coming.

Unknown said...

Swim_Bre,

Yes, whole foods, Sprouts, and Natural Grocer all carry GF oats. Several different brands including Bob Mills. Hope you can get your hands on some!

LC

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