Andie Thueson » Recipes » Guilt Free Sweets » How To Eat Chia Seeds? 25+ Ways That Will Rock Your World!

How To Eat Chia Seeds? 25+ Ways That Will Rock Your World!

· · ·

A couple of years back, I remember the initial push to add Chia Seeds to your diet.

I remember thinking to myself two things:

  1. What the heck are these “chia seed” things, and why should I be eating them? AND
  2. How the heck am I supposed to eat these things.

So like any other dutiful health food enthusiast, I “googled” it, did some research, and allowed my nutritional background to help me understand and digest all the data out there on the topic of chia seeds.

I found out this tiny seed is packed with nutritional value with 11 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams of healthy fats (5 of which are those hard to come by omega-3 fatty acid)! They also contain a high percentage of your daily nutrient requirements of calcium (18% of the RDA), manganese (30% of the RDA), magnesium (30% of the RDA), and phosphorus (27% of the RDA), all in a 1-ounce serving which will set you back about 137 calories! Pretty impressive, right!

Photo of Andie adding chia seeds into a mason jar in preparation of making chia seed pudding one of the answers to how to eat chia seeds.
Learn to love chia seeds with these tasty and easy ways to add this superfood daily.

7 Amazing Health Benefits of Chia Seeds:

  1. Healthy Skin + Anti Aging Benefits: The high antioxidants help repair damage those nasty free radicals can wreak on our skin.
  2. Digestive Health: As a great source of fiber, chia seeds help keep things moving. 
  3. Heart Health: Chia seeds have been shown to help reduce inflammation, help regulate cholesterol, and lower blood pressure (preventing high blood pressure), all, all, all things which help keep your heart healthy and protect your heart from heart disease.
  4. Helps Boosts Energy + Metabolism: One study showed that consuming chia seeds enhanced exercise performance for workouts that lasted 90 minutes the same way a sugar-laden sports drink would, but without the unnecessary added sugars! Studies also show that the addition of chia seeds to your diet also reduces the “belly fat” tissue that can affect overall metabolism—helping with weight loss and maintaining healthy body weight. Chia seeds also help to stabilize blood sugar levels.
  5. Stronger Bones: With 18% of your daily calcium – it’s no wonder chia seeds help improve bone health
  6. Build Muscle: With 4 grams of protein per serving, it is a fantastic source of plant-based protein to help build lean muscle mass.
  7. Dental Health: The zinc in chia seeds has been known to help with bad breath, prevent tartar buildup and help keep plaque at bay.

{source}

So with all those good for you nutritional benefits and stats, how do you take those little seeds and turn them into something you’d like to eat on a repeated basis? Because let’s face it! Those bags of chia seeds are huge! So without further ado – I give you my round-up of 25+ delicious and scrumptious ways to eat chia seeds!

Give Chia Seed Pudding a Try

How Do You Make Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seed pudding is very simple to make and can be as simple as the basic recipe of 1 cup of almond milk, coconut milk, fruit juice, or your favorite milk combined with three tablespoons of chia seeds. Combine ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously. Let the mixture sit for 3-4 hours. (shaking occasionally) The texture will resemble tapioca pudding. From here, you can get creative and add your own flavor and spin on things continue reading for some delicious variations. It really is the quickest and best way to add chia seeds to your routine.

Chia Seed Pudding is a GREAT way to sneak chia seeds into your life.

Or you can get a little fancier and whip up a parfait.

How About Whipping Up Some yummy Chia Jam?

These look so good! I can imagine these jams would be good over some yogurt, toast, oats – really, the options are endless!

Chia Seed Cookies + Snacks

Starting your day with Chia Seeds doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all! These breakfast cereal recipes look ah-mazing! Or just sprinkle chia seeds on your cereal or oatmeal for added nutrition.

And there is always the delicious smoothie option! – I am notorious for throwing seeds in my Protein Shakes – most of my recipes don’t have them listed, but you can add one tablespoon of chia seeds to each and every recipe of them to up the nutrient quota!

So if I did my math right that’s a total of 25+ SCRUMPTIOUS Chia Seed recipes! And if you still need/want more Chia Seed goodness – check out my Pinterest board dedicated to ONLY Chia Seed recipes.

Follow Andie @ Maybe I Will’s board Chia Seed Recipes on Pinterest.

As you can see, these tiny little black seeds are worth the hype. Not only do they have a very impressive nutritional profile, but they also do so with a very mild flavor that allows you to add them to pretty much anything without changing the taste. Chia seeds also supply a feeling of fullness. So in the afternoons, try adding a tablespoon to your lemonade or glass of water to help you stay full until dinner.

Are you a fan of chia seeds? How do you incorporate them into your diet?

Happy Eating!

Andie's signature

10 Comments

  1. Natalie @ A Fit Philosophy says:

    What a great round-up! I love all of the benefits of chia seeds! Thanks for sharing my recipe too 🙂

  2. GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth says:

    Awesome roundup Andie! Thanks so much for including my Pina Colada Parfait 🙂

  3. I gifted my sister a HUGE BAG of these this weekend
    she looked at me and said THANK, WHAT DO I USE THEM FOR?
    (I fell over :))
    Im sending her your post.

    1. Lol… That’s how I totally felt when I bought my first bag!! Now I’m an addict! 🙂

  4. Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club says:

    I’ve made chia seed jam and it was aswesome and delicious.

  5. Wow, those photos look so delicious. I’ve come across different blogs that talk about the health benefits of chia seeds and I couldn’t wait to try these 25 delicious recipes you listed here in your post. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Pumpking pie chia seed pudding. Amazing!

  7. What a great list of ideas, thank you!! I love adding them to smoothies and to overnight oats especially!

  8. 5 stars
    This is so helpful! I know that these are healthy for you and I want to include them more in my diet!

  9. 5 stars
    Woahh!! This is amazing! I was just trying to think of more ways to incorporate chia seeds into my diet the other day! This post is SO helpful. I’ll be trying all of these ideas!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *