<p>Does anyone eat Chia seeds? It is something I am interested in trying. It seems making some kind of pudding or smoothie with the seeds is popular. Wondered if anyone has any thoughts , recipes to share. </p>
<p>I don’t the have science to say whether the claims or disclaims are true but I have been using them for over a year. I get three bags per month from Amazon and add three tablespoons to my hot chocolate every morning. Being mildly diabetic, I try to eat a high fiber diet. That huge amount makes my hot choc/coffee drink rather chewy which few people would like–and you definitely need to build up to it. You also need to drink a lot of water when you add that much fiber. Like I said, I don’t know if it really does anything, but at least in my mind, it seems to keep my blood sugar more regular. </p>
<p>There are several other threads discussing chia that you can find with a simple search. I think there were a few recipes in the history.</p>
<p>Don’t eat them! They will grow out of the top of your head, and you will look like Don King!</p>
<p>Thanks
Don King LOL</p>
<p>I just had some for breakfast. I usually have peanut butter toast and I sprinkle a healthy amount on top. Before I added chia seeds to breakfast I couldn’t make it through the morning without a snack. Now I can last until lunch time. I know many people mix them with smoothies and things but I’m picky about food texture and the thought of little jelly like things in my drink doesn’t appeal to me.</p>
<p>So do they set up? Like adding cornstarch or thickening to a liquid? </p>
<p>If you are taking chia seeds make sure you drink plenty of water/liquid</p>
<p>veruca - The seeds absorb liquid but they don’t completely dissolve. So, they will thicken something and their texture softens but they still maintain their shape. Hope that helps. </p>
<p>I love chia seeds. They taste like poppy seeds, but if they are in liquid they form a gelatinous coating around the seed. I put them in oatmeal in the morning, and add them to S2’s smoothies. They do thicken the smoothies. I also use them in some recipes as an egg alternative (S2 is vegetarian and won’t eat eggs). This blog has some great recipes that use them: mynewroots.org. I also learned about hemp seeds on that blog and I put them in oatmeal and smoothies, too. </p>
<p>I eat them a lot. Lately, I’ve been sprinkling them on my morning cereal. But, in the past, I have added them to smoothies as well – thick smoothies with berries (so the chia seeds blend right in). Recently, someone told me they added them to a meatloaf, substituting for eggs. They swell and get sort of mucilaginous when wet, so I guess that is why that might work. I am interested in the meatloaf idea. My DH made meatloaf a couple of weeks ago, and was wondering what to do, as we were out of eggs. Now I know what to suggest if it happens again.</p>
<p>Thanks all very helpful </p>
<p>I think the texture is kind of like tapioca. Look at the Choosing Raw blog for some recipes - she has a tag for chia.</p>
<p>Will do </p>
<p>I bought this bag of breakfast seeds called Qia that is a mix of dried cranberry, sliced almonds, Chia seeds, Buckwheat and something else, I don’t recall at the moment. It is supposed to be it’s own hot breakfast cereal but instead I put a heaping tablespoon into my oatmeal - really good and makes me think I’m eating healthy anyway.</p>
<p>Chia seeds are a recent discovery for me and I love them. They have definitely become a household staple. </p>
<p>Chia pudding is wonderful – my new “decadent” desert (and a whole lot healthier)— I do a chocolate pudding using cocoa powder and mashed banana as the main sweetener. I love it because it is so easy to make – the key for “pudding” is a 1:4 ratio between Chia seeds and and liquid, and also to leave plenty of time to set before eating. I am really a lazy cook – but this is so easy that it’s hard to resist. </p>
<p>I also don’t think I’m ever going to thicken a sauce with anything other than Chia again. The trick there is to mix the Chia and liquid a little bit ahead of time – 5-10 minutes is fine, you just want to let it thicken a little before stirring it in. </p>
<p>So go for it. The pudding does end up with a texture like tapioca – but that’s a plus for me. (I like my food to have some texture). </p>
<p>Thanks everyone </p>