4 Tips For Easily Adding Nutrient-Packed Chia Seeds To Your Daily Diet

While mainly known for growing "hair" on ceramic animals, chia seeds also provide high nutritional value. Just one ounce of chia seeds gives you 18% of your recommended daily intake of calcium, as well as 42% fiber and 9% protein. To start taking advantage of these tiny, nutrient-packed seeds, use one or more of the following tips for adding them to your daily diet.

Thicken Your Smoothies With Chia Seeds

One way to easily add chia seeds to your diet is to use them in your smoothies. Not only do they add extra nutritional benefits to your mixture, but they also help thicken the beverage. When combined with a liquid, the seeds suck in the moisture and turn into a gel. 

When making your smoothie, add the primary liquid to your blender, then pour in a tablespoon of chia seeds. Wait five minutes to give the seeds time to absorb the liquid. Then, add your other ingredients, and mix your smoothie as usual.

If you also use yogurt in your smoothie, cut seeds' amount down to half of a tablespoon. This keeps the smoothie from becoming too thick to drink. If it is too thick, simply add a tablespoon of your primary liquid, and blend for 10 seconds. Repeat until you have your desired consistency.

Mix The Seeds Into Greek Yogurt

If you enjoy the smooth, creamy texture of Greek yogurt with breakfast or as a snack, try adding an ounce of chia seeds to each serving. Not only do the seeds give the yogurt a richer consistency, but the combination can enhance your daily intake of protein and calcium.

When the seeds are combined with Greek yogurt's 11 grams of protein, one serving gives you 31% of your recommended intake. Also, the yogurt's amount of 10% calcium combines with the chia seeds to give you 28% of what you need on a daily basis.

Add Them To Your Morning Oatmeal

If you already enjoy a bowl of oatmeal with your breakfast because of its high fiber content of 33%, you can increase your daily intake by adding two tablespoons, or one ounce, of chia seeds per cup. With the seeds' fiber content of 42%, as mentioned earlier, this combination gives you 74% of your recommended daily amount.

When preparing your oatmeal, add the seeds during the last minute of cooking. Before adding the chia seeds to your oatmeal, make sure you increase the water or milk you use to prepare it by four tablespoons. This will keep the oatmeal from becoming too thick and pasty, since the chia seeds will absorb the liquid quickly, especially when the water or milk is hot.

Use The Seeds As An Egg Substitute When Baking

Whether you are trying to cut back on your cholesterol, switching to a vegan diet, or just needing an egg substitute because you ran out, you can use chia seeds as a replacement for eggs in recipes that call for a binder. As discussed in the first tip, the seeds become a thick gel when mixed with liquids, which makes them the same consistency as egg whites.

For each egg you need to replace, mix a tablespoon of chia seeds with three tablespoons of water. Let them sit for 10 minutes to give the seeds time to absorb the fluid, mixing every few minutes to even out the absorption process. Once they have gelled, use them as directed by your recipe.

The above tips can help you start incorporating nutritious chia seeds into your daily diet. If you need more ideas, you may want to speak with a customer service representative when you buy chia seeds online and ask them for more ideas.

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