Chia seeds

[micatee]

Anyone have any experience with them? Good for weight loss or not?

[Jenny19]

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!

[cindy_cfids]

Chia seeds are a highly nutritional low carb food and fun to eat (and drink) In Mexico, chia fresca is popular (lemonade & chia) Be careful of overdoing - I ended up with 400% my RDA of fiber by adding it to my drinks.

Chia seeds sound so expensive but 1# will make 9-14# food

Faux tapioca - 2 cups of water, 5 scoops of low carb whey protein powder, stir together & add cup of chia seeds, after they have started to absorb the water, add in 2 cans of coconut milk & artificial sweetener if you like and mix it all in. Can be eaten after an hour but will be better tomorrow. Cream a pkg. of cream cheese into a can of pumpkin and add to the faux tapioca for an even more nutritious pumpkin pie pudding.

[vli1127]

I use chia seeds fairly consistently in my morning protein shake/smoothee or yogurt. Haven't noticed any thing you asked about. I am doing it for the nutritional benny.

[SashimiMark]

Been using chia seeds in my raw milk protein shakes. Man do I spend a good half hour trying to work those suckers out of my teeth. We've decided to alternate between chia and hemp seeds.

[BikerAng]

I've been using chia seeds pretty regularly for over a month now (I made chia milk, GF zucchini bread, chia bread, add the meal to LC baked goods, chia fresca, smoothies, etc). Not really using them for weight loss, using them for their nutritional profile and they are great to use instead of flax (I don't like the taste).

[zudy]

I've read that basil seeds do a similar thing when soaked--turn into tapioca-like globs and that they are used in thai and vietnamese drinks in the same manner. Anyone tried this?

[BikerAng]

Interesting, I have a TON of basil (some of it is going to seed now). I'll have to give that a try when I have some seeds - thanks for the tip.

[sbarr]

I give them to my one year old every morning with her yogurt and applesauce.

It works great in so many things - I use them with my grass-fed ground beef (mix an egg, some water and chia seeds) to get a much moister hamburger. While I like the taste of grass-fed beef, it can be dry. Mix chia seeds, and voila - so moist and juicy. And you honestly don't notice them at all. Monday night is hamburger night and DH has never noticed the chia seeds.

Salad toppings, in cottage cheese, in yogurt.

I'm primarily doing it for the omegas.

Definitely some good sources out there online to get it for about 6-7 dollars a pound. I usually get 5 pounds at a time to save on shipping and might get 10# in my next order - stuff doesn't go bad like flax.

[Bengal Cat]

I have just heard about these seeds and am going to a health food store sometime this week to pick some up (and some raw cacao too!)


Question....as i was browsing the internet, it was advised that the seeds should be soaked to form the 'gel' more often than eating the seeds to prevent the seeds from using your own body fluid to hydrate (???) or something like that. Or if you just eat the seeds to drink lots of fluid as well?

I'm excited to try these and see how I will use it! Thanks for the tips too on how you guys use these!

[vli1127]

Bengal Cat, I make mine into a gel. I add 4 tsp of seeds to 12 oz of water and let sit on counter for a few minutes before storing in refrigerator.

[SashimiMark]

I add mine to my raw milk shakes.

[Bengal Cat]

Thank You vli1127! I will use that ratio and add some gel to my yogurt for starters!

I'm really excited to try this product! I think I might pick up some hemp seeds as well! The twins start school full time this year and I am hoping to get out to that healthfood store sometime this week!

[SashimiMark]

I've been alternating between hemp and chia. Can't afford both.

[Bengal Cat]

I haven't tried making my own milkshakes....at least not yet, but that sounds wonderful! I am trying to add more raw foods to my diet. I will prolly have to go slowly on some of the products though....I have not been to the store yet and am not yet prepared for the prices...lol. The raw cacao FOR SURE I am getting this week, haha

Thanks for the replies everyone! I got my coconut oil last week and am wondering what sort of things I can come up with!!!

[cindy_cfids]

I can't find where I read this earlier but I read recently that sprouting/soaking chia overnight increases the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) by 2.5x.

[binga]

I like hemp seeds but I'm going to try chia too.
The hemp seeds are good on salad .Is chia eaten crunchy or ,do they need to be soaked ?

[JunkInMyTrunk]

Originally Posted by binga

I like hemp seeds but I'm going to try chia too.
The hemp seeds are good on salad .Is chia eaten crunchy or ,do they need to be soaked ?

Chia seeds can be eaten either way. Unlike flax seeds, they do not need to be ground in order to get the Omega 3 benefits.

[CindyCRNA]

How much would one add to a pound of beef? Don't per-soak it, right?

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by CindyCRNA

How much would one add to a pound of beef? Don't per-soak it, right?

I would highly suggest soaking them first. I now soak/sprout mine for 24hours (on the countertop - I have in a sealed jar, not sure if that's a good think or if it needs air circulation - some on sides actually sprout though) before using or refrigerating. This is suppose to increase their nutritional value & ORAC value 2.5x. I added some to coconut oil to see if they would "do their thing" & nothing happened.

1# of chia seeds should create 9-14# of food when added to sufficient liquid. So a lil over an ounce of seeds should create nearly a pound of food & a tablespoon should create 9-14 tablespoons of gel. I never measure when making gel, I usually add too many seeds & then continue adding liquids, I probably don't really ever add "enough" liquid. I've never had a "runny" batch & if I did, I guess adding a few more chia seeds would fix that fast.

They really have no taste, just a slight strawberry seed like crunch in the middle of a tapioca like gel.

IF I was making hamburgers, meatloaf etc. & wanted to add chia, I would presoak (a tablespoon or 2) in a flavored water with soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder & let it soak for a few hours (or overnight). I personally would add all the chia gel to the hamburger meat.

[cindy_cfids]

I wouldn't suggest eating many unsoaked chia seeds (I wouldn't recommend eating any unsoaked personally). They will create a gel soaking up 9-14x their weight in fluids, which might not be a great idea if caught in your throat or in stomach fluids. One or two is no biggie, but a tablespoon could cause a problem.

I made a smoothie with them once and did not like it at all. The blender removed the gel from the seed portion & I could really taste/feel the seeds which wasn't bad just grainy like sand. If I ever make a smoothie with them again, I will make my ingredients in the blender & then hand fold in the chia seed gel to the blended ingredients.

I've been buying chia seeds in 24# bulk lots & getting them for $6# (price of $144 total includes ship costs). They also have them for $5# but you have to buy bulk lot of 55# & $275 is just more than I was ready to spend. Since they have such a long shelf life, I might consider that next time. I have to limit my intake due to the high fiber content but they are now a regular part of my diet. More growers are cultivating chia & future prices may lower if the supply counters the demand.

The original poster asked about chia & weight loss. I don't know about that, possibly I guess, but they are high calorie food but all nutritious with essential elements 3.5 oz (of seeds, not gel) is nearly 500 calories, half calories from fat (high in Omega3 fatty acids) & 16grams of COMPLETE protein for 6grams carbs & 63% DV Calcium.

[fawn]

Originally Posted by SashimiMark

Been using chia seeds in my raw milk protein shakes. Man do I spend a good half hour trying to work those suckers out of my teeth. We've decided to alternate between chia and hemp seeds.

We do the same here......

[tomswife]

I bought some Hemp seeds the other day. Boy are those things awesome. Now that I bought them I can't find anything about the benefits but they sure do taste good :-)

[vli1127]

Originally Posted by tomswife

I bought some Hemp seeds the other day. Boy are those things awesome. Now that I bought them I can't find anything about the benefits but they sure do taste good :-)

I am right there with ya, I bought some on Friday from the health food store to try before buying a bunch. They buy Nutiva brand in a huge bucket and divide it out into smaller portions.

[motyok]

I add chia seeds to my meatloaf and meatballs all the time. I put them in dry. They absorb some of the extra fat, and make the meat tender and juicy. I use about 2-3 teaspoons for a two pound meatloaf. Very tasty.

[tomswife]

Originally Posted by motyok

I add chia seeds to my meatloaf and meatballs all the time. I put them in dry. They absorb some of the extra fat, and make the meat tender and juicy. I use about 2-3 teaspoons for a two pound meatloaf. Very tasty.

I did this the other day for the first time. I usually add pork rinds so I was a worried how this would turn out but it turned out great. My husband loved it too and I didn't dare tell him what was in it :-)

[sbarr]

Just bought 24# of chia seeds - should be good for almost the next year! I'm doing more with coconut milk and chia seeds and protein powder to make a pudding - different variations. Use them in hamburger with an egg to make low fat grass-fed beef moist. I will probably start adding them to my chili when I start making it this winter, just for another place to use it. They also make good salad sprinklings.

[lighterbeing]

That sounds great, I love tapioca pudding, haven't had it in years. Are the chia the only thing needed to thicken it? How would it taste with some quinoa in it, like rice pudding? I have quinoa in the cabinet but have not tried it yet. Is it ok to use in OWL? I am somewhere in there, mostly. I would like to make something like that to take to work. Maybe with some unsweetened coconut, also.....

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by lighterbeing

That sounds great, I love tapioca pudding, haven't had it in years. Are the chia the only thing needed to thicken it? How would it taste with some quinoa in it, like rice pudding? I have quinoa in the cabinet but have not tried it yet. Is it ok to use in OWL? I am somewhere in there, mostly. I would like to make something like that to take to work. Maybe with some unsweetened coconut, also.....

I don't know anything about quinoa but at almost 100 net carbs per ounce, I can't imagine it being part of a low carb way of eating.

Chia seeds (at almost 2 net carbs per ounce) absorb 10x their weight in fluid, so an ounce makes 10 oz. of food - it really has no taste, just a fun texture, like tapioca with a strawberry seed inside. You don't need other thickeners - if you want a thickener for pudding, glucomannan is a carb free thickener, but I've never seen a need for extra thickener.

I imagine the Mexican drink, chia fresca (lemonade with chia seeds) is like bubble tea (without the carbs).

[TaDa!]

I realize how old this thread is .. but reading through it, I am very excited to try to use the chia seeds ... When I looked them up, I realized that they are also lower calories than the flax ...

Here is what I am thinking -- tell me if you think this might work? I have been trying to formulate a vegan one minute muffin - I came up with one I like, but without egg, it is rather flat ... I am thinking maybe adding some soaked chia in place of some of the ground flax and 2T hot water I add to the recipe ... thoughts?

or should I grind the chia, soak and use? I think the muffin would be just fine with the "strawberry seed crunch" some of you describe in the soaked chia ...