Cha-Cha CHIA!

Not like Chia Pets, Chia Seeds. I am a fan of the pets as well and that is still what I think of when I hear the word “Chia”. After learning how beneficial the addition of chia seeds can be to your diet you will want to re-program your Chia thinking too! Chia seeds have been show to have amazing nutritional value—a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, fiber, protein, B vitamins and antioxidant power. Considered a “superfood” by many nutritional guru’s Chia seeds can help athletes with your energy levels, building muscle and balancing your electrolytes. Everyone else can benefit from Chia’s nutritional powerhouse by their help in aiding weight loss, lowering blood sugar, lowering blood pressure and improving both cardiovascular and colonic health.

If you are sold on Chia Seeds you probably want to know WHERE to get them and HOW to use them. This is where I was lost myself. Where to get them? Try Marquis Nutra Foods. They have the seeds plus sell other Chia Food items that might be a great place for a beginner. They also have a ton of information right there to help you navigate through the use of Chia Seeds. Myself—I wanted them in their raw form and just googled some recipes to try out at home. I am a sweets person and was delighted by the recipes making Chia puddings, smoothies, adding to yogurt, cereal etc. So here is some information I found on the USE of Chia Seeds. You should gradually add Chia Seeds to your diet—try between 1 teaspoon and 2 tablespoons by sprinkling onto food either whole or ground up. I ended up going with a pudding recipe which is a compilation of a bunch of recipes I found online. I did this:
¼ cup chia seeds
½ cup Tempt Hemp Milk
¼ cup water
4 packets sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
I stirred it up really well, then whisked it up a few times. Place in fridge for 10 minutes—got really thick,
yummy and pudding-like! I think next time I will added 1 tablespoon melted peanut butter.