11 Delicious & Healthy Reasons Why I Love Chia Seeds (& Recipe)

Chia are loaded with nutrients that can have important benefits for your body and brain.
1. Chia Seeds Deliver a Massive Amount of Nutrients With Very Few Calories: A 1 ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains (1, 2):
Fiber: 11 grams.
Protein: 4 grams.
Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are Omega-3s).
Calcium: 18% of the RDA.
Manganese: 30% of the RDA.
Magnesium: 30% of the RDA.
Phosphorus: 27% of the RDA.
They also contain a decent amount of Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B2.

2. Chia Seeds Are Loaded With Antioxidants

3. Almost All The Carbs in Them Are Fiber

4. Chia Seeds Are High in Quality Protein

5. Due to The High Fiber and Protein Content, Chia Seeds Should be Able to Help You Lose

6. Chia Seeds Are High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

7. Chia Seeds May Improve Certain Blood Markers, Which Should Lower The Risk of Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

8. They Are High in Many Important Bone Nutrients

9. Chia Seeds Can Cause Major Improvements in Type 2 Diabetics

10. Chia Seeds Can Improve Exercise Performance as Much as a Sports Drink

11. Chia Seeds Are Easy to Incorporate Into Your Diet: They can be eaten raw, soaked in juice, added to porridges and puddings, or added to baked goods.You can also sprinkle them on top of cereal, yogurt, vegetables or rice dishes.Because of their ability to absorb both water and fat, they can be used to thicken sauces and even used as egg substitutes in recipes.
They can also be mixed with water and turned into a gel. Adding chia seeds to recipes will dramatically boost the nutritional value.

 

Chocolate-Chia Power Balls: Gluten, Fructose and Dairy Free

Yields 30 balls

Ingredients

•1 cup ground nuts (any sort, but a mix of almonds and macadamia nuts is my favourite)

•3-4 tbsp raw cacao powder (ideally sifted)

•¼ cup glucose (also called dextrose) (see notes for alternatives)

•½ cup chia gel made by soaking 1.5 tbsp chia seeds in ½ cup water, overnight (see notes for alternatives)

•3 tbsp (42g) coconut oil, liquified

•10-20 drops liquid stevia (optional)

•½ tsp peppermint or vanilla essence (optional)

•1 tbsp desiccated coconut for coating

•1 tbsp extra cacao for coating

RECIPE   DIRECTIONS

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the ground nuts, raw cacao powder and glucose powder, using the back of a fork to break up any lumps. If you like dark chocolate, use 4 tbsp of cacao. If you’re not sure, use 3 tbsp now, and add more later if you like.

If you’d like to add some peppermint/vanilla essence, add it to the liquid coconut oil now.

Add the chia gel and melted coconut oil and mix well with the fork.

Taste your mixture. If you’d like it sweeter, add 10 to 20 drops of liquid stevia. If you’re used to eating sugar-free, you may not need this.

Place the coconut and extra cacao into two small bowls or saucers.

Roll your mixture into balls about the size of large, unshelled macadamia nuts, or small walnuts. Roll into the bowls of cacao or coconut to coat. You could also use crushed nuts.

Refrigerate to harden (or eat one right away), and store in the fridge.

This recipe makes about 30 balls. If you don’t have company coming, you may want to halve the recipe, though they do keep well for a week or more in the fridge.