What are Chia Seeds? Plus Six Reasons You Should be Eating Them!

Recently I’ve been feeling noticeably different: tons more energy. Running around Singapore, taking on more projects, feeling creative… I’m enjoying full days. To keep active, I do eat a healthy diet, but I also like to experiment and try new things to see what works for me. So what’s different? For a few months now I’ve been eating one tablespoon of chia seed almost every day and, boy, can I feel it!

Some of this newfound energy I use to perform cartwheels with my kids, and the rest, to stay up late learning why it is that chia seeds make me feel so… super. Now I’m not a nutritionist, so I’ll leave it to you to make up your own minds, but here’s what I’ve learned about this little bitty seed.

What are chia seeds?

You may know chia seeds as a superfood… which is so cliché – we should just call them a really, very good for you food, though admittedly, it’s not as catchy. Basically the entire internet world is buzzing about chia seeds and, after my own personal experience with them, I get what the excitement is all about.

The definition of “great things come in small packages”, chia seeds are tiny, like a sesame seed – and part of the mint family. Chia seed is actually a herb, with a long history in South and Central America where they are mostly grown. Aztec warriors used to consume chia seeds for energy and sustenance in battle. It’s said that they could survive a day of hunger, heat and exhaustion by eating just one tablespoon!

Here are six reasons why you should do like the Aztecs and eat chia seeds to survive our modern battles – long hours at work, chasing after the kids & mental fatigue! Slightly less brutal, but exhausting nonetheless!

1. Chia seeds are an amazing source of Omega 3, higher than flaxseed. We’re talking brain function, mental clarity, healthy heart… and good hair! If you are vegetarian, or just don’t like the smell of fish oil, chia seeds are a great alternative
2. Chia seeds are gluten-free. You can grind them and add them into your baking recipes, like a flour. In any recipe, replace 1/4 of the flour for chia flour – so if it’s 1 cup of flour you can do 3/4 cups of flour and 1/4 cup of chia flour. You may prefer to use white chia seeds, as the black ones will speckle your baked goods.
3. Chia seeds are high in fiber. They help your body to eliminate toxins and clean out your intestinal tract, which means you’ll be regular and of course, that’s a good thing!
4. A complete protein, chia seeds contain all nine of the essential amino acids which our bodies need for growth & repair of blood cells, tissue, muscle, collagen… our bodies can’t produce these building-blocks, we can only obtain them from our diet.
5. Chia seeds contain an army of different antioxidants which help to prevent disease and boost energy. Chia is so high in antioxidants that the natural oils do not go rancid, giving chia seeds a very long shelf life.
6. Chia seed controls blood sugar levels. Chia seeds form a gel when placed in liquid and in our body this gel helps to slow down the release of sugar from starches, giving us a prolonged release of energy rather than the high and low spikes we can get after eating a carb heavy meal.

To receive all these benefits – it’s recommended that we eat 1 tablespoon of chia seed per day.

How do you eat chia seed?

Chia seeds can be eaten whole, sprouted, ground or soaked to form a gel. If you love playing in the kitchen, chia seeds are endless hours of fun. Completely flavorless they absorb the flavor of what ever ingredients you mix them in. The Mr. Science trick that you can do in your kitchen is to add chia seeds in any liquid and watch it turn it into a thick sludgy gel – which is not gross, like it sounds, but actually perfect to thicken sauce, add bulk, make a pudding, or even replace an egg in baking!

The ratio for chia gel is 1 part chia seed to 10 parts liquid and let it sit for 15 minutes.

To replace an egg do 1 tablespoon of chia seed in 3 tablespoons of water.

If you’d rather keep it simple, sprinkle them in juice or shakes, over salads and your cereal…

…or make my Coconut Chia Fresca – a bubble-tea like drink that will make you run in circles it’s so good! Big tip: If you do eat them whole and un-soaked, make sure to drink plenty of water, otherwise chia seeds will soak up your own internal liquids, leaving you dehydrated and maybe a little constipated! Not a great note to leave on, but I had to say it!

That’s the skinny on chia seeds! If you’ve thought about trying them, leave a comment below and share your thoughts with us:

Question: What do you do when you need extra energy?

I’ll start – When I’m feeling down – I make a healthy drink (usually with a sprinkle of chia seeds!) and take it out for a walk or bike ride. Even just 5 minutes clears my head and get’s my blood pumping!

1. Get chia seeds delivered to your home from Foodsterr.com. Get 10% off any order by using my coupon code LGD10 at checkout — best value in Singapore.
2. Can’t get enough chia in your life? Make sure to check out the bundle deals from BGO Singapore!
3. Order chia seed online from iHerb.com – I buy the raw chia seed, but most any kind is good. iHerb offers $5 off to first-time customers, with great international delivery prices, so they’re worth checking out.