Have you ever heard of chia seeds? If yes, then you probably know what kind of superfood they are and that you can benefit from eating them regularly.  If not, then it’s time to introduce you to those nutritious (and good-looking) seeds.

Chia seeds’ popularity boosted rapidly in the last couple of years. You can get them in black and white varieties, but there is no difference in nutritional content. They are now easy to get, easy to prepare and if eaten the right way (preferably ground) they could be a very healthy supplement to your diet. Eating them ground can help increase the absorption of the nutrients they contain.

Chia seeds were traditionally grown in Mexico by Mayans and Aztecs. They were used and consumed for centuries and today we’re exploring them again (as many other ancient grains like buckwheat, teff or quinoa). So why should we actually eat them and make them a part of our everyday diet?

Here are some of the best health benefits:

• excellent source of fiber, carbohydrates, and antioxidants
• great source of the omega 3 fatty acids which help raise HDL good cholesterol
• great capacity to absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid – which helps with emptying out your guts
• they keep you full for a longer time
• here you can learn about the amount of nutrients in 100g of Chia (published by United States Department of Agriculture)

Now when we know WHY we should eat them many of us struggle with HOW to eat them. For me, the fastest and most convenient way of eating chia is to soak them overnight to enjoy a ready-to-eat pudding in the morning. You can store your chia pudding in the fridge for up to 5 days. As well, you can use any milk you like but out of all-vegan kinds of milk I personally prefer coconut milk for its’ creamy texture. My ratio when mixing chia (if you don’t want to scale ingredients) is 1 part chia to 4 parts milk.   Pudding made with this ratio is nice and creamy and not too thick. Enjoy the great taste, health benefits, and last, but not least amazingly presentable look.

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INGREDIENTS

50g Chia Seeds 

200g Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoons Honey or Agave

Fresh Fruits (or Fruit Puree)

Cocoa Powder (optional)

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METHOD

1. In a mixing bowl mix together chia seeds with coconut milk and honey (use a hand whisk while pouring milk into seeds to avoid lumps)
2. Cover your bowl with a cling foil and let it rest in the fridge overnight (or at least  for some 3 hours). You can stir it from time to time (but don’t have to)
3. Once your pudding thickened and became jelly-like you can transfer it to clean glasses, add more sweetener if desired and top with fresh fruits or mix with some cacao powder/ melted chocolate and enjoy

Bon Appetite,
Lenka