Most Americans don't eat enough fiber, which is important for our health. Fiber helps to increase satiety, slow absorption of sugar, feed healthy bacteria in our guts and keep us regular. Chia seeds come in white and black varieties and are a great option to increase our daily fiber intake. Just two tablespoons of chia seeds contain 10 grams of fiber. Since many Americans only get 15 or fewer grams of fiber all day, you can see how chia seeds can help us do better. As you can see from the image, courtesy of Dr. Josh Axe, they are also a great source of minerals, ALA and antioxidants (the black have slightly more antioxidants than the white).
The word chia means strength in Mayan and was traditionally a food for warriors due to it's ability to aid in energy, endurance and strength. For those of you who work out or run regularly, you'll be happy to know that chia is known to improve metabolism, help build muscle, enhance exercise endurance and even help with weight loss. It also has great data to show benefits for bone health, heart health and diabetes. To learn more about chia's health benefits and how to incorporate them into your diet, Dr. Axe has a great article here. One of my favorite ways to use chia seeds is in chia pudding as in the recipe below.
Recipe - Dark Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding:
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup frozen cherries
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 serving 70% dark chocolate bar
(or 3 tbsp chocolate chips)
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until the chia seeds are fully blended. One serving of dark chocolate refers to whatever the package claims is one serving.
Add a drop or two of liquid stevia or a small amount of another liquid sweetener if it is not sweet enough for you.