Chia seeds have amazing health benefits; to give you a few examples they combat diabetes, are full of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids (important for brain health), provide calcium for stronger teeth and bones and have a stabilizing effect on blood sugar (fights belly fat), plus they make you feel full longer (HuffPo for even more benefits).
Chia seeds don’t have much flavor so it’s easy to add these little seeds into smoothies and shakes or even sprinkle them on salads. I like Chia seeds as part of my morning, getting me off to a healthy start.
After a lot of trial and error, here’s my recipe for Chia Seed Pudding:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 cup unsweetened Coconut Milk
- 5-6 tablespoons Chia seeds
- Fresh or frozen fruit of your choice
What to do:
In a medium sized mason jar pour 1 cup of each liquid.
Next, add in your 5-6 tablespoons of Chia seeds. For a more watery consistency, use 5 tablespoons or less but if you prefer a thicker pudding use the full 6.
Add in your fruit. I used a mixture of frozen berries (thawed) this time, about ¼ cup worth of fruit. The fruit will add a little sweetness to your pudding. I like using thawed frozen fruit because it provides a bit of extra juice to the pudding. Make sure you leave a little room at the top.
Give your jar a good shake up and place it in the fridge. In about 15-20 minutes go and shake the jar again, sometimes ingredients can settle at the bottom. If you are having trouble shaking it (sometimes the Chia seeds form chunks) open the jar and use a fork to break up the chunks, then re-shake and return the jar to the fridge.
The Chia seeds should start to expand and look a little something like this:
In the morning you’ve got Chia Seed Pudding, a nutritious way to begin your day.
Please note that Chia seeds are not a particularly low calorie food. One tablespoon has approximately 70 calories so the above recipe in total is approximately 500-550 calories. The above recipe could easily be split into three servings (165-180 cals per serving) but also keep in mind that the fat in Chia seeds are the good kind of fat (like in avocados) so don’t let the numbers scare you away!
