What's so great about Chia seeds?

The answer to that is - health benefits.

This blog post is going to take you through the main health benefits that Chia seeds provide and not to mention some delicious recipes!

Let's begin with the elephant in the room.. that delicious looking chia seed parfait that you see on the right. Chia seed puddings are so easy and quick to make and allows a busy person to meal prep their breakfasts in advance. Planning out your meals beforehand ensures you make healthy and balanced foods to fuel your body with. I don't expect everyone to meal prep all 3 meals but breakfast is a good start.

Although this recipe is vegan, it tastes amazing for those who aren't vegan.

Soak your chia seeds in your milk of choice or even yoghurt and leave overnight in the fridge. In the morning top it with some Anastasia's Pantry vegan and healthy granola. I used the Crispy Winter's Morning granola flavour (you can buy here)

What flavour combinations would you choose? Here's a few of my favourites!

1. With Chocolate and coconut granola I love cherry yoghurt, raspberry jam, fresh raspberries or bananas.

2. With the Almond and raisins granola I enjoy any fresh fruit such as blueberries, blackberries, stewed rhubarb or fresh crisp apple slices

3. The zesty Mediterranean flavour calls for orange/mandarin slices, stewed berries, jam, maybe some exotic fruit like mango or papaya.

So why should we incorporate chia seeds into our breakfasts? How do they improve our health?

Well let me tell you. They are small but mighty. They pack an extreme amount of nutrients without even that many calories in return and anyone who is aware of the health benefits of chia seeds makes it a priority to include them in their diet.

For a single serving size of chia seeds (which is approx. 2 tablespoons) is 137 calories and

packs 11g of fibre which compared to other foods is a lot! It also has 4g of good protein and 18% of the RDI (recommended daily intake) of calcium.

I'm not going to bore with you all the technical terms and detailed accounts of why chia seeds are the way they are. So here's a simplified list:

1. They are loaded with antioxidants

2. A great source of protein

3. Chia seeds are low-carb (keto diet) friendly because most of the carbs in the food is fibre.

4. This superfood can help you lose weight because when losing weight we need to feel full with few calories. The high protein and fibre in chia seeds does exactly that.

5. Stop taking those Omega 3 tablets/supplements and have a couple tablespoons of these instead!

6. Heart disease may be slowed or prevented due to studies shown. A factor of this is because chia seeds help reduce body fat - including on your heart.

7. Besides high in protein and calcium, it is high in 2 other nutrients that is essential for bone health.

To read about many more health benefits and the ones listed above in more detail click this link that will divert you to another website with all the information you need.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and don't forget to pick up a pack of chia seeds next time you go shopping!