Food Wisdom for Well-being: Chia
There’s an old saying, “You are what you eat”. A bit of an exaggeration, maybe. But the food you put into your body undoubtedly does make a difference to your mental and physical wellbeing.
Given that our company produces natural, wholesome ingredients and that health and nutrition is important to all of us, we thought we’d start with a deep dive into the health benefits of Chia Seeds.
Chia is an amazing ‘superfood’ – it’s one of the raw materials we include in our mixes.
You might want to include it in your products and encourage consumers to eat more of it. Here's why…
We haven’t been able to independently verify the claims, but, even if they are not 100% accurate, they give an idea of the kind of benefits that you’d expect to find in chia...
2 tablespoons of chia seeds, as said by Rise Organics, contain:
64% more potassium than banana
2x the antioxidants of blueberries
5x more calcium than milk
3x more iron than spinach
100% more omega-3 than salmon
20% protein
Love the sound of chia...
Mix the chia
Add a tablespoon of chia seeds to your dough or mix to improve the fibre and protein content of bread, cakes or biscuits – and to keep them moist and yummy. Use as a replacement for eggs (with so many people going vegan, or cutting back on animal products, it’s useful to have alternatives). Substitute each egg in a recipe for 1 tablespoon of chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water.
Shake the chia
Sprinkle raw chia seeds on cereal, porridge, yogurts and salads. Mmmm… Add them to soups, curries, stews and sauces. Nice…
Jam with chia
Use chia seeds instead of pectin as a natural thickener for jam – and you get the added nutritional benefits!
Cover with chia
Use as a substitute for some of the breadcrumbs in your recipe. They’re high protein, low carb and they help to bind the ingredients. One or two tablespoons should do the trick!
Background
Chia seeds come from salvia hispanica: a flowering mint plant native to parts of Mexico and Guatemala. They have only become a commercially popular health food in the last decade or so, but they're actually one of the oldest forms of nutrition and were a staple of Mayan and Aztec diets.
Mayan and Aztec were civilisations which developed in South and Central America in the 1300s. Maize, pulses, and squash were also a popular staples to their diet.
Chia has a subtle flavour, so texture is prioritised over flavour when using it in most recipes.
Get in touch
We supply chia seeds in bespoke mixes which can suit your recipes. Contact us: sales@edme.com