Chia seeds

[MidgetDogg]

So I've been reading about the benefits of chia seeds a lot the last few days and decided to give em a try. Drinking some Chia gel right now and it's strangely gross, yet not. No flavor, but the texture is.... ummmm.... kinda snotty. No wait.... like the guts of a tomato, without the delicious flavor.

Anyone else tried this? I've read that adding lemon juice is suggested, but then it would probably just taste like lemony snot.

 

[coradora]

Ewww, I can't imagine eating the chia gel by itself

I always add mine to smoothies or oatmeal.

 

[MidgetDogg]

Yeah, I think I'll be putting it in my yogurt tomorrow instead. It was my first time.

 

[kathryn]

I don't drink chia gel as-is: I make it a pint at a time, and add a few tablespoons to a smoothie. Great for before a workout, as it helps with hydration. No noticeable sliminess either.

I think "chia fresca"--the Mexican drink made with chia seeds and water (and lemon?) has a different proportion of chia seeds to water than the gel, so it doesn't get that slimy texture either.

 

[Dela]

They do work great in smoothies, and they were fine in yogurt too. I just added the seeds to the smoothie, did not have to make the gel first.

 

[caseysmomgo]

I've just been adding Chia seeds to my smoothies and putting a scoop on my cereal, etc but I've never made the gel. What is the benefit to making a gel out of them and then adding that to the smoothie vs. just throwing the whole seeds in?

 

[lauramangano]

I have been eating these for a while now. I add the seeds not to water, but seltzer and pomegranate seeds with a squirt of agave nectar. It is soooo good, but I can see how some people would not like it. It does have the consistency of frog eggs......but I loooove it!

 

[kathryn]

I've just been adding Chia seeds to my smoothies and putting a scoop on my cereal, etc but I've never made the gel. What is the benefit to making a gel out of them and then adding that to the smoothie vs. just throwing the whole seeds in?

If you just throw the seeds in a smoothie, you have to drink it pretty fast, otherwise it will start to gel itself (I usually drink mine right up, so often will just throw in the seeds, but one morning when I did it, I was drinking it while reading, sort of lost track of my smoothie, and it turned into a pudding!).

When making gel, it's best to add the seeds to water, stir or whisk well, let sit for 10 minutes, then whisk again (so the seeds are well distributed).

 

[ripley33]

In one of the clean eating magazines there is a receipe for chia seed popsicles made with yougurt, orange, vanilla and vanillia bean. My kids liked it. Otherwise I add it to my smoothies too.

 

[caseysmomgo]

If you just throw the seeds in a smoothie, you have to drink it pretty fast, otherwise it will start to gel itself (I usually drink mine right up, so often will just throw in the seeds, but one morning when I did it, I was drinking it while reading, sort of lost track of my smoothie, and it turned into a pudding!).

When making gel, it's best to add the seeds to water, stir or wisk well, let sit for 10 minutes, then wisk again (so the seeds are well distributed).

Thanks, Kathryn, that makes sense. I've let a smoothie with chia seeds sit for awhile a couple times and they do get pretty thick! There's nothing like eating your smoothie with a spoon!!

 

[kathryn]

In one of the clean eating magazines there is a receipe for chia seed popsicles made with yougurt, orange, vanilla and vanillia bean. My kids liked it. Otherwise I add it to my smoothies too.

Care to share? (The recipe, that is, LOL!)

 

[kathryn]

Wanted to add: another reason for using the gel rather than just the seeds (though it doesn't really apply to smoothies): chia seeds are great for hydration if taken with enough fluids, but can be dehydrating if not (so if you add the gel, you get the benefits of all the liquids you use with it. If you throw in the seeds, you lose the benefit of some of the fluids that the seeds absorb. And if you do something like toss unsoaked chia seeds on oatmeal, or eat chia-based bars without drinking enough water with them, they can absorb liquids already in your body).