Are you sick of eggs for breakfast? If you're on a gluten, dairy, or whole30 diet, or just want a healthy breakfast, chia seed pudding is a wonderful addition to your usual routine! It's easy to make and extremely healthy. Check out the nutrition benefits below and some recipe ideas.
The benefits of Chia Seeds
Chia seeds pack a nutrition punch!
1 serving (2 tablespoons/one ounce/28 grams) of chia seeds contain:
Fiber: 11 grams !!
Protein: 4 grams !!
Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are (Omega-3s).
Calcium: 18% of the RDA.
Manganese: 30% of the RDA.
Magnesium: 30% of the RDA.
Phosphorus: 27% of the RDA.
Chia also contains essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including sulphur, iron, iodine, manganese, niacin, thiamine, and they are a rich source of anti-oxidants.
All of these nutritional benefits make them one of the world’s best sources of several important nutrients, calorie for calorie.
How to eat Chia Seeds
You can eat chia seeds raw (by adding them to things like smoothies or oatmeal) or you can soak them overnight. When you soak them they absorb many times their weight in water and create a pudding like texture. In the below recipe, I'll show you how to make Chia Seed pudding which is a very healthy breakfast alternative!
How to make Chia Seed Pudding
All you have to do to make chia seed pudding is to mix 1 cup of almond milk with 2 tbsp of chia seeds and then cover and refrigerate over night. This will create one serving size. In the morning your Chia Seed pudding will be ready.
Check out the recipe I have for Banana Cinnamon Chia Pudding below as well as fun and unique add ons below!
BANANA CINNAMON CHIA PUDDING (1 serving)
Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp chia seeds
Dash of cinnamon
1/2 banana, mashed banana
1/2 banana, sliced
Handful of blueberries
Directions
Mix the mashed banana, almond milk, chia seeds, and cinnamon and a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. In the morning, add the sliced banana, blueberries, and sprinkle with unsweetened coconut.
Options you can add to Chia Seed Pudding
IF YOU NEED IT, ADD A LITTLE SWEETENER
Maple syrup
Brown sugar
Honey
Agave
Stevia
Vanilla Extract
Coconut
AND SEASON WITH SPICES
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Pumpkin Spice
ADD FLAVOR WITH FRUIT
Fresh Fruit (berries, banana, apple, mange, etc)
Jam or preserves
Dried fruit (such as raisins, cranberries, cherries or chopped apricots or dates)
ADD HEALTHY FATS & PROTEIN TO KEEP YOU FULLER LONGER
Almond or Peanut Butter
Fresh nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios or peanuts
Sesame seeds
Ground flaxseeds
Chia seeds
Whey Protein (vanilla or chocolate)