Recently I started eating some chia. After soaking for a couple of hours or so, it turns into a gel. Just a little bit of seed makes a lot of gel. It's kind of sweet, and has less fat content than most other seeds. It's also a good source of calcium, and a great source of Omega-3.

Just wondering what other people think of chia.

?

It makes fabulous brittle dehydrated crackers. I'm going to start taking it regularily, but not sure in which form--maybe smoothies?

hah ! i just got some a few days ago i like the taste ofit when soaked yea theyre kinda nifty

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Tamukha, I just make the gel and eat it with a spoon. Yesterday, I added some banana slices. It's good that way, but I imagine there's lots of different things that could be done, making use of the unique consistency. Please let us know what you come up with!

Jgunn, nifty is a good word!

Does anyone ever feel a little nauseous a few hours after eating it? That seems to be happening with me, but maybe it's something else, and/or maybe it will pass.

I just added a thread a few days ago for a chia seed - coconut water fresca. In Mexico, it's common to add 1 part chia seeds to 9 parts water and mix it. After the seeds form the gel, they add lemon juice and a sweetner and drink it as a "fresca". I tried it except just with coconut water and no added sweetner. Delicious.

Pborst, sorry I missed your post the first time around.

Your chia seed - coconut water fresca sounds absolutely wonderfully luscious!

I just read some information about chia. It has a number of advantages over flax that I wasn't aware of. For instance there are antinutrients and toxins in flax which are not in chia. (so they say) Higher in calcium and some other minerals. There is a claim that 'salba' is an even better form of chia. Mostly because its grown in more ideal conditions, also they use natural breeding techniques to increase protein and omega 3 content. Wow, I just put a plug in for that company.

At this point I think I could benefit from any chia consumption, which I haven't had in a very, very long time. Is it better to sprout it, or consume it in seed form? I am thinking sprouting, but eating the seeds as they are seems easier.

The amino acid content is supposed to be in ideal ratios in chia. Also a high orac value, which is supposed to be better in dark seeds. My partner is going to have surgery soon, so I am going to suggest it for recovery.

Mislu, I don't know how it would work to sprout it. There's so much gel formed just from soaking it, and it seems like the gel probably contains many of the nutrients. To eat the "sprouts" might require separating out the gel. The gel is pretty good though.

I guess you could also grow the greens and cut them off like wheatgrass. Does anyone do that?

Another way to eat it is just sprinkle it on top of whatever or mix it in a smoothie or coconut fresca or lots of other stuff I'm sure!

Suncloud,
Chia pets are one way to sprout chia sprouts.
[inventors.about.com]

Here are some other suggestions for sprouting chia
[www.sproutpeople.com]

I have sprouted mustard sprouts using cloth and paper towels. These also produced gel, but I am sure its not as much as what chia would produce. I have eaten chia sprouts from off of a chia pet. It takes a long time, and doesn't produce much sprouts. I think most people grow those as just something to look at. but I personally never really found them too striking in and of themselves. However, as decoration and sprout production together they sure beat a mason jar!

Its possible that some nutrients are in the gel. I suspect however that most will be within the greens that are produced.

i spread some soaked seeds on a terra cotta tile turned upside down last summer (rough side up) and they sprouted like a hot damn i beleive they really seem to like clay tile terra cotta medium lol .. i guess thats why the chiapets do so well

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Aha! Interesting!

For me, I think I'll stick with the gel, but the greens look good too.

LOL

oh my goodness, thats great. I guess there is more than one way he can be a green president. I am surprised that it actually physically exists. I can have it next to my tv when he speaks. There is another way to be patriotic, green and a living foodist all at the same time. Can you just hear him give a speech about chia seed and living foods? I guess he can't that would be siding with special interest...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2010 11:37PM by Mislu.

yes we can...grow chia sprouts!

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Recently I started eating some chia. After
> soaking for a couple of hours or so, it turns into
> a gel. Just a little bit of seed makes a lot of
> gel. It's kind of sweet, and has less fat content
> than most other seeds. It's also a good source of
> calcium, and a great source of Omega-3.
>
> Just wondering what other people think of chia.

I intend to start eating chia, but can't understand the point of making it into a gel drink. I mean - how would the nutrients get into your gut (small intenstine) if you don't chew the seeds thoroughly (or grind up the chia seeds first)?
>
> ?

Horsea,
That is a great question. Some chia seed webpages claim that the seed is easily digested, and doesn't need to be ground up before consumption.I don't see how. It seems like they should at least be chewed, or ground somehow.

I had two spoons of chia seed today. I chewed them pretty well. I could actually taste all the oil, and what I think is the omega 3. So it must have been a good batch of seed, or perhaps they always taste like that. It was pretty filling I was surprised. I planted a few, so maybe they will come up, that would be interesting.

You could pulverize the dry seeds in a coffee grinder and then make the gel drink, I suppose.

Horsea Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> suncloud Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Recently I started eating some chia. After
> > soaking for a couple of hours or so, it turns
> into
> > a gel. Just a little bit of seed makes a lot
> of
> > gel. It's kind of sweet, and has less fat
> content
> > than most other seeds. It's also a good source
> of
> > calcium, and a great source of Omega-3.
> >
> > Just wondering what other people think of chia.
>
> I intend to start eating chia, but can't
> understand the point of making it into a gel
> drink. I mean - how would the nutrients get into
> your gut (small intenstine) if you don't chew the
> seeds thoroughly (or grind up the chia seeds
> first)?
> >
> > ?

Unlike flax seeds, your system can digest chia seeds without breaking the seed open.

I appreciate your replies, Mislu, Tamukha, & Pborst.

Mislu, where do you live, ie, what gardening zone? My understanding is that chia grows only in a really warm climate. I know I couldn't grow them here, that is for sure (Canada).

I thought that teff would not grow here, but, lo & behold, it did, when I planted a few seeds just for fun.

Pborst, where could I find further verification as to the easy digestibility of chia seed? Thanks. I am not saying I disbelieve your statement, only that I would like to read further on this topic.

Hello Horsea,
I found Salvia hispanica in the USDA data base, one of several species of plants called 'chia'. The distribution shown on the map seems pretty strange. I am not sure why its showing present in Florida, Texas and New York, but absent in all other locations in the US, and canada. I actually wasn't expecting it to be present in anywhere but southern states. But New York state? that is interesting. That its not on Baffin Island shouldn't be surprising.
[plants.usda.gov]

Another species seems to like the southwest United States, and probably northern Mexico.
[plants.usda.gov]
[plants.usda.gov]

I live in an area with an official plant hardiness zone of 8a-8b. The plant is listed as hardy up to zone 9. Frost tender. This winter has been really quite weak, and the climate is changing. I thought it was worth a try. I planted 3 or 4 seeds just to see what would happen. Probably not much. Although it seems warm to me most of the time, the early morning weather will probably kill the sprouts, or keep them from sprouting. It seems like the growing season might be long enough here and certainly we get the heat. The amount of light might not be what it likes however. The salba site indicates that it likes high light, heat, lower watering and they extend the growing season for the ultimate chia. It it does grow here, it will probably be inferior seed. Flax is more likely to do well in my area.
[www.pfaf.org]

Does anyone experience digestive problems with Chia? A number of chia web sites claim that chia does have some of the problems flax has. But I am starting to have some unpleasant gas, but it might be from something else.

Hi Mislu,
I was reading the gelatin like substance you see when soaking chia seeds is soluble fiber, which can ferment.

If someone is after the omega 3's, the seeds have to be chewed (like you do) or ground to express the oil -- the juice of the seed itself. The body can't break down the cellulose fiber other than mechanically or by fermenting, and fermenting is too slow to digest a whole chia seed, IMO.

I soaked some and they are beautiful up close. The seeds stay intact after soaking, just releasing the soluble fiber gel.

here is a vid of Daniel Vitalis (yum...) discussing his techniques of staying healthy during airplane travel; he talks about using soaked chia as a way to stay hydrated.

[www.youtube.com]

ps lol @ Obama!



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Loeve,
I am sprouting the chia I have left. I think that should solve that little problem I experienced. It certainly will make it easier to get to whats inside the seed! It will remove most of the gel, I imagine.

Horsea Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I appreciate your replies, Mislu, Tamukha, &
> Pborst.
>
> Mislu, where do you live, ie, what gardening zone?
> My understanding is that chia grows only in a
> really warm climate. I know I couldn't grow them
> here, that is for sure (Canada).
>
> I thought that teff would not grow here, but, lo &
> behold, it did, when I planted a few seeds just
> for fun.
>
> Pborst, where could I find further verification as
> to the easy digestibility of chia seed? Thanks. I
> am not saying I disbelieve your statement, only
> that I would like to read further on this topic.

Horsea,

No worries. I didn't take your post that way. Like you, I only know what I read. But corroborating "facts" always makes me feel better. Take a look at this article by Dr. Weil [www.drweil.com] and [www.chiaforhealth.com]. To your health!

Paul

Great information about the chia!

I've noticed that when I have the chia gel, I don't get thirsty for a very long time when I'm running, and I seem to have great energy.

The first few days that I tried it, I did get a little nauseous, but that seems to have passed.

PBorst, thank you for the link to chiaforhealth. Very interesting reading. In any case, I much prefer the texture of crushed-up chia.

Horsea Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PBorst, thank you for the link to chiaforhealth.
> Very interesting reading. In any case, I much
> prefer the texture of crushed-up chia.

Horsea,

Thanks for the tip. I will have to try it crushed to compare which is better for me. I've only taken it whole. But maybe I will like it even more crushed. I buy mine at the ethnic market for $8 per pound, about half of what I originally paid at Whole Foods.

Paul