About
Hi, my name is Maggie Faye. I live in Australia, I’ll soon be 70 and I love trying new foods. As you have probably realized, I love chia seeds.
I first tried them about 3 years ago, as I was looking for a natural source to help increase my energy. I have post traumatic stress disorder and one of the long term side effects is that any extra stress brings back many of the symptoms, including sleep disturbance, very low energy levels, anxiety and depression.
I started slowly, not really knowing how to use them. The first time I tried them, I just chewed up a teaspoon of the seeds, and had to follow that up with a glass of water as I ended up with a very dry mouth – chia seeds absorb liquid very quickly. Even with that small amount, I noticed a little increase in sustained energy.
I followed up by having chia seed puddings or smoothies, almost every day. The first day, I noticed a wonderful increase in energy, a calm, sustained energy that enabled me to focus and achieve my goals for the day. As the days went by, I noticed my gut was more comfortable, as the gentle action of the fiber began to take effect.
Chia seeds are a great aid to brain health, due to the high level of omega 3s they contain. After a week or so, I realised that my thinking was clearer, I was doing more, had more energy and, to my delight, I felt happy – for absolutely no reason. Actually I believe that a feeling of happiness and optimism is our natural state if we are in good health and our lives are in order. And our lives tend to be in order if we are healthy and thinking clearly.
These days I take around 2 tablespoons of chia seeds most days. I sometimes take a break from them as I believe we should vary our diet and not have any one food every day. The recipes on this site are those I have tried and enjoyed myself. I love experimenting with chia seeds and finding new ways of using them.
An added bonus was the steady weight loss. Almost without trying, I have lost 20 pounds and kept it off. It is very difficult to lose weight once you have passed 50 and gets increasingly difficult with each passing decade. It inspired me to write “The Chia Seed Weight Loss Diet" available on Amazon.
Longer term benefits include smooth skin and strong healthy nails and skin due in part to the high levels of omega 3s and the many minerals(including calcium) in chia seeds.
Chia seeds are a wonderful gift from nature. They have helped me restore my health and change my life. I encourage you to try them and see what they can do for you. I would love to hear about your experiences with chia seeds.
I have not tried the chia seeds although I have purchased them and plan to start right away. However, I was interested in having my sister try them too but she has diverticulitus and she is not supposed to eat small seeds. I there another way for her to get the benefit? Deanna
Hi Deanna, Your sister can use ground chia seeds instead of whole ones. These days it’s relatively easy to buy ground chia seeds, although you can grind them yourself in a coffee grinder or magic bullet. Ground chia seeds are particularly nice in muffins or pancakes — anything where the ground seeds are a partial substitute for flour in a recipe. Smoothies are good too. Happy eating to both you and your sister.
Something I did not see mentioned on the site, but at least one study has been done and, much like earlier flax seed studies, they found to get the benefits of the Omega-3s, CHIA SEED MUST BE GROUND/MILLED.
Just wanted to spread that important tidbit around. If your local stores don’t sell milled, there is a simple enough fix: use a coffee grinder.
Article:
http://longevity.about.com/od/antiagingfoods/a/Chia-Seeds-Ground-Or-Whole.htm
Study:
Nieman, DC, Gillitt, N, Fuxia, J, et al. Chia Seed Supplementation and Disease Risk Factors in Overweight Women: A Metabolomics Investigation. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2012;18(7):700-708.
There are differing opinions on ths Dave. Many experts believe that the Omega 3s are bio availabe in whole chia seeds. But by all means if you are concerned about this the ground chia seeds are a good option.
love this site! so helpful and informative. can you tell me how to grind the seeds? also for wt. loss is it better to soak or not. if i soak would they digest quicker since i am diabetic and need the slower digestion . THANKS
I grind my seeds in a magic bullet, but these days it is so easy to buy milled seeds (same as ground seeds). When making chia seed recipes the softened seeds can be blended into the recipe in an ordinary blender. I think soaking would enable slightly quicker digestion. Chia seeds digest slowly whether soaked or not.
Chia Seed Fruit Bars:
Does anyone know how to make a chia Fruit bar (as seen/purchased on getchia.com)?
hi maggie your story is very inspiring,i’m 20 years old and i weigh 87 kg (197lbs) with a 30 percent body fat, i want to lose weight to reach 70kgs. i was wondering since i have started to take the chia seeds how long will it take for me to lose 2 stones. How long did it take you to lose 20 pounds of fat.
Hi Danny. I lost weight at a steady rate of about 1 pound a week while I was dieting. I was not hungry and the wonderful thing I discovered was that I was far less drawn to bread, pastries, cakes and chocolates. You may lose weight faster than that as you are younger and starting your weight loss with summer approaching. It is important to eat sensibly while adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of chia seeds to your diet each day. It is an easy diet, but if you are unsure, my book “The Chia Seed Weight Loss Diet” (available on Amazon) can give you guidance. Good luck, and do let me know how you get on 🙂
Hello,
Thank you so much for a detailed site. It was very helpful. I am recently disgnosied with diabities and am also obese. I am working on a workout and with a trainer, who suggested that I try taking chia seeds and hemp heart seeds as I am a vegetarian and cant eat meat. weIl have a few questions about using the Chia seeds and Hemp heart seeds together. First is there anything negative about doing so ? I would like to use the hemp heart to replace the protein that I will be missing for meat. Also I wanted to know how to take these both? Is there a plan that I should be following. I would like to take the milled version of the chia seed instead of the whole seeds, they seem easier to mix with the juices and smoothies. Also is there a particular way to use the hemp seeds. Please advice and also if there is a direct number that I can call to obtain any further information. Thank you for your response.
Bobby
Hi Bobby. Chia seeds and hemp hearts both have complete protein and are an excellent source of essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. I can think of no reason why you could not take them together. Juices and smoothies, which you mention, would be an ideal way to combine these two wonderful ingredients. Make sure you store your hemp hearts in the fridge as they can go rancid. This is not necessary for chia seeds. Like chia seeds, hemp hearts can be added to yogurt, cottage chesse, soups and stews. Start small when adding new foods to your diet and gradually increase. No need to just use milled chia seeds, if you are mixing your juices and smoothies in a blender. I feel the texture of the whole seeds is better, especially in smoothies.
Sorry, Bobby, I do not take personal calls. but your trainer sounds knowledgeable and progressive. I wish you all the best and would love to hear of your progress.
Hi Maggie,
do you always soak the seeds before using them?
Kind regards,
Cindy
It derpends very much on the recipe Cindy. If I am making a gel or a pudding there is no need to soak the seeds as they soften and swell in the liquid used in the recipe. However, if i am making an omelet or similar dish then I soak them in the egg/milk mixture for at least 10 minutes before cooking otherwise there is a crunchiness to the finished dish. Smoothies are smoother if you soak the seeds in the juices for 10 minutes before blending. For baking, I use milled chia seeds and do not soak.
Can you please tell me what “milled” Chia Seeds are? I have seen them advertised that way, and have been unable to locate the definition. I usually just buy them in bulk (black seeds) from my health food store.
Thank you in advance!
Barbara
Hi Barbara. Milled chia seeds are ground whole chia seeds, nothing added or taken away.
I hope you can advise. (chia newbie)
The first batch I soaked in almond milk and it did exactly as expected, soaked up til it was like tapioca. Now I have put some in 100% apple cherry juice, it has been in the fridge for about 3 to 4 hours and it hasn’t even thought about soaking up the juice. They are floating at the top. I have stirred them and shook them and they are separate, but will not swell up. I put one tablespoon of seeds into 1 cup of juice. (same batch of seeds) My son took some also and he put his in water and claims they aren’t swelling up either.
I don’t understand. Is it just quicker in milk and takes longer in water and juice?
Please let me know if this is normal? THANKS.
I have gotten so many ideas from your site!
Gina Duffey
This is not normal Gina. Chia seeds swell up at the same rate in whatever liquid you put them into. You could try to make a gel by putting one tablespoon in half a cup of juice or water. If that doesn’t work, then perhaps you have a batch of immature seeds. Chia seeds should be black or white, but if they are brown they are immature or of an inferior quality. Try a different brand next time.
I’m glad you have gotten many ideas from my site. I hope you are feeling the wonderful benefits from taking chia seeds Gina. 🙂