I've been trying to maintain my weight which is getting harder and harder every year. I read a lot about various nutrition and exercises, etc. I'm going to start LJing about my health/nutrition research.

Today's topic: Chia

David actually introduced me to chia seeds. My only knowledge of it was thru Chia Pet commercials (I never had a Chia Pet even though I begged my parents to get me one). There was one part of our garden that had a bald spot because the basil seeds never grew, so I scattered chia seeds without much expectation. There is a ton of chia growing in the gaden now. I did some research to see the nutritional value of chia.

Chia is awesome. You can eat chia in its sprout form in sandwiches and such, but the best nutrition is in the seed. The concentration of omega-3s in the small little seed makes chia an even better source of omega-3s than fish. Plus, you don't have to worry about mercury. It's also a good source of fiber, and it's gluten-free. There is white and black chia, but both have the same nutrition content.

Obviously, you need to eat a lot of seeds to get omega-3s and fiber benefits because the seeds are the size of sesame seeds. However, I've read that  you can just toss in a tablespoon of chia seeds in your cereal, juice, smoothies, cake batter, etc. to make them instantly healthier. They don't have a strong flavor and one tablespoon shouldn't affect your recipe, but if you eat a bunch of them at once without anything else, they taste a little bitter and planty. Make sure you keep the chia seeds dry until you use them. They form a gel and get slimy when they are wet.