Today, I introduce you to an amazing super food, CHIA SEEDS. Health buffs and vegans may already familiar to this, but to those who don’t know, I’ll try to make this as easy to understand as possible.
Chia are tiny little seeds that are super rich in fiber and omega 3 essential fatty acids, and are a good source of complete protein and calcium. If you leave the seeds in a glass of water for about 15-30 minutes, it will turn gel-like due to its soluble fibre. And since chia seeds can absorb more than 12x its weight in water, this gel, when formed in the stomach, creates a barrier between carbs & digestive enzymes, slowing down carbs-to-sugar conversion, giving you steadier and more balanced energy levels, and leaving you full longer. The protein in chia seeds are digested and absorbed very easily by the body, and results to faster transportation of protein cells and faster tissue growth and regeneration.
These are only a few of its benefits of chia seeds, and are so many ways you can incorporate them into your diet. Here’s a recipe for Lemon Chia Muffins that I recently made for Pipino.
1. In a bowl, mix 1 cup almond milk and 1 tsp vinegar. Soak 1 Tbsp chia seeds, and place in refrigerator overnight for best results.
2. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven at 190 degrees C.
3. Add 3/4 cup sugar (I used coco sugar), 1/4 cup oil, 2 tbsp lemo juice, and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
4. Sift in 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt.
5. Line muffin pan and spoon batter into the cups. Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy! 🙂