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Chia Seed and Flax Seed


Robyn Openshaw - Apr 26, 2009 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


So you’ve been reading about chia seed.   (I know this because I get lots of questions about it.)   Yep, I’m talking about the little things that grow the chia pet, now getting lots of attention as a power food.   And it is.   A highly expensive one (I bought a pound of it recently for about $18).

Chia seed has 7 times as much iron as spinach.   At 18%, it has more protein than beef, and its amino acids comprise  a complete protein.   It slows conversion of sugars in the bloodstream, so it’s great to eat with a  high-sugar meal.   (I mean  like potatoes or fruit–hopefully y’all have abandoned or are at least minimizing refined sugars.)

Its mucilaginous properties mean it absorbs toxins, and it’s fantastic for weight loss.   I don’t like to eat after dinner, so if my dinner was light and I get really hungry later, what I do is eat a large spoonful of chia seed and chase it with a big glass of water.   It absorbs 10 times its own weight in fluids, so it fills you up when you are hungry with hardly any calories.

It tastes mild–tastes like nothing, really.   You can sprinkle it in cereal, or put it in a smoothie–but it will dramatically thicken your smoothie.   For that matter, it’s a great thickener!   Put 1  tsp. chia seed in 3 Tbsp. water, and you’ve got yourself an egg replacement.

It’s packed with those rare Omega fatty acids that your body cannot manufacture and must receive from foods–in perfect proportions.   And it stores for a very long time!

I highly recommend it.   I’ll find a way eventually to get it for cheaper in a local group buy (maybe national–we’ll see!).   I wish it were less expensive.

Now flax seed is still quite inexpensive at less than $1/lb.   You can watch my YouTube video making flax crackers if you want to hear more about its virtues, or read Ch.  4 of 12 Steps to Whole Foods. (All my demos are on GreenSmoothieGirl.com under the Videos tab now–and I have lots of new ones coming.)

Just want to share a thought from GSG reader Rochelle T., who happens to also be my cousin, whom I set up with her husband 19 years ago!   (I have 65 first cousins, 49 of them Romneys, but she’s the one I’ve been closest to my whole life–now she has 5 children.)   She was trying to figure a way to get flaxseed in her diet every day.   She just eats a spoonful of ground flax seed every morning, chasing it with water.   She says it’s nutty and pleasant tasting and it’s a great habit she’s gotten into.   Great idea.   Keep in mind that grinding flax seed (unnecessary with chia) makes its nutritional properties much more available.   Just don’t grind it far in advance, as it goes rancid quickly.

Hope this is helpful!

Posted in: 12 Steps To Whole Food, Green Smoothies, Tools & Products, Videos

5 thoughts on “Chia Seed and Flax Seed”

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  1. Anonymous says:

    It is truly amazing how satisfyingly full I feel after eating a yogurt/grnd flaxseed, chia and berries. Followed up by a 16 oz. glass of water’. I use 1 tbsp. each of ground flaxseed and chia seed. The feeling is not bloated just a content belly for quite some time. I am going to add chia seed to my soups to thicken and add more nutrition.

  2. Anonymous says:

    I get my chia seeds at Giant grocery stores in the organic section. I pay $8 a pound. I hope this helps.

  3. starblue332 says:

    I just started drinking the chia seeds in water per the suggestion in the detox manual and I love it. I would love to give this to y kids but I read a lot about how they should be soaked first unless you are going to take them with lots of water as they will absorb the water from your body. How do you recommend feeding them to children? Two of my children are pretty picky eaters….

  4. Ed Mei says:

    Is it okay to combine chia seeds and flax seeds in one contain and soak them in water overnight to be added into a smoothie the following morning?

    1. Robyn says:

      Ed, sure!

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