Chia and Flax seeds??

rainingribbons

Hi there!
I'm starting to try to get back into healthier eating habits, and in my recipe browsing I have found quite a few pages that involve chia and flax seeds. I've never used them before and was hoping someone here might have some advice on those? Such as which is better (if either), how to prep them if needed, any recommended recipes (vegetarian).
Any helpful hints?

Stella3838

I LOVE chia seeds. Right now, my go to is a light, low sugar vanilla Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of chia seeds. You can add them to lots of stuff. Oatmeal, salads, sprinkle them on peanut butter sandwiches. One thing to note is that they expand in liquid. You can make a "pudding" using an unsweetened almond coconut milk and chia seeds. They thicken the milk up. They're an easy add, but you still need to watch calories. 60 calories in 1 tablespoon. Happy eating!

MelanieCN77

Chia seeds are fun in coconut milk, with a little sweetener they make a weird dessert.

ClubSilencio

In baking they are used as a binding agent. Other than that feel free to add them to anything you desire.

Flax seeds need to be ground while chia seeds do not. Once flax seeds are ground, they do have a short shelf life thereafter as the oil can quickly become rancid.

Personally I prefer chia seeds as I can add them straightaway to my food. They have no flavor but provide a pleasant crunch and they are visually appealing like poppy seeds. Walmart sells them in little 1 oz. baggies for $1 if you just want to try them out.

CafeRacer808

I add chia seeds to smoothies for the added fiber they provide (makes me feel fuller). I've tried flax in the past and as mentioned above, it tends goes rancid pretty quickly. I also get pretty bloated with flax.

You can also try hemp seeds.

Christine_72

Here's a nutritional comparison article:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/flax-versus-chia-the-ultimate-showdown/

I use both, but tend more toward chia seeds as they can be added to just about anything.

sgt1372

Chia seeds are trendy now but I've never tried them.

I use 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds in my daily protein shake for omega3 and fiber.

If you bake, you can add ground glax to almost any recipe w/o knowing that it's even in there. Would probably work well w/oatmeal too.

Strawblackcat

I like to make chia pudding. There's tons of recipes online, but you basically just mix chia seeds with the milk and sweetener of your choice and let it set up in the fridge overnight. It forms a sort of gel that's similar to tapioca pudding, only way higher in protein and fiber. Then, you top the pudding with nuts and berries and all other kinds of yummy stuff.

As for the flax, it's better that you grind them before you use them. Otherwise, you don't digest them, and they just serve as a source of insoluble fiber. When ground, they can be used as a replacement for eggs in baking, blended into smoothies, or be used to comprise part of the flour in recipes. Just make sure that you store the ground flax in your fridge/freezer since the omega-3's in it are pretty fragile and prone to going rancid.

CooCooPuff

I've used chia seeds to make pudding. My favorite mixing it with some cocoa powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and I can't remember the rest

mitch16

I would definitely suggest buying a smallish package to start... I don't normally have texture issues with food, but something about soaked chia seeds (like in pudding recipes) completely puts me off.

sanjmeh

Stella3838 wrote: »

I LOVE chia seeds. Right now, my go to is a light, low sugar vanilla Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of chia seeds. You can add them to lots of stuff. Oatmeal, salads, sprinkle them on peanut butter sandwiches. One thing to note is that they expand in liquid. You can make a "pudding" using an unsweetened almond coconut milk and chia seeds. They thicken the milk up. They're an easy add, but you still need to watch calories. 60 calories in 1 tablespoon. Happy eating!

Wow, that's great input. Thanks.

PoisonDartFrog

I sprinkle flax seeds on my oatmeal in the am. Helps keep things moving. They will also help lower your cholesterol if you grind them (I just sprinkle whole - they pass mostly undigested).

rainingribbons

Thanks for the tips, all! I'll get a small bag of each this weekend and try them out based on your suggestions. (: