Hands up. Who knew the tiny Chia seed packed such a nutritious punch? I didn’t. When someone suggested I try them to help with weight loss, I bought a packet, thinking it was a type of tea. I probably made that assumption because chia and chá are similar, and chá is the Portuguese word for tea. When I added hot water to a teaspoon of chia seeds, they reminded me of frogspawn. Yuck. Nope, not drinking that. No way! I now add the daily dose (2 tbs) of Chia to my breakfast of Greek yoghurt and blueberries. Delicious. However, it’s only in the last week I researched all the benefits and was blown away by claims backed by research such as improved digestion and gut health, lowered blood pressure, reduced bad cholesterol, helped to manage type 2 diabetes, and reduced the appearance of wrinkles to name a few.
If we were having coffee with Natalie the Explorer, I’d ask if you are a fan of chia seeds and, if so, how you incorporate them into your diet.
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That’s it for Foodie Friday for this week.
Foodie Friday: Let’s talk about food: diets, recipes, growing fruit and vegetables, food pictures, etc.
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Piglet in Portugal 
I love adding chia seeds to my smoothies and yogurt bowls! I did hear that it was necessary to soak to truly get all the benefits. Do you know if this is true?
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I use to eat chia seeds daily for many years but then it gave me stomach issues. As you mentioned in the comments about moderation maybe I put too many one day and I had an aversion to them since then. I do enjoy their benefits to keep me fuller longer. I use to put them in smoothies and in overnight oats.
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Hi Julie, what a shame they gave you stomach issues. Maybe you did exceed the daily recommended amount? HAve you tried them again recently … just a few?
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I have used chia seeds often. Too funny about the mixup with “tea”…your foodie friday link up sounds fun. maybe I’ll try and join in sometime.
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Hi Kirstin, I laugh about the mixup now. I probably was not fully attending to what was being said. I’ve leaned a lot about food since starting FF. I do hope in time others will join me.
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I have heard of the benefits of chia seeds but haven’t incorporated them in my diet. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
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I love chia seeds, but recently threw all mine away because I had no idea whether they could’ve expired.
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Hi Astrid, thanks for stopping by. Do they expire? Now you have me curious
https://www.onsetworldwide.com/blog/how-long-do-chia-seeds-last
Depends on how you store them. I’ve learned something. Make sure once opned you store in an airtight container and if you have high humidity – store in the fridge.
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Hi
I was actually going to start incorporating them into my diet. However, there are some side effects that I was concerned about. Specifically, they can cause some urinary issues like frequent urination. I believe they can also be associated with prostate cancer in men…
I think they have a lot of benefit, but, like anything else, need to be used in moderation. Good luck! 💜
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Hi Dinah, thanks for stopping by. I agree. Whatever we eat needs moderation. I just checked out the side effects
https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/health/chia-seed-water-the-hidden-side-effects-you-should-know/
it is well to be aware. Thank you 🙂
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Both chia seeds and flax seeds are full of good stuff. I use them on my Greek yogurt. But just recently found out that the flax seeds need to be ground. So I’ve stopped using them until I get around to grinding them. Thanks for the reminder about seeds.
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Hi Bernie, interesting point about flax seeds. I never realised this either.
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You made me laugh when I read you drank chia seeds like a tea. 😄 I always put about 10-13 grams of chia seeds in my savory oatmeal (about 40 grams of oats) along with an egg. It’s a great breakfast on a chilly day.
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Hi Yinglan, the savoury oatmeal with egg sounds interesting. Do you have the recipe please?
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I weigh all my food, so I hope you don’t mind. I do 1 serving of rolled oats per package (about 40 grams) and about half-serving of chia seeds (26 grams is one serving, so about 13 grams). I found if I do the whole 26 grams, I would end up feeling bloating. All this go into a small pan with water. It cooks like how you normally make your oatmeal. I would put the salt and pepper in there before cooking, how much is your preference. When the oatmeal is nearly done, turn the heat to low, move the pan away from the flame and crack in the egg. Stir vigorously until the egg is mixed into the oatmeal, you should get a creamy texture. Move back onto the heat to make sure you don’t have raw egg. At this point, I would turn the heat off, put the lid on, and let it sit for a minute before serving.
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This sounds delicious. I am going to try it. Thanks, Yinglan.
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I hope you enjoy. 😊
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thanks for the info 🙂
Foodie Friday – Tagliatelle Carbonara – Ladyleemanila
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I’ve used Chia seeds in my smoothies for several years now. In addition to the many health benefits, they’re great thickening agents.
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Hi Terry, I never realised they could be used as a thicken agent. How much more healthy they would be to the cornflour I currently use. Thanks for the tip
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i have eaten chia porridge many times, thanks for reminding me to include that on my menu again. To let the chia seeds rest with cocos milk over night and eat with fresh fruit is delicious! Have a great Friday!
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Hi Anna, is that coconut mik? If so I have only just discovered that as an alternative to cream. It sounds delicious! 🙂
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yes coconut milk. Sorry 😔
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