We just ordered a book on Chia Seeds - i.e. history, how to cook with them, eat them, etc.

But we are also very interested in personal experiences with these wonderful powerhouse seeds!  

Hope to hear about how everyone uses these...

I am not very creative in my use of them. I just use them for thickening. (I use them both whole and ground for this purpose.)

I have tried sprouting them, but the clog up the system I use to sprout other small seeds.

in my fruit smoothie daily....

add a serving to your smoothie or sprinkle over fruit or salad.....chuck full of good oils and lignams.

I added them to my flax dehydrator crackers, I like the pop/crunch that they add to the crackers.

You can add them to any drink.  I add some to my grapefruit juice in the morning.

Google Chia Seed and all kinds of  info. will come up.  They are worth investigating...

once you read about them you will want to add them to everything!  

Chia seeds aren't even a beneficial for me. Is it worth it to pay $15 for a pound? I'd like to know about the benefits..perhaps omega-3's?
I could use them instead of fish oil...

Here's something I found on them..the other quote was from Dr. Weil.. Blah, don't want to post that one.

Dr. Oz from the Oprah show says:
The truth is, chia seeds are actually good for you -- we're
talking really good for you! In fact, they just may be one of the
healthiest things around. Here's why:
Nutty-tasting whole-grain chia seeds are loaded with omega-3
fatty acids, and they have among the highest antioxidant activity
of any whole food -- even more than fresh blueberries. And
they do good stuff for the body, like keeping blood pressure
and blood sugar under control. The chia seeds you get in a
Chia Pet have not been approved as food by the FDA, so get
yours from a health-food store, or order some online. RealAge
recommends two daily doses of about 20 grams each (a total of
1.5 ounces).

I just put one cup of flax and chia seeds (usually more flax) into a liquid measuring cup, then add enough water to bring it up to three cups.

After 4 hours or so, add a tablespoon or two of sea salt, 1/3 cup lemon juice and other seasonings as desired, then spread on fruit leather sheets (or cookie sheets if using an oven to dehydrate), dry them at a low temperature (105F or as low as your oven/dehydrator can go).  After a few hours when the top tries, flip them over with a pancake flipper (it's ok if they tear, etc.), and dry on the other side.

I like italian herbs with sundried tomatoes and thin sliced onions (placed on top after spreading on sheets).  Lime juice (instead of lemon) with cilantro (and red pepper flakes if you can have them) is also good.

If you use flax meal, instead of whole seeds, the end result is a bit more like corn chips.

I just wanted to add something about using ground flax or chia seeds in your diet if
you're not used to fibers like this...  Drink a LOT more water!  A friend of mine wound up with diverticulitis by not having enough water when she starting using a lot of seeds.

I had a bad experience more than once by grinding 1/4 cup of flax seeds and enthusiastically
believing my digestive system would tolerate this much at once... I mixed too much with water...drank it before I went to sleep, only to find that it made me initially bloated and constipated for a long while, instead of providing necessary bulk for better elimination.  The way I got my body used to chia and flax was to go very slowly and increase my dosage by a little each day and drinking a lot more water, starting with just one teaspoon and maybe after two weeks, working up to a few tablespoons.  I always drink a big glass of water after I eat ground seeds
and drink more water in general now.

Made Burger Patties as follows:

2-lbs Grass fed Ground Beef
1-lb Ground Buffalo
1 cup Date Crumbles
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Chia Seeds
1 Minced Onion
1 Garlic Head (approx 6 large cloves) minced up
Seasonings to Taste
Fry in non stick pan or better yet, olive oil.

Delicious

Quoted from Victoria

That recipe sounds great, and I've saved it to try later.  But 1 Tb. of salt seems like a lot.  ??

You can use 1 tsp, and adjust to taste (you can taste it before spreading it on the sheets).  I don't really measure.  I think I use about a Tb, but I'm not sure... they're more of a salty crunchy treat to me (corn chip substitute), rather than something I eat a lot of at once.  This recipe can fill up 3 or 4 dehydrator sheets.

The other option is to leave the salt out, then just sprinkle some on top once you've spread it out, before dehydrating.  That way you could cut way back on the salt, but still be able to taste it on the outside of the crackers.  My sodium level is always a bit low, so I've become accustomed to eating more salt than most people.

Quoted from Chloe

Looks like a great recipe...but not for Warriors..I might try it with ground turkey...or turkey mixed with some cooked beans and ground pecans, but I've got to find a substitute for those eggs.  Any suggestions?  Do you think adding some ground flax seeds might work to hold it together? Or could this hold together without using any eggs?

It will definitely hold together without eggs.  And your other options would work great as well.  I would add ground flax also just for the benies it has!

Quoted from jayneeo

I am wondering about sprinkling chia seeds  right on my morning cereal (oatmeal or rice with almond milk)...whatya think? will it gel up inside me?

I have done this without problems.

However, I more often grind it with flax and hemp seeds. Mix with water water and soak over night to create something that I use instead of almond milk.

I grind mine and use them like I would flax. Don't know if they have that same binding effect (in recipes) that flax has tho.

I think this depends upon your age and if your body is used to changes in  fiber
intake.  I'm sensitive and I think individuals know their own bodies best... I still suggest drinking a lot more water daily if you suddenly start to add ground seeds to your diet.  Ground seeds absorb about 10x their weight in liquid and they can get bound up in a gut without proper
hydration.  I think you'd be okay if you drank plenty of fluids during the day..I had to go slowly
because I know I'm rather intolerant of abrupt dietary changes.

Ribbit, they have them in Vitamin Shoppe. Do you have one down there?
Wegman's up here has them also..You're going to have to ask at the customer service counter for them to stock them at Whole Foods..
Chia seeds aren't worth it for me..not even a beneficial. Poppy seeds are a super beneficial..Have you ever had poppy loaf..? (sigh) love it.

Quoted from Ribbit

I have yet to find chia seeds.  I asked at Whole Foods today and the employee said, "Chia seeds?  As in a chia pet?"  Not only did they not carry them, he didn't know what they were.  Not that I can blame him, since I didn't know what they were till all y'all started talking about them, but still....he works at WF.  Shouldn't he know?

It's got to be a regional thing because the Whole Foods in Ft. Launderdale had them in March
and here in NY, I can buy chia seeds in almost any health food store, including Whole Foods
and others. It's actually cheaper to buy them online in bulk.

Quoted from Ribbit

I found chia seeds at the small, local HFS.  It was about $16 a pound.  No thank you.

6.99
6.99
8.80
9.69

When you consider that a serving is only a Tb or 2, it lasts a long time.

I came across a couple sources for chia and thought others might be interested in these.

Chia Oil
http://claytonnaturals.com/shop/item.asp?cID=0&PID=198
This is for about a 35 day supply.

Chia Seed
http://www.nutsonline.com/seedsspices/chia-seeds.html
Really good prices on these!.

Mickey

I kind of found the chia oil by accident.  I just started my distance learning courses with Clayton College and they sent me the link for their products.  I initially was looking for a compliant Omega source, since fish is kind of out of the picture for us Explorers as far as fish oil is concerned.  Most fish oil sources are not compliant for us.

Maybe when the oil is out i will order the chia seed since it a diamond food.  

Btw,  they also have a vit. c that is rosehip based, i also got that one.  I like their products since some of these type of supplements are hard to find.

Mickey  

Azure Standard also sells chia seeds,
5 lbs.: $27.95
1 lb.: $6.15

http://www.azurestandard.com/product.php?id=SE097

I'm trying to decide where i want to get my chia seeds from.  My local HFS has it but it is not organic.  I prefer to get it there so i don't have to pay shipping costs if i get it online.  Does anyone know if it would be ok to get the non-organic or should i get the organic?.  I know some foods have higher amounts of pesticides than others.  Does anyone know if i should be concerned about the pesticides in these or are they minimal?.

Thanks!

Given a choice - Buying organic promotes better business.

Not given a choice - Typically the parts of the plant that do not accumulate as much toxins is the fruits & seeds of the plant. The plants way of giving the best future to its next generation, much like animals.

Either way the Systemic Pesticides {Round Up} shoot holes in the above statement and you will never know what chemicals were used.

I would guess though that the Chia Seed was grown for the intent of Human consumption. Which has different rules, from say Cottonseed or Soybeans, which slip into the food chain, even though grown for Industrial Purposes...

http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-GTDdiet/m-1212270152/s-new/#num3

I found this whilst looking for something else. Not sure if it's helpful at all tho.......

, I just checked, it was started by you as well. I can delete this post if you'd like. Just PM me. Ok?