So when you have nothing in your cupboard and a wicked chocolate craving, what do you do? MAKE CHIA PUDDING! You get a heap of fibre, protein and a low carb chocolatey hit that will keep you going! So, let’s do this!
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp Stevia or your preferred sweetener
- 1 tbsp cocoa
Mix it all together till thoroughly combined
Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours
You can add nuts, whipped cream or berries as you wish
Devour and enjoy!
FYI: you can also make a Vanilla version by omitting the cocoa and cutting the Stevia in half. It has a different flavour and is best when mixed with berries and nuts.
SO, WHY DO I LOVE CHIA SEEDS??
Massive nutrition for only a few calories….what’s not to love?
Chia seeds are tiny black seeds from the plant ‘Salvia Hispanica’, which is related to mint! It grows natively in South America and was an important food for the Aztecs and Mayans back in the day. “Chia” is actually the ancient Mayan word for “strength” and were well known for their ability to provide sustainable energy.
1 ounce (28 grams or 2 tablespoons) of chia seeds gives you:
- Fiber: 11 grams.Protein: 4 grams.
- Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are Omega-3s).
- Calcium: 18% of the RDA.
- Manganese: 30% of the RDA.
- Magnesium: 30% of the RDA.
- Phosphorus: 27% of the RDA.
- They also contain a decent amount of Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B2.
This is particularly impressive when you consider that this is just a single ounce, which supplies only 137 calories and one gram of digestible carbohydrate! They’re also loaded with Antioxidants which help fight the production of free radicals, which can damage molecules in cells and contribute to aging and diseases
There’s loads of other health benefits including helping with Type 2 Diabetes, providing bone nutrients and the good fats which help with cardiovascular health, but I’ll leave that research up to you. Or even better, just eat them and see what you think!
Hi I'm Monique Bradley.