After attending the Forks Over Knives conference a few months ago, I returned refreshed, energized, and looking to make more positive changes in my own diet, as well as my family’s. I realized that the food traps we endure every day, exacerbate our food cravings. Nothing is more real than when you look at food images, even on vegan cooking sites. Many of these ARE NOT HEALTHY! Just because they’re vegan and made with organic ingredients, doesn’t mean your body should be eating foods that are high in caloric density, while being low in nutritional density. If you haven’t read Dr. Esselstyn’s book, How To Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, I highly recommend you do! In addition, watch the movie Forks Over Knives, to understand what a whole-food, plant-based diet can do for your health.
Now on to chia…Come clean, you had no idea that the seeds you used to spread on top of the heads of Scooby Do and other clay figures were actually edible. Right?! Cha-Cha-Chia! Chia seeds are loaded with nutrition! Scrap the pet and work these into your life! If you do love your chia pet-eat those sprouts! Or click here, for how to learn how to grow your own sprouts.
Chia seeds come in black or white. White varieties can be a little harder to find, but you can buy them on Amazon, and sometimes in the organic section in your grocery store. They have a ton of fiber, protein, and offer a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Our American diet tends to be quite unbalanced in terms of Omega 3’s and Omega-6’s, both fats that the body needs, but in a 1:1 ratio. The imbalance occurs, since most Americans eat a diet high in Omega 6-fatty acids from refined oils and fats found in fried foods, baked goods made with oils like canola and vegetable oils, and processed foods in general. Whole-foods that contain fats, such as flaxseed, nuts, and chia seeds, have a higher amount of Omega 3’s, and help balance you. However, you don’t need a ton of fat in general. A low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet will provide you what you need. In 2 tbsp of chia seeds you get:
- 10 grams of fiber!
- 4.7 g protein
- 17% calcium
- 23% magnesium
- 12% iron
- 115 mg of potassium
- 0 mg of cholesterol
- 9 grams of fat (this fat is polyunsaturated omega 3’s, primarily)
While chia seeds are great sources of vital nutrients, be careful if you have issues with seed digestion or are on a low-fat diet, as they are do supply higher amount of fat, albeit primarily omega-3’s (flaxseeds are actually a better plant-based source, but need to be ground up to be able to be absorbed). Chia seeds are best digested after they’ve soaked in a liquid for 5 minutes or so, helping their nutritional value be better absorbed by the body. They are remarkable at absorbing water, and have been shown to absorb 27 times their weight in water. Because of this, chia seeds are great for pudding and used as thickening agents. My kids (and hubby) don’t like their texture, which can be somewhat gelatinous and not the prettiest to look at. Once I started blending them up, their textural weirdness disappeared, and they had no clue they were present. Yeah mom!
This pudding is made with white chia seeds, to have them not alter the color of the pudding, like black seeds would. They’re used to thicken an otherwise low fat, low calorie milk-almond milk. You may think that almonds are high in fat. Yes, they are, but it’s unsaturated, heart healthy fat. They also are a great source of protein. When turned into almond milk, much of the bulk/pulp of the almond is removed, leaving behind a low-fat milk alternative. Why low fat? High fat diets have been linked to higher rates of diabetes and heart disease, even those from plant sources (although much less so). The fat gums up the body’s ability to let insulin do its job and get sugar out of the blood stream. Less fat=less sugar in the blood=less insulin needed, provided you are eating a high fiber, whole food diet. Processed food labeled as “low-fat”, extract fat to be replaced with high amounts of sugar, and are not the answer to this problem. Chia seeds do provide fat, however, less than nuts do. 1 oz of cashews (often used in vegan cooking) provides 13 g of fat and 2 gram of saturated fat. 1 oz of chia seeds (this recipe has 2 oz total) provides 9 g fat, 1 g of saturated fat and equal number of calories, making its percentage of fat lower.
This recipe uses dates as a natural sugar, and chia seeds for thickening. It allows you to have a dessert that is also high in protein, fiber, omega-3’s (important in heart health), and a good source of plant-based calcium. Chia seeds really help to keep you feeling satiated because they bulk up when in a liquid, providing you with a feeling of fullness. A one-ounce serving of chia has 11 grams of dietary fibre — about a third of the recommended daily intake for adults. Chia seeds are also packed with potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium-making them great for bones and dental health. They help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and pack in the plant-based protein! Cha-Cha Chia! Dates are also high in fiber and potassium and allow for the slower release of sugars into the blood stream, unlike other traditional sweeteners (yes, even natural ones like maple syrup and honey). When you eat this you’re eating about 1 date per person in total sugar. Not too bad for an awesomely satisfying dessert!
You can spruce up this dessert any way you choose. Layer my tahini ginger granola in between you apple layers (just make sure it’s not a granola loaded with fat, sugar, and oil). Or skip the apples and layer in mangoes, pomegranate seeds, or any other berry that’s in season. Go crazy. This pudding provides a great base. It’s so good, you can serve it to the kiddos even for breakfast! What kid doesn’t like dessert for breakfast? In the summer I love to pair it with my strawberry rhubarb compote instead of the apples.
Makes 3-5 servings (depending on size)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1/3 cup/2 oz. white chia seed (I use this so my kids can’t see the chia seeds, can use black)
- 1/2 tsp organic lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 oz. of dates (~4-5)
To assemble parfait:
- 2 cups apples (1 large apple, small dice/cut into bite sized pieces, no need to peel)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- water to sauté
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into a Vitamix and blend, except assembling ingredients
- Saute apples in 1 tablespoon of water (just enough to prevent sticking, but not too much to steam, add in cinnamon, cook until just softened, about 3 min
- Layer pudding, apples, pudding, and end with a layer of apples
- Top with some pomegranate seeds for added color, granola, or some walnuts!
Nutritional Benefits:
- No refined sugars; made using dates which are high in potassium, magnesium, and fiber
- High in fiber 6.5 g; good for regulating digestive health, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and increasing satiety
- Good source of plant-based protein; 5 g, good for healing and repairing damaged tissues
- Chia seeds are packed with fiber, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium-making them great for bones and dental health. They help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and pack in the plant-based protein!
- Good source of plant-based calcium, which is better absorbed by the body; 21%
- 1½ cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- ⅓ cup/2 oz. white chia seed (I use this so my kids can't see the chia seeds, can use black)
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 3 oz. of dates (~4-5)
- To assemble parfait:
- 2 cups apples (1 large apple, small dice/cut into bite sized pieces, no need to peel)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- water to sauté
- Place all ingredients into a Vitamix and blend, except assembling ingredients
- Saute apples in 1 tablespoon of water (just enough to prevent sticking, but not too much to steam, add in cinnamon, cook until just softened, about 3 min
- Layer pudding, apples, pudding, and end with a layer of apples
- Top with some pomegranate seeds for holiday color, granola or
- maple chipotle walnuts
- for a kick!
Wow this chia pudding looks incredible! It could double as breakfast for the following day as well!
It’s perfect for breakfast or dessert-how’s that for a recipe! Thanks Bethany! Enjoy!