Chia seeds are a great source of omega 3s and are also wonderful to use in baking as an egg substitute. However, chia seeds on their own can be a bit strange; they expand when exposed to water and create a gel-like texture that can feel strange to eat. If you’re wanting to incorporate these powerful seeds into your diet, check out the tips below!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives!

Are you ready to have a week full of delicious, high-protein, whole-food vegan food that leaves you nourished and content? Let’s get started!

This week, we’re bringing delicious ways to incorporate chia seeds into your diet with ingredients that are fully vegan and plant-based!

Sprinkle Seeds in Oatmeal

Source: Healthy Chia Breakfast Parfait 

If you’re not a fan of chia pudding, try adding some chia seeds to your oatmeal or into your salad! In your oatmeal, the seeds will expand and blend into the dish, so you won’t get as much of the uncomfortable gel texture. If this is new for you, try a few chia seeds at a time before adding more. You can also try out these chia puddings that have a bit more texture added to them to help you adjust!

• Healthy Chia Breakfast Parfait  by Vicky Coates
• Blueberry Chia Pudding by Helyn Dunn
• Caramel Mocha Overnight Oats with Whipped Coffee by Shanika Graham-White
• Eggnog Overnight Oats by Caroline Doucet
• Peanut Butter Cookie Baked Oatmeal by Lauren Smith

Use Chia Seeds in Baking and Snacks

Source: Healthy Spelt, Oats, Chia and Flax Seed Crisps

Chia seeds are wonderful to replace eggs in baking. Make sure you double-check the recipe you’re using to see if chia seeds can be a good fit. Usually, you can use a chia egg in place of a flax egg. Chia eggs work best in quick bread recipes, pancakes and waffles (although you may get their crunch in your final product), and granola. Using chia seeds in these ways is a great way to hide chia seeds into your dish so you’re not facing them head-on in each bite.

• Healthy Spelt, Oats, Chia and Flax Seed Crisps by Julie Zimmer
• Raw Lemon Bars With Chia Seeds by Helyn Dunn
• Lemon Chia Poppyseed Cookies by Helyn Dunn
• Raw Chia Caramel Pecan Pie  by Emily von Euw
• Sweet Potato Maple Mousse Pie  by Annie Oliverio

Add them to Smoothies or Juices

Source: Cucumber Basil Chia Fresca

When in doubt, adding chia seeds into your smoothies is a wonderful way to incorporate them into your diet. The chia seeds can be added at the end for extra texture, or you can blend them right into the smoothie itself. Either way, you’re getting their wonderful benefits.

• Cucumber Basil Chia Fresca by Claire Ragozzino
• Chia Ginger Fresca by Jesse Lane Lee
• Berry Chia Smoothie With Cacao Drizzle by Emily von Euw
• Green Superfood Detox Smoothie  by Julie Van den Kerchove
• Mango Chia Seed Smoothie by Shanika Graham-White

Add them to Salad Dressings and Dips

Source: Copycat Ranch: Creamy Cucumber Herb Dressing

Like adding chia seeds into a salad, you can also add chia seeds into a salad dressing itself. This can add some extra smoothness to your dressing since the chia seeds will expand. To prevent your salad dressing from being too thick, make sure you’re not adding too many chia seeds. They’ll work well in these recipes!

• Copycat Ranch: Creamy Cucumber Herb Dressing by Lindsay Clarke
• Wholesome Winter Bowl with Miso Ginger Dressing by Dominique Ebra
• Carrot and Fennel Salad with Creamy Grapefruit Dressing by Katia Martin

Make A Jam or Spread

Source: Ten-Minute Chia Jam

Making a jam or spread with chia seeds can be a perfect solution to incorporating them into your diet. Eating them like this might feel like the best way to enjoy them since many spreads had a seedy texture, like raspberry jam.

• Ten-Minute Chia Jam by Julie Zimmer
• Almond Cookies with Chia Seed Jam by Sara Oliveira
• Blueberry Grape Chia Seed Refrigerator Jam by Helyn Dunn

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects. 

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

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