Chia seeds are all the rage among superfood enthusiasts, and there’s a good reason for it. These tiny little seeds are totally digestible and pack a whole array of healing and nutritional benefits. From diabetic prevention to heart health, weight management to plant protein, these beautiful little seeds make it simple and delicious for us to love our bodies and minds while working with the healing power of plant medicine. Today, I’m going to introduce you to chia seeds and show you how to make chia seed herbal tea the easy way.
The Benefits Of Chia Seeds
I could literally devote an entire post to these little guys! Unlike many seeds, chia seeds can be eaten (or drank!) whole and are fully and easily digestible that way. There’s absolutely no need to grind, crush, or sprout them to get their benefits which is why they are the perfect addition to your favorite hot or iced herbal tea!
Here are just a few of the benefits I enjoy most from working with chia…
Protein and Fiber
I’m powered by plants, so anytime I can get an extra boost of protein and fiber I’m thrilled! Chia seeds pack a big amount of totally usable protein and fiber, and we can all use that!
Antioxidants
Considering how tiny these seeds are they are loaded with powerful antioxidants that help our bodies fight free radials, reject the effects of stress, pollution, and chemicals, and keep us looking and feeling young!
Essential Fatty Acids
There’s a pretty impressive amount of polyunsaturated fats in chia seeds, including the coveted omega-3s. In fact, chia has one of the highest plant contents of omega-3s which helps them help us think better, fight inflammation, and stay super healthy.
Mineral Magic
Chia seeds contain some of the most important and essential minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese. Just a couple of tablespoons a day will get you on your way to meeting your body’s mineral needs.
Weight Management
Chia seeds help make us feel full and satiated longer so that we snack and crave less. They also help regulate blood sugar meaning that we can make better, more calm choices about the foods we eat instead of eating to curb a sugar crash. Win!
How To Make Chia Seed Herbal Tea
This is just about the easiest thing ever, so I really encourage you to get some organic chia seeds and put them to work in every herbal tea brew you create!
I like to use about a tablespoon of chia seeds in a 16 ounce cup of herbal tea. You can use them whether you’re drinking iced, hot, or room temperature tea.
Prepare your tea as usual, and put the chia seeds in. Initially they will float on top of the water…
After a minute or two, or with a gentle stir, the seeds will sink to the bottom. Some may remain floating and that’s just fine.
At this point you’ll want to wait for about 3 minutes before you drink your tea. During that time, the seeds will expand and a gelatinous field will appear around each of them. This is where the good stuff is! Wait until most of the seeds have opened up like this before you enjoy your tea…
Now you can enjoy your tea like usual! Just swallow the seeds along with your sips of tea and they’ll go to work with their many healing benefits as soon as they make it to your digestive system.
Chia seeds can be added to literally any herbal tea, from sweet to savory. They have an almost undetectable nutty flavor that pretty much gets lost with any tea that has a more complex flavor. You can also toss chia seeds into a water bottle and get them as you hydrate during the day!
And that’s all there is to it!
Pick up some chia seeds today and start incorporating them into your self-love routine… you’ll be glad you did!
Enjoy!
After all these these years (61) I’ve finally come across these magnificent little seeds. I came your website for using them in tea. Because my body doesn’t handle caffeine any more, I’m now drinking herbal tea. I like to experiment with flavors. Thank you for your instructions to make chia tea using seeds. ;))
You are so welcome Marie! It’s amazing how the simplest things can go so far for our health. Toss a few in with every cup of tea and the benefits add up 🙂
do I have to wait until the chia seeds soak into my liquids before consuming or can I just go ahead and drink before they expand and get the same health benefits?
I don’t like to drink chia seeds in gel form can I drink them immediately with the same health benefits?
Absolutely! I totally understand about the gel texture 🙂 They’ll break open as they sit in your stomach and digest the same way they would if you pre-soaked them 🙂
i tried to make tea put it through strainer ive diverticulitis am afraid of seeds causing atack will they harm me
Hi Melody.
While I cannot advise about the safety of chia seeds for diverticulitis, I can tell you that ingesting the seeds whole, ideally soaked, is the primary way to get their nutrients. Straining them and drinking the resulting liquid will likely not deliver their benefits.
You might find the following article helpful – the info on chia seeds and diverticulitis appears about halfway down the page:
http://www.diverticulitisinfo.com/diverticulitis-lifestyle-improvement-and-diet.html
Here are a few others I found interesting:
http://realrawfood.com/chia-seeds-10-benefits
http://chiaseeds.net/prevent-diverticulitis-with-chia-seeds/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/diverticulitis-diet/faq-20058333
Best of luck 🙂
Josh