Chia seeds contains lot of fibers along with omega 3 fatty acids in them. you need to soak them in water or any milk or any liquid of your choice for 10-30 minutes prior to consuming to get them gelatin like thick and tasty for your food dish. chia seeds has lot of essential nutrients useful for our body but sometimes you don’t want to use them in your dish or you can get it then substitute for chia seeds makes a vital role to get going with preparation of dish without losing the heart.
they have neutral taste profile so these seeds can be added directly to summer coolers, soda drinks, fruits infused water and other similar drinks to get thick and ready for consumption.
here i have shared some of the popular yet unthought of substitute for chia seeds which you can use to make your recipes tasty, healthy and nutritious in absence of chia seeds in your kitchen pantry.
weather the dish is hot or cold or drink or solid the chia seeds and its alternatives shared below works great to make all kinds of different recipes taste better.
chia seeds alternatives and substitutes
psyllium husk
it comes with lot of fiber content in them and helps people lose weight as after eating it you feel less hungry and more full to reduce your unwanted fast food intake.
it comes in powder and husk form. to use it as alternative for chia seeds in your dishes i would recommend that you use it in husk form. it is packed with nutrients also just like chia seeds and can be added to many recipes but taste great in shakes and smoothies like peanut butter shakes, mango shake, mix fruit smoothies, so try it once to see if you like it as a replacement for chia seeds.
white sesame seeds
you can make use of white sesame seeds when you cant get your hands on chia seeds in the market. they are quite popular and easy to get. sesame seeds can be added to all kinds of dishes from sweet to savory like granola bowls, salads, smoothies etc.
some people also like to make paste from sesame seeds which is called tahini and use in different recipes to make them taste or use it as a side dip or sauce for various food items. if you are looking for better and intense flavor from white sesame seeds then you roast them and grid then before using in your recipes as per your liking and recipe requirement
They are little stronger taste when compared to chia seeds so add them gradually in your dish to get a flavor which you would like without overdoing it. don’t use back sesame seeds in food as they are bland and bitter and would ruin your food flavor profile.
quinoa
quinoa is also a great seed to use as an alternative to chia seeds. people mainly use it in salads, breakfast cereal bowls, burger patties, puddings etc. it contains lots of proteins and essential nutrients.
if you are making pudding out of it then boil it first for 10 minutes in water before adding other ingredients and milk to get good taste. i like to eat quinoa in breakfast with some fruits.
oat bran
if you are looking for something cheap that would work as alternative for chia seeds then oat bran is for you. you can use oat brans in burger patties, desserts and other similar items. some people also use them in smoothies, shakes and crackers also. it contains some gluten so add it in limited quantity if you don’t like too much gluten in your food recipes.
banana
mashed banana can be used to get somewhat similar texture and consistency like flax seeds but it makes the dish little sweet due to natural induced sugars in it. you can add 1/2 banana mashed to replaced 1 spoon chia seeds in your dish. you can adjust the sugar in your dish as banana is already sweet so the sugar requirement would be low in your dish, use them once to see if you like them in your puddings, cakes, shakes and other recipes where chia seeds are required.
eggs
Eggs are sticky like chia seeds too so if you don’t want to get into hassle of using the chia seeds in your dishes and want an simple alternative for your recipe then egg could be used. it can be added to all desserts and cakes like mint chocolate cake, mint puddings, mint bread, lemon mint cake made with mint and its tasty substitutes to make tasty recipes overall. you can replace 1 egg for every one spoon of chia seeds in your recipe. some people also use chia seeds as egg alternative for vegetarians so it works vise a versa as a alternative for each other.
flax seeds
flax seeds can also be used as chia seeds substitute. the amount of water required for soaking flax seed is less than chia seeds to make them sticky like chia seeds. to make flaxseeds get you will have to use grounded flax seeds else you wont get sticky gel like chia seeds to use in various dishes like with whole flax seeds.
yogurt
chia seeds give rich and creamy texture to your dishes to make taste good and smooth but if you don’t have them then you can make use of yogurt to get similar taste and texture in the recipe. unflavored yogurt is best suited when replacing yogurt with chia seeds in oat meals and other similar recipes. frozen yogurt can also used to make the dish thick and tasty. try it once with milk puddings yogurt shakes to get great taste from your food items including desserts and drinks.
Frequently asked questions
How much chia seeds should i consume daily?
you can eat as much as you want but i would recommended that you eat about 1-3 spoons daily depending on your diet as it can be eaten raw with out anything or can be added to all kinds of sweet and savory recipes of food and heathy drinks recipes.
people like make many different types of chia puddings with variety of fruits and nuts. it is also a great addition to your morning breakfast oatmeal bowl or evening smoothies and shakes for getting a much better taste and feeling of having drank a great overall drink.
can i replace sunflower seeds in place of chia seeds?
yes it can be done and you can replace sun flower seeds in your food items like bread, chili recipes, crackers making etc. to get good flavor when you don’t have chia seeds with you. I would recommend that you use 1/2 spoon sunflower seeds when replacing 1 spoon chia seeds in your dishes and recipes.
Infact you can add and use any other kind of seeds like pumpkin seeds etc. you like in your sweet and savory recipes and drinks along with nuts, fruits, dried fruits, coconut flakes etc. as all are good but you wont get the texture like chia seeds when its soaked something like soaked tapioca from them in your dish.
What are benefits for chia seeds?
Chia seeds contains good amount of fiber content which makes it excellent for proper working of your digestive system.
It has also lot of anti oxidants which are about more than double that of you would found in blueberries in it for better overall working of your body without unwanted free radicals which may causes many unwanted diseases later in your body.
It also has lot of calcium in it so you can consume it if you are deficient in calcium and would like to increase your natural calcium intake from good food based sources. you get about 64 percent more potassium in chis seeds than you would find in same amount of banana.
what are nutritional values of chia seeds?
we all are concerned about nutrition we get from every good food item like chia seeds, so let me tell you in about 100 grams of chai seeds you will likely get 486 k calories to boast your energy levels along with 31 grams of fat, 17 grams of proteins and 35 grams of fibers in it.
as far as mineral and vitamins content in chia seeds is concerned, it has 631 mg of calcium which more than 5 times the calcium found in milk, 335 milligrams of mg, 860 mg of phosphorus, 7 mg of iron which is 3 times more than spinach and 9.6 mg of vitamin B in 100 grams of chia seeds.
Does chai seeds helps with weight loss?
chia seeds are one of the most popular food item which people across the world consume when they need to control and reduce their body weight in a healthy manner without any side effects. it will help you reduce the unwanted belly fat if you include it in your daily diet as its high in useful components like omega 3 which is almost double the amount you would get in salmon fish and helps with weight loss and improved heart health along with better body metabolism which plays an essential role in reducing unwanted body fat and converting it in to muscles and useful energy for active mind and physical fitness.
A study conducted by researchers some time back found out that people who consumed chia seeds on regular basis for 3 months months with regulated diet routine lost about 1.9 kg of weight and those who didn’t consumed chia seeds only lost 0.3 kg. also the waist line reduced in group of people who consumed chia seeds significantly making them look better with good body structure overall.
so even if you aren’t looking for weight loss, you can still consume chia seeds as it enhances overall taste profile of many dishes and has lot of other benefits also for better working of your body in tandem with active mind.
Conclusion
Hope you like my collection of possible chia seeds alternatives shared above as per my knowledge, if you want to add something else to the list or want to make me aware of some other substitutes for chia seeds then let me know comments below, also tell me in what all recipes you like to use chia seeds and its alternatives to make them healthy, nutritious and tasty.
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