by Lea Berman
Remember the chia pet? It had its moment in television advertising, along with the Snuggie and the Ginsu knife set. “Chia Pet” was also a good nickname, where I live, for any man who got an overly-aggressive hair transplant. But it turns out that the chia seed is not to be dismissed so lightly. It’s high in fiber, omega 3s, and other minerals and antioxidants, and is often described as a “super-food,” because it provides a high proportion of nutrients per calorie. And chia seeds absorb many times their weight in the stomach, increasing the feeling of fullness – and decreasing the amount of food needed to feel satisfied. It’s often touted as a good thing to eat when you’re dieting, and that’s where my husband comes in.
He’s been overweight for some time, and my efforts to cook healthfully for him don’t make a difference because he eats so many of his meals at work. Enter my daughter Alice, who moves through life with the force of a Category 5 hurricane. She wanted to help him prolong his life by finally, and permanently, losing weight. Her method: constant and unrelenting nagging. The calls (several times a day) would go something like this:
Alice: Dad, where are you?
Wayne: I’m at the Palm having lunch.
Alice: Is there bread on the table?
Wayne: Well, probably…
Alice: Put the waiter on the phone.
Wayne: Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not putting…
Alice: Dad, don’t make me call the Palm directly. Tell the waiter to take the bread off the table. Are you getting rid of the bread? I’ll call them – you know I will…
And so on. For some reason, as much as my husband appreciates Alice’s concern about his diet, he was beginning to be, as Bertie Wooster would say, “cheesed off,” by her efforts. We needed to do something else, so Alice started sending me healthy recipes for his breakfasts, meals that would fill him up. She sent me a recipe from Shape magazine for chia seed pudding, which couldn’t be simpler. He loved it, but it’s a cold dessert and at this time of year that’s less appealing, so I heated it in the microwave, added a tiny bit of chocolate, and he loved that even more. (It tastes like chocolate Cream of Wheat.) In the last month, he’s lost twelve pounds by eating high protein, high fiber breakfasts like the chia puddings, instead of breads. It only works because he really likes what he’s eating, and it fills him up until lunchtime. I’ll keep you posted on his progress, but in the meantime I want to pass along these recipes for hot and cold chia pudding. They really are delicious, and you don’t have to buy anything on late night TV to get them!
Adapted from Shape magazine.
CHIA SEED PUDDING
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes, plus 15 minutes for pudding to set
Ingredients:
½ cup white or black chia seeds
2 cups almond milk, or unsweetened coconut milk (coconut water will not work for this recipe – it needs to be coconut milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons honey
2 individual stevia packets
For the cold pudding:
2 cups of your choice of fresh fruit – raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, orange or grapefruit segments
For the hot pudding:
1 teaspoon chocolate mini-morsels per serving
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon and honey. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, during which time the seeds will absorb the liquid and it will thicken.
For the cold chia pudding, layer the pudding and fresh fruit in a dessert bowl and serve.
For the hot chocolate chia pudding, spoon a serving of the pudding into a cereal bowl and heat in microwave for one minute. Sprinkle a teaspoon of chocolate mini-morsels across the pudding and microwave for 30 more seconds. The chocolate will be melted and gooey, and can be stirred into the pudding for maximum flavor. Serve.
Lea Berman is a former White House social secretary (and former farm girl), who writes a blog about food, flowers and common courtesy. She believes in sustainable farming and reawakening people to the pleasures of simple American food.