Chia Seeds Those Tiny Little F*ckers - So Frickin' Mini

Megan00:00:25

Hey, Danna, do you have 10 minutes to talk about chia seeds?

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:00:28

Sure, but I only have 10 minutes.

Megan00:00:30

All right. Okay. So yesterday I was in bed and I was reading this article from Health about chia seeds. I really like.They have these kind of articles like what happens in your body when you eat or when you do something. Anyway, I have been recently enjoying chia water where I add like a couple chia seeds to my water as well as a little bit of psyllium husk.Have you ever done that?

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:00:55

Not specifically the drink that you had. I saw you drink it the other day and I should try it.

Megan00:01:00

It looks good.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:01:00

Yeah, you add apple cider vinegar in there too, which you won my heart with apple cider vinegar.

Megan00:01:06

So yeah. So I have this huge container of chia seeds because I've read, okay, you should eat more chia seeds because they like. I don't need help with my poo.I have very regular poo. But I like to have a nice poo. Right. And I feel like chia seeds are good for that. Plus the extra protein and omega 3s and the.All the, the good things, fiber, gut, health, etc. Right. So I have like this huge container and then I'm just thinking like, I am not one of those people that likes chia seed pudding.I don't dislike it, but it's not like I'm not a sweet turn to sweets kind of person. Do you have any, like, have you used chia seeds in a more savory situation?

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:01:45

Yes, a lot. I actually, when we were more kind of vegan, I used it a lot as chia egg. So I would use it in baked goods and stuff like that.Whether they were sweet or savory. I would actually add it to buying stuff. So I think that was a really great way to get extra fiber.But also, yeah, put the egg in there without using egg.

Megan00:02:06

What do you mean by like egg? Like how, how do you use it as an egg? It's dry.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:02:10

Yeah. So you basically make like a really thick kind of soaked chia.

Megan00:02:16

Okay.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:02:17

When chia seeds soak up, chia seeds can soak up to like 10 times their size.

Megan00:02:21

Ah, okay.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:02:22

Liquid wise. Right.So when you add a bit of water so you don't make it super watery, but like more thick, you can use that as binding because then when you put it into the mixture, it will soak more of the liquids. It will kind of bind everything together. So we used to make breads from like oats and seeds and nuts and stuff like that.And the chia was in there as a binder.

Megan00:02:46

Oh, you mean without flour? Because flour's usually used as the binder.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:02:49

Exactly. So it was gluten free and egg free. But the chia and actually also the flaxseeds are used as a binder. As an egg.

Megan00:02:59

Yeah. So speaking of flaxseed, because I have heard of flaxseed eggs and like, as a replacement for eggs and also as a binder.And I know that for flaxseed, like when, if it's a whole flax seed, your body does not have the metabolism to break that down. So you should grind it up before you use it. Is that the same for chia seeds? Do we have to grind them or do they have a better absorption?

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:03:23

No, same, same. I think it always is better to grind those things up just because you're getting more surface area. Yeah, basically you're kind of like.You're also bringing. It's easier for you to digest, right?

Megan00:03:36

Yeah.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:03:37

Anyway, soaking it makes it easier to digest. But the problem with grinding it up is that a lot of people end up buying ground chia seeds or flax seeds, and those go rancid a lot faster.So you want to kind of grind it in the moment. I never, you know, I. Yeah, unless you have like a spice grinder where you can get all those tiny little to grind, it's almost impossible.So it just depends on your, you know, machinery.

Megan00:04:04

No, that's interesting because I have like a, an old school mortar and pestle that I was using to grind my flaxseed. But then I know that there's this trick, like if you have like a coffee grinder, which is essentially the same thing as a spice or a seed grinder.But like, I don't use. I use mine sometimes to grind coffee, but I always clean it out really well or grind some dried bread afterwards to like get all the coffee bits out.But yeah, actually my husband's overseas in Japan right now, and one of the things I told him that maybe he could try to find, to bring back. So always I'm like kitchen gadget lady and I would like for more kitchen gadgets. So he's bringing me back like one of these egg pans.Anyway, beside the point. But one of the things I looked up that might be easy for him to bring back is a mortar and pestle from Japan.Because instead of being smooth on all the sides and relying on just the pestle to. Or is that the mortar? I don't know which one's which.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:04:59

The stick part.

Megan00:05:01

So instead of just Relying on the stick part. The mortar and pestles in Japan, they have like ridges on the inside of the bowl parts. Smart. That help with it. But yeah, typically I just grind.But you know, it was funny, I knew this whole thing about the rancid stuff with the flaxseed. So I was at the dm, which is for people who are outside of the German speaking areas. Kind of like a, like a cvs, but they also sell some food there.And actually the food is actually quite good. So a lot of organic and bo. Anyway, so I found like this huge bag of grocery store ground flaxseed. And I was like, oh, that's great.Even though I have probably like three bags of flaxseed at home. And I'm just like, I brought it home and I was like, okay, I need to put this in the refrigerator after I open it. So I did this, but it's a huge bag.So I laid it on its side up in the top and then I was like, oh, I should probably put this in a different container. And by the time I did this, of course, like some condensation and water had happened and it leaked into the bag. No, no, it's not an O.It's just like, you know, a little bit. But it had that reaction, right? This like, yeah, gooey clump of flaxseed where the water had connected with it.So I just took that out and put the rest in the freezer and, you know, actually put it properly away like I was supposed to. But I'm assuming chia seeds the same way. Whenever I use chia seed, there's always a little bit of first of all, static, right?Because these little suckers are so small. They're just like, is this a bug or is this a chia seed? I don't know. But yeah.So I've been into the chia water because you don't actually have a whole lot in it so it doesn't turn it like a big gooey mess. I don't even. I don't even like feel it. I don't. There's no texture. I like suck it up with a straw.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:06:51

They're too tiny. Yeah, right.

Megan00:06:52

But I have my big glass and then I have my straw and then I swirl and swirl and swirl and then I drink because it does settle to the bottom. But I thought chia drinks in the store years ago. I don't think they do them anymore though.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:07:07

I haven't seen them.What I remember is growing up my great aunt, so my grandma's sister she had the best sisters, but one of them came up to me, and I don't remember if maybe I had a stomachache back then or I don't know what. And she told me, I make flaxseed tea. And I was like, what are you talking about?And she goes, I just take, I don't know, a certain amount of flax seeds. I pour boiling water on them. I let it sit a little bit. It becomes a little bit.It's not even slimy yet, but it's just got this really nice, delicious texture and flavor. It's almost slightly sweet. I don't know, but it's so nice. And it just helps with the digestion, obviously, as same as you're doing, Right.It just kind of helps get. Get more fiber in, helps the movement a little bit.A lot of people who suffer from constipation will also suffer from, like, gas and trapped air, and that's because of the constipation. So just to release the constipation helps release, you know, the air and just get it out. And I. I do that sometimes. I still kind of grab some.I'll do it with chia seeds or with flax seeds. I'll just put some hot water and have it as a tea. And it's really delicious.

Megan00:08:12

Yeah. Well, I'm.I'm just reading this article from Health, and it, you know, a lot of Americans don't get as much fiber as they're supposed to, and that's like kind of the number one thing. Drink more water and try to get more fiber in your diet.And the article said you only need 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to get 35% of your daily fiber needs.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:08:32

30.

Megan00:08:33

Yeah, exactly. And I'm thinking, oh, that's great, because I can put, like, basically almost a tablespoon in a liter of water. It does not turn to gel.But I'm going to drink that liter of water anyway. And chia seeds have both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is like the holy grail of fiber, right? Yeah. And remind me, so is it.Soluble fiber is the one that pushes. Wait. Insoluble fiber is the one that creates the bulk in your poo. And soluble fiber is what creates the gooey lining around your intestines.Or do I have that backwards?

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:09:07

That's a good question. The only thing I have to say before, because I know our time is running out, and I really want to say this.It's super important for our listeners when you add chia seeds to your diet, make sure that you're also upping your liquids, because if you're not having it with enough liquids, it will draw it out from your body. You know what I mean? So you do need to up the liquids. And if you're not having enough fiber, make sure that you do it slowly.Don't start with immediately. Two tablespoons. Well, not.

Megan00:09:34

I mean, not at one time, either. Like, I mean, not at one time.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:09:38

Exactly.

Megan00:09:39

I feel like if you haven't had any chia seeds before this, like, chia water is a good way to do this, and I just saw it in the article. Okay, so soluble fiber helps hydrate you and adds bulk to your stool, which talks about treating constipation.An insoluble fiber speeds up your intestinal mobility and encourages also regular bowel movement. But I think also one of them feeds your gut bacteria as well.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:10:02

Gut bacteria, exactly. And, yeah, it's all about poop. No, it's actually not all about poop in terms of chia seeds. They're so good for you in so many ways.

Megan00:10:13

Is that our time? Oh, yeah. Okay, well, I think you have to go. All right. I. Do you want to finish. Finish your sentence? No.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:10:20

10 minutes is 10 minutes.

Megan00:10:22

Okay. That's our 10 minutes, folks. We'll see you next time.

Danna Levy Hoffmann00:10:26

Bye, Megan.

Megan00:10:26

Bye.