The Health Benefits of Chia Seeds + Coconut Chia Pudding Recipe

Vanilla-Coconut Chia Seed Pudding — chocolate chia pudding, on my cutest new dishtowel!

Chia seeds are a little miracle: teeny black and white seeds that contain a serious amount of protein, calcium, fiber and healthy fats (and a host of other nutrients too!) to help fuel your day. The protein is high quality and helps repair and build muscles, the calcium is good for happy bones and teeth (and did you know plant-based calcium is better for you than dairy-based calcium!); fiber helps keep your body full for hours and keeps your digestive system moving along well. Those healthy fats are the heart-healthy omegas-3 fatty acids– essential fats that our body needs for many functions, but that we have to get from food sources.

Now that you know some of the health benefits of chia seeds, you can begin experimenting. Chia seeds can be sprinkled onto your cereal, oatmeal, stirred into your smoothies, mixed into granola or cereal and– perhaps most importantly– made into dessert like this! This is one of my favorite chia seed recipes- it’s amazingly simple yet super flavorful and nutritious. For more awesome chia seed recipes, check out Eat. Drink… Better and Choosing Raw for some great tips and recipes.

Coconut Chia Pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 1/4 cup plant-based milk (coconut, almond, etc.)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder
Pinch sea salt
Optional: 1 -2 Tablespoons chocolate power/cacao powder, protein powder or carob powder.
Optional: pinch cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, rosewater, orange blossom water, honey, maple syrup

To a jar, add coconut, chia seeds, milk, vanilla and salt (and any optional ingredients, if using). Cover and shake for about 15 seconds. Let rest, then shake again; rest, then shake one more time. It seems tedious, but this method seems to work best, as the seeds get evenly distributed as they are gelling and don’t glop together into a chia mess.
Move jar to refrigerator and allow to rest for at least 2 hours.
Scoop out pudding into a small bowl and garnish with cacao nibs, fresh fruit, drizzle of honey or anything!

Yield: 1-2 servings

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