Rediscovering My Inner Chi-a

WOW! Trying to reintroduce grains and dairy is taking a toll on me. Admittedly, I jumped in a little quickly during the baking extravaganza that was my house over the last weekend. I have developed--or rather, re-developed--some lower gastrointestinal issues due to the imbalance between my healthy fruits and vegetables and the less-than-healthy baked goods. Yes, I'm constipated...and it's creating some painful side-effects.

So, today was a back-to-basics diet from the Somae Plan.

• Triple Berry smoothie with coconut milk and whey protein for breakfast
• Apple and sunflower seeds for an a.m. snack
• Mixed greens with cajun tofu and broccoli for lunch
• Apple and sunflower seeds for a p.m. snack
• Baby spinach salad with organic shitake & sesame dressing

The magic ingredient, however, are those chia seeds. I wrote an entire post back in September about the many benefits of chia seeds (also referred to by it's scientific name salvia) including their high levels of protein and antioxidants and their ability to absorb up to 9-times their weight in water. This last feature, however, was most important in my decision today. This ability to absorb so much water also makes them an excellent tool for avoiding constipation.

Chia seeds are very versatile. They are teeny tiny, not much bigger than a grain of salt. They don't, however, have a taste. They can be soaked in water until they become gelatinous (just like putting them on a chia pet) and then stored in the refrigerator for weeks. I have a "texture issue" with most foods, so this doesn't really work for me. Instead, I add them into my morning smoothie or on top of a salad. I've also just discovered a GREAT recipe blog http://chia-seeds.org/. I need to try the pizza crust recipe and the turkey soup also looks pretty good. There are some pretty interesting ideas like "chia pudding" made with almond milk and a "chocolate chia coconut bar".

Try some...it can't hurt.