Chia Seeds

Stop going nuts, and turn to seeds! Just like nuts, seeds are full of protein and fiber and will give you an energy boost when snacked on throughout the day. Here are five types of seeds that are delicious and good for you.

• Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds aid in lowering cholesterol, promote good prostate health, and are high in plant sterols and phytochemicals. And they're a good source of not only protein and fiber, but also potassium and magnesium. Here's a recipe on how to roast them to perfection.
• Chia seeds: Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, and calcium. Throw them in your cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, muffins, or smoothies, or add them to a salad or potatoes. Try chia in any of these chia seed recipes.

Learn more about other healthy seeds and see their full nutritional breakdown.

Chia seeds are a superfood for more than a few good reasons: the tiny seeds pack a punch when it comes to antioxidants, protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. If you've tired of adding chia to your drinks, know that you don't have to save your chia seeds for your morning smoothie. Here are four delicious ways to sneak these bits of nutritious goodness into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!

Breakfast: Apple Crumble Breakfast Pudding

Move over, oatmeal; this warming recipe for crockpot apple crumble breakfast pudding is a paleo-diet-friendly way to nix the grains in your diet without missing a beat.

Lunch: Lemon Chia Seed Dressing

Your lunch salad should include toppings that up your diet's nutrients while also ensuring that you stay full well into the afternoon. This lemon chia seed dressing does just that; the added protein, healthy fats, and fiber from the chia seeds will help keep your belly full.

Read on for ideas for adding chia seeds to dinner and dessert!

Start your day off on a sweet note with this cookies-n-cream chia seed pudding recipe, shared by FitSugar readers PurelyTwins in our Healthy Recipe group.

A fun way to start the day. Chia seeds are great for protein, calcuim, fiber and omega 3s. And who doesn't love chocolate?

Read on for the recipe.

If you've been feeling sluggish and bloated, it's time for a new morning ritual. Celebrity trainer Valerie Waters always starts the morning with this prebreakfast, preworkout drink. It's a simple way to get a jump-start on your daily fiber, omega-3s, and other nutrients, and helps with elimination to keep you feeling bloat-free.

Valerie recommends it to all her clients, famous or not. "I can't tell you how many people said it made such a difference," she says. "Most people don't get enough fiber, and they especially don't get enough fiber when they are cutting carbs, and they're cutting carbs because they eat too much crap and that's where their bad foods are — carbs. When they're on my plan and I've asked them to take those out and focus on vegetables and fruit and sweet potatoes and things like that, I get them to drink this to increase their vegetable intake to bring the fiber back up. It also helps them during the detox period because it helps with elimination."

You'll just need three ingredients for this drink, and don't worry, the coconut water masks the taste of the supergreens. Read on for the debloating drink recipe.

FitSugar reader JuicyNoelle came up with this special cookie for Valentine's Day; she posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Tied with a festive pink ribbon and a little love, I’m hoping these cookies will be perfect for Valentine's Day. The whole-grain oats, nuts, and cherries in these cookies add heartiness, while the melted dark-chocolate chunks deliver bursts of richness. The chia seeds pack a nutty punch, and they are rich in fiber and omega-3s, too — perfect for supporting vibrant hair and skin during these cold weeks of February.

Learn more about the recipe after the break!

We can't wait to spruce up our salads with this creative dressing from CheesePlease.

Amp up your salad dressing with chia seeds! This recipe is a healthy take on the classic poppy seed dressing.

For the recipe, visit CheesePlease's blog and share your creative recipes with us in our Kitchen Goddess community group!

When talking health food trends, last year was all: ancient grains, overnight oats, and gluten-free goodness. This year's biggest health food trends? Here's a hint: chia pets, the godfather of fitness, and pina coladas.

1. Coconut milk: With recent studies calling into question the benefits of soy, people were on hunt this for a dairy-free alternative that wasn't linked to breast cancer. While almond and rice milk are old favorites, they lack the richness and sweetness that soy does. Enter: coconut milk beverage. Not as thick and rich as the kind of canned coconut milk used in curries, coconut milk beverage is great in smoothies and ice cream; it's also great over cereal, in coffee, or on its own.
2. Pressed juice: It seems that Odwalla just isn't fresh enough! Not since the early days of Jack Lalanne has pressed juicing seen such a heyday. Once looked at as some sort of hippie juice, everyone — even Starbucks — is getting in on the pressed-juice craze. All of Hollywood seems to be juicing, too: stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Richie, and Olivia Wilde are regularly spotted with their carrot-beet-apple-and-green-stuff blends. Are you a juice-head? Then definitely check out our recipes for pressed root veggie juice and green juice.
3. Chia seeds: Move over flax, there's a new seed in town! Chia seeds (yep, the same kind used to decorate those wildly adored, '80s novelty gift, chia pets) are everywhere this year. Sprinkle them on yogurt, add them to a bread mix, or even toss them in a dressing — there really is no end to what chia seeds can be used for. The health claim to fame? Chia seeds are high in protein, fiber, calcium, antioxidants, and omega-3s — zing!

Source: Flickr user littlebluehen, Source