Remember thosecorny commercialsfor the flowering plants that grew right before your eyes?
Chia seeds have been popular with the health food crowd for years now.
While they are loaded with healthy fats and nutrients, there is actually a wrong way to consume them.
In fact, a39 year-old man actually wound up in the emergency roomafter eating chia seeds.
Read on to see to it you don’t make this mistake.
Benefits of chia seeds
Chia seeds are referred to as superfoods because of their nutritional punch.
They are a great source of fiber, omega fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants.
They may even preventheart disease and improve blood sugar control.
Celebrity nutritionist Lindsey Duncan, ND, CN shared with theDoctor Oz Showthe many benefits of chia seeds.
The fiber part is especially important for us.
Chia seeds also provide our bodies with healthy fats like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
“They also support heart health and beautiful skin, hair, and nails.”
As if these nutrients aren’t enough, chia seeds can even aid in weight loss.
While this amount of absorption can be helpful, it’s also dangerous if they’re consumed dry.
Shortly after taking this, he noticed he was not able to swallow anything, even his own saliva.
They found a mass of congealed chia seeds completely obstructing the man’s esophagus.
How did this happen?
As soon as they mixed with water, the seeds formed a thick, gel-like ball and got stuck.
Physicians tried to dislodge the chia seed ball, but it wouldn’t budge.
They eventually used a small endoscope usually used in babies to chip away at the mass.
Rawl explained toTimethat the process was quite labor-intensive.
How to eat chia seeds safely
While this was an usual case,Dr.
Rawl cautionedagainst ever eating chia seeds dry.
“Patients should never consume dry chia seeds,” explained Rawl.
After they have already expanded, they are safe to eat and will easily be digested.
“The popularity of chia seeds is growing, and I think this will come up more frequently.”
If you have any history of swallowing problems,she recommendedsteering clear of chia seeds for now.
Chia seeds are safe to consume, as long as they canabsorb liquid before being swallowed.
One way to do this is to make your own chia pudding.
Because chia seeds absorb liquid so quickly, chia pudding takes only minutes to make.
It has a nice creamy texture, so is perfect for those poor people avoiding dairy.
It’s a great alternative to traditional pudding or yogurt.
Then she simply blends them up for a minute or two.
Dana from theMinimalist Bakerprefers to let hers sit overnight.
After sitting in the refrigerator overnight, you’ll have a creamy pudding waiting for you.
They are also a great addition to baked granola bars.
McKel Hill, MS, RD fromNutrition Strippedactually uses chia seeds in her cauliflower pizza crust.
She likes to fortify it with ground chia seeds for an extra nutritional punch.
Emma fromA Beautiful Messmixes chia seeds in with the flour when making her lemon and chia seed pull-apart bread.
Only some serious food bloggers would have thought to add chia seeds to their breaded recipes.
Dry chia seeds can add a nutritious crunch to baked poultry or fish.
Lauren fromLauren Kelly Nutritionuses chia seeds in her gluten-free chicken nuggets.
The tilapia is brushed with mayonnaise, then coated in the chia seed breading before being baked.
Chia jam
Remember howchia seeds expandalmost the moment they come in contact with liquid?
Well, that property is incredibly helpful when making jam.
Making homemade jam on the stovetop is pretty time and labor-intensive.
Chia seeds are a lazy girl’s jam solution!
“You won’t believe your eyes how thick this gets,” writes food blogger Angela.
