Records show that chia seeds have been consumed as far back as 5,500 years ago by ancient Mesoamerican peoples. These peoples ate chia seads whole, turned it into flour, mixed it as an ingredient in their drinks, pressed it to get chia oil and even used it for medicinal purposes.

Ancient Mesoamerican warriors believed that their strength came from consuming chia seeds. “Chia” means “strength” in ancient Mayan. To this day, the Tarahumara peoples of northern Mexico, known for their running abilities, drink a chia-infused drink that gives them the ability to run for miles.

Chia seeds are an excellent source of nutrients. They are filled with omega-3 fatty acids, rich in antioxidants, and provide a lot of iron, calcium and fiber. They’re also effective as a weight loss supplement. Furthermore, they contain nutrients that lower your risk of heart disease, strengthen your bones, stabilize your blood sugar levels and reduce chronic inflammation.

These tiny seeds pack a powerful punch, and they’re easy to incorporate into any diet. If you’re unsure how, here are nine easy ways to mix chia seeds into your everyday meals.

9 ways to use chia while improving your nutrition

1. Blend into any smoothie
   You can easily blend chia seeds into any smoothie. Just toss a scoop of them into your existing smoothie recipe and let them blend with the other ingredients. Because chia seeds have a “neutral” taste, they go well with fruit smoothies, chocolate smoothies and even dessert blends.
2. Sprinkle onto yogurt or ice cream
   If you can blend chia seeds into your smoothies, you can sprinkle them on top of your yogurt or ice cream as well. This boosts the omega-3 content of your treat and adds variety and texture to it.
3. Add chia seeds to any bread or baking recipe
   Chia seeds are easily added to any homemade bread or baking recipe, including gluten-free mixes. The addition of chia seeds increases the nutritional density of any recipe while also reducing the glycemic index due to the gelatinous outer coating naturally found on all chia seeds.
4. Make healthy chia and flax crackers using a food dehydrator
   If you’ve ever made flax crackers, you know how this works. But adding chia seeds to the recipe can improve the flavor and texture while adding more nutrients to the mix. Get yourself a food dehydrator and make some chia-flax crackers!
5. Add to homemade granola or trail mix recipes
   If you make any of your own granola or trail mix recipes, chia seeds are the perfect ingredient because they contain significant quantities of omega-3 oils. That makes them very valuable and unique in any recipe.
6. Sprout the chia in your home sprouter
   If you have a sprouting tray or system, you can also sprout chia seeds at home and eat the sprouts.
7. Blend and turn them into a shake
   You can simply pre-load any of your bottles with your favorite superfood powders and add some chia seeds. Wherever you are, you can simply add water and shake to make an instant superfood meal. The chia seeds provides a “long burn time” energy source that helps keep you satiated for longer.
8. Add to any tea to make a “chia texture” tea drink
   Add a scoop of chia seeds to any tea beverage, then allow it to sit while the chia seeds absorb water. Within a few hours, the entire glass will become a “chia slurry” with seeds that resemble tapioca. You can drink this mixture as a delicious, low-glycemic beverage.
9. Make a cold chia cereal using buckwheat, chia, oats and freeze-dried fruits
   Chia also allows you to make your own superfood cereal by combining sprouted buckwheat groats, chia seeds, rolled oats (or other similar grain) and freeze-dried fruits.

If you haven’t already, consider incorporating nutrient-dense chia seeds into your regular diet now. Not only are they easy to mix into any meal, but they’re also a powerful superfood that can give you tons of health benefits. Don’t write them off because of their size, if you eat a lot of them they can really boost your nutrition.

Sources include:

AncientGrains.com

MedicalNewsToday.com

Healthline.com