Written by Nqobile Mtshali

At first I was very apprehensive about chia seeds, how they looked and what I thought they would taste like. So I decided to do a little digging into what exactly are chia seeds and how they are beneficial.

Chia seeds are edible seeds from a plant known as salvina hispanica. The seeds are small,flat, oval shaped and smoothed textured . They have a gel like texture once moistened, it is surprisingly this gel like texture that makes them a excellent addition to food like plain yogurt or in a smoothie.

Chia seeds contain three important macronutrients, fibre, protein and healthy fats. These are the nutrients that give the body energy.

If you’re looking to improve your gut health, chia seeds will help with that as they are high in fibre. This is one of the biggest reasons I have included them in my diet amongst other benefits.

To start you off on your own chia seed journey , here is a recipe for a simple chia seed pudding that you can also download.