Three great seeds I have added to our diet that can be enjoyed alone, added to smoothies, or other dishes are hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. Below you will find information for each seed including the flavor, uses, nutritional information, and the health benefits. I hope you find this information helpful and it encourages you to add seeds to your diet, too!
Hemp Seeds
These seeds can be eaten alone or added to rice dishes, homemade breads and muffins, stir fries, trail mixes, yogurt, granola, cereal, and oatmeal.
Hemp seeds are one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids. They have generous amounts of vitamin E, plant-based omega-3 fat, and the minerals manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.
Eating hemp seeds in any form could aid people suffering from immune-deficiency diseases. They are a rich source of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are the disease-protective element of plants which benefits include protecting your immunity and bloodstream. I have added these powerhouse seeds to our daily diet.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds have a mild nutty flavor so can be added to dishes without altering the flavor of the dish.
These seeds can be eaten raw on their own or added to any kind of food such as juice, yogurt, soup, eggs, pancakes, salad dressing, and smoothies. My favorite is to add a teaspoon to hot cereal in the morning.
The chia seed is from the mint family (who knew?) and is tiny but extremely potent. The seeds are packed full of fiber, protein, nutrient oils, various antioxidants, and the minerals calcium and iron.
Studies have shown that chia seeds stabilize the blood sugar and promote heart health, both which do our bodies good!
Flaxseed
The flavor of flaxseed is warm and earthy with a subtly nutty edge. These seeds can be enjoyed whole or ground into a meal. Ground flaxseed provides more nutritional benefit than the whole seed. If you grind your flaxseeds, remember to store them in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator (this prevents the ground seeds from going rancid).
Flaxseeds are a good source of dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and the minerals phosphorus, iron and copper.
Some benefits of flaxseed are promoting healthy bowel function, can lower blood pressure, and stabilize hormonal levels which can reduce symptoms of PMS, menopause, and andropause (male menopause), and potentially reducing the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. I try to eat 1-2 tablespoons per day, adding to smoothies, hot cereals. or sprinkled on salads.
Here is a great recipe that has all three seeds! I hope you enjoy these nutrient-packed protein bars. Let me know what you think of bars, and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss any upcoming posts. I usually post once a week and don’t share email addresses.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Notes
*Any nutter butter should work for this recipe, but the texture may change some.
**If you are wanting to make these bars for little ones, the honey can be replaced with additional maple syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Flaxmeal
- 1/2 cup Flaxseeds
- 1/4 cup Chia seeds
- 1/4 cup Hemp seeds, shelled
- 1 tbsp protein powder, I used ProPeas Protein Powder
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, organic (or a mixture of almond and peanut butter to total 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup Honey, raw
- 1/4 cup Maple syrup, pure organic
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Mix flaxmeal, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and protein powder in bowl and set aside.
- Mix peanut butter, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla till creamy in another bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients until well mixed.
- Spread the mixture in a 9 x 9 inch pan with a spatula.
- Place in refrigerator for at least four hours.
- Cut in to 9 bars. Any uneaten bars should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- These bars are very creamy.
Nutrition Facts
No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Serves:
|
Amount Per Serving: 9 Bars
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 289 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Chronicles in Health
I put a lot of effort into every single recipe and blog post, as well as my photos (unless otherwise stated), so I would REALLY appreciate it if you would link back to my site if you:
- Use an image for a ‘link love’ or equivalent type post (if you would like to use more than one image, I would appreciate it if you would ask me first, there’s a 95% chance I’ll say yes)
- Adapt my recipe and post it to your site
- Use any other content from Chronicles in HEALTH.
Please don’t just copy and paste my whole recipe to your website. If you’re going to be just copying and pasting my recipe, you might as well just link back to my original post.
Callahan, M. (2013/May 5). Fiftysomething diet: 5 seeds you need to eat. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http.//www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/12/seeds-to-eat_n_3248618.
Group, E. (2014/June 12). The top 5 healthiest seeds. Global Healing Center. Retrieved from http.//www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/healthy-seeds/
Hand, B. (n.d.). The seeds of a healthy diet. Retrieved from http.//www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=597
Murray, M. (2005). The encyclopedia of healing foods. New York. Atria Books.
Summerly, J. (2013/February 20). The top 10 health seeds on earth. True Activist. Retrieved from http://www.trueactivist.com/the-top-10-healthiest-seeds-on-earth/
Images:
www.bonappetit.com
www.theheartysoul.com
Another good job, Heather. Who would have thought that so much nutrition could come from a small amount of small seeds. I surely didn’t.
And so easy to add to our daily diet! Seeds can be such a good source of minerals that so many people are lacking.
Heather, where do you get your seeds? Do they have to be organic?
I prefer organic whenever possible and affordable. In the recipe I linked to Amazon, you can follow the link and purchase right from the there if you have an Amazon account, or Wholefoods and Costco carry organic seeds.