THANK YOU, Grainlady, for ways to eat healthy food. I appreciate the recipe for crispy pecans ... I prefer it less sweet (versus my kid wanted MORE honey on the walnuts!).

My friend gave me chia seeds, haven't use it. Thanks for the great tip on chia seeds. I looked up, and here's the info.: "3 ý ounces, of chia seeds has17g of omega-3 fatty acid ... contains calcium, magnesium and potassium and iron. But the chia seed is high in the mineral phosphor, which works as a phytate that will bind to calcium, magnesium and potassium making them unavailable for absorption."

Question: do Chia seeds need to be cooked or soaked in hot water? Is it OK to eat it raw?

It's okay to eat them raw, in small amounts, but they are more bio-available if they are soaked first (aka "prepared chia gel" or "chia gel"). I believe 1 T. (dry) is a "suggested" amount for a day, and one would be wise to slowly work their way up to that amount.

It would be nearly impossible to consume 3-1/2 oz. (around 3/4-cup) of dry chia seeds in a day!!! For one thing, it would be too expensive, and secondly, chia seeds are part of a healthy diet, not THE entire diet (LOL).

If you consume a lot of dry chia seeds while dehydrated (like first thing in the morning after going without hydration for a prolonged period of time overnight), the seeds will draw water from your body and swell and could cause constipation, or even form a blockage in the colon. Whole flax seed will do the same thing if enough is consumed while dehydrated. And yet, used correctly, they are both great for constipation - but the key is "used correctly".

I mill them 1:1 with flax seed (keep it in the freezer) and add it for additional fiber to baked goods, smoothies, or to use as an egg substitute (1 T. chia/flax meal plus 3 T. water). Chia seeds as a part of your regular diet will help your body absorb nutrition from all foods.

I also keep a small amount of water/chia seed mixture (chia gel) in the refrigerator. Before going wheat-free, chia gel was a key add-in that aided in keeping homemade yeast bread fresher longer. I add chia gel to 100% fruit juice, if it's part of breakfast. And possibly some Great Lakes Gelatin (the green box that doesn't thicken in liquids) for some protein to juice and chia gel, for an afternoon pick-me-up. Added to water and/or coconut water (maybe a little whey from my kefir and some fresh lemon or lime juice) when working outdoors, and you will say hydrated better, and it's healthier than sports drinks.

A common ratio for chia gel is 1 part chia seeds to 10 parts water (2 T. chia seeds to 1-1/4 c. water - or as thin or thick as you like). Add the seeds TO the water (NOT water to seeds) and mix. Allow to sit 5-minutes and mix again. Keep refrigerated and use within a week (some sources say up to 3-weeks, but I try to use mine within a week of making it).

I also sprout chia seeds and grow them as micro-greens. Sprouts and micro-greens bring a whole different nutrition profile to the table (pun intended ;-).

Check your library for the book "The Magic Of Chia" by James F. Scheer.
-Grainlady

I make a salad dressing using coconut oil, fresh lemon juice and honey. Your lunch sounds like something I will try. Thanks!!

Thank you, Grainlady, for your thorough answer on my chia-question ... much appreciated. In my diabetes-prone family, low-magnesium & B-vitamins contribute to poor sleep and diabetes. I eat bran-cereal since it's high in magnesium & B-vitamins.

My favorite cereal is low-sugar, non-GMO Barbara's High-Fiber Medley cereal (14g of fiber, 5g of protein, 5g of sugar) ... I sleep well with that cereal when eaten with raw almond milk. Few years ago I ate lots of bran cereal & apples & salads and got down to 100 lbs. A good salad dressing surely helps .... .

grainlady:

can i send u an email?? GW will not allow me to send u a private email....

thank you :)

grainlady:

can i send u an email?? GW will not allow me to send u a private email....

thank you :)

Strawberryhill: How do you fix the honeyed walnuts? Thanks.

sprtphntc -

I sent you an e-mail. Looking forward to hearing from you.

-Grainlady

Hi pink_warm_mama: Here's how I fixed my walnuts:

Spread 3 cups of raw walnut on cookie sheet, sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar, then drizzle 1/2 cup honey. Bake in 275 oven for 15 minutes, stir, then reduce oven to 250 and bake for 15 min. more. Stir again, then remove walnuts while hot, to prevent sticking. Walnuts become crunchy once cooled on a plate, mix in dry cranberries last.

My kid likes more honey, so I increased the amount of honey to 3/4 cup. Recently I switched from wild-flower honey to buckwheat honey, very intense flavor, so I reduced the honey to 1/2 cup. Walnut is high in Omega-3 and melatonin ... helps with deep sleep. It's also high in vitamin E, see excepts below:

"Men need to consume 1.6 grams of ALA per day and women need 1.1 grams per day, according to the Institute of Medicine. A one-ounce serving of walnuts -- about 1/4 cup -- provides 2.5 grams of ALA (Omega-3), which is more than 100 percent of the amount you need in a day."

"â¢The form of vitamin E found in walnuts is somewhat unusual, and particularly beneficial. Instead of having most of its vitamin E present in the alpha-tocopherol form, walnuts provide an unusually high level of vitamin E in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Particularly in studies on the cardiovascular health of men, this gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E has been found to provide significant protection from heart problems."

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99

*** From Straw: I once attended a lecture given by a surgeon who specialized in stroke. This doc. visited an Italian village where everyone cholesterol was super-high, but very low rate of stroke & heart attacks. He found that their HDL (good cholesterol) was super-high, thus made the total cholesterol high. When I loaded up on Omega-3, my HDL (good cholesterol) sky-rocketed, a good insurance against diseases.

Here is a link that might be useful: Omega-3 in walnuts