Chia Sprouts

[Traceyraw]

I read that Chia sprouts are edible. Has anybody sprouted them or ate them. I was wondering how they taste?

Thanks for your input

[DebB]

I've eaten a lot of soaked chia in things, but not sprouts...

[Mary Kay]

I taught a class to homeschoolers called "Let's Grow Stuff and Eat It" and of course we made our own chia pets and ate chia seeds soaked and tried the sprouts as well.

Interestingly enough, from what I've read, it's actually more nutritious to eat the soaked seeds as you lose the omegas when they sprout.

So the answer is yes, you can eat them and get the benefit of chlorophyll, but you lose the omegas --at least as far as I know....

Mary Kay

[Living Food]

You lose most of the omega-3s, but the rest go into the leaves/greens and are much more absorbable to the human body (36 times more so, I've heard!). While you are getting much lower amounts of the omega-3s, you have to understand that the human body absorbs the omega-3s from plants very poorly, needing a variety of different factors in order to convert the ALA (alpha-linoleic acid, the omega-3 fats found in plants) into the form that they are usable by the human body, DHA and EPA. When eating soaked chia seeds, you are able to convert only a small percentage of the omega-3s you eat; when eating the sprouted chia, although it has far less omega-3s, almost all of them end up absorbed and converted into usable forms (this goes even better if you eat them with a source of fat - and saturated fat is the best for that). When you consider the chlorophyll, increased vitamins and lifeforce, etc. in the sprouted chia over the soaked chia, it's better to sprout it in my opinion).

Although if you're going for calories, you're better of sprouting it of course.

[Mary Kay]

Interesting. Maybe it might be prudent to mix it up and eat it both ways!

Thanks,

Mary Kay

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Here is a good thread on various sprouts including chia sprouts and pretty pictures of them growing. Chia sprouts are one of the most important foods you can eat.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?64973-Sprouting!/page14
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?64973-Sprouting!/page13

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

You lose most of the omega-3s, but the rest go into the leaves/greens and are much more absorbable to the human body (36 times more so, I've heard!). While you are getting much lower amounts of the omega-3s, you have to understand that the human body absorbs the omega-3s from plants very poorly,

That's the beauty of sprouting chia. The omega-3's almost disappear because they are converted into essential fatty acids. ln other words, the fats are converted into a fuel (fatty acids) that is directly usable by the body and much better utilised. Sprouting always breaks down the concentrates like fats, so no overdosing on risky fats....much better balanced.

[walnutty]

Can you sprout chia in a jar?


p.s. I love, love, love vanilla chia pudding!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Can you sprout chia in a jar?


p.s. I love, love, love vanilla chia pudding!

No. Only on trays with cloth on them, and then lightly spray twice a day.

[Mary Kay]

Our class filled nylons with some soil and then decorated them with eyes etc and they looked like tubes - caterpillars. We put the caterpillar onto a dish that had a little water in it. they were really cute. Then we gave them all a haircut and I brought my juicer. It was so fun! We also decorated cups and grew wheatgrass for hair.....

But as mentioned, you could just do a damp cloth....or some sort of a piece of fired clay - food grade --that you then soak and spread the gooey soaked seeds onto. I found all kinds of pictures online of lawnchairs and even a volkswagon that was coved with chia sprouts. the kids got a kick out of 'em!

Mary Kay