In the modern world, the average consumer is much more educated about food than they were before the 1990s. Because of this, new healthy foods go viral when discovered. One of these new, trendy ingredients is called the Chia seed. Chia is a mint-family plant native to Mexico and Guatemala, and its seeds are packed full of all kinds of incredibly powerful nutrients. Take into account that they have little-to-no widely-reported side-effects, and you can definitely see why they have become such a craze over recent years.
Chia seeds are primarily used as ingredients in a variety of different recipes, one of the most notable being chia seed drinks. These drinks, at their most basic level, are a combination of water, chia seeds, and any fruit juice for added flavor. The chia seeds and water are mixed together and left to sit overnight, causing the seeds to absorb the water, swell up in size, and become gelatinous in consistency. The combination of water and blown-up chia seeds is called chia gel. To get more flavor and even more nutrition, it is then mixed in with fruit juice, making it a healthy, nutritious beverage for anyone to enjoy.
Of course, these drinks are also made by beverage companies who then sell them to supermarkets for you to purchase at your convenience. But, like all quality goods, they are quite expensive, typically costing between $3.00 and $4.00 per 10 or 12-ounce bottle. Ouch! If you plan on drinking chia beverages long-term to fully reap their health benefits, that price will be sure to put a dent in your wallet! Surely there’s a way to get your hands on these extremely healthy and natural ingredients while saving money, right? Well, good news! There most certainly is, and in most cases, it’s even healthier for you than buying the pre-made drinks!
The secret to saving money on the delicious and incredibly nutritious chia seed drinks is to make them yourself. Chia can be pretty expensive since they are in such high demand, but a great way to save on them is to buy them in bulk at your local farmer’s market. If you want to be as natural as possible in making your chia drink, you can even get your flavor-enhancing juice by squeezing the fruits yourself. If you prefer, however, store-bought fruit juice will suffice.
Once you have all of your ingredients, the steps to create your own chia drink are really simple. Just pour about 3 tablespoons of chia seeds into a glass of water, and place it in your refrigerator overnight. Once the night passes, the chia seeds should be swollen and have a gelatinous feel to them. The water should also be more of a gel than liquid water. At this point, all you have to do is stir this gel with whatever kind of juice or flavoring you’d like, and you’re done!
By making your own chia seed drinks, not only do you save a lot of money when compared to buying pre-made chia beverages, but you are making a healthier drink for yourself as well. This is because store-bought foods and beverages typically contain preservatives to increase shelf-life and other chemicals that aren’t very good for your body’s health. Making your own chia seed drink means you won’t have these harmful ingredients in your body when you drink it. Homemade is definitely the way to go!
