Almond Butter Chia Pudding

Almond Butter Chia Pudding

Through The Daring Kitchen, I stumbled across Shelley's blog, C Mom Cook.  Her recipes looked amazing - and they were dairy-free, so I had to follow her blog.  (Had to - it was a compulsion.  Take a peek and you may feel the same.)

Yesterday, I read Shelley's post from Monday about Chia Pudding.  Her recipe was inspired by and slightly adapted from Katie's Chi Chi Chi Chia post on her blog, Betcha Can't Eat Just One.  (And Katie has a label for pumpkin recipes, so you know I just have to follow her blog now!)

I am beginning the 5th week of my doctor's 6 week diet - eliminating a slew of foods I normally eat.  This list includes chocolate, coconut, and agave.  But, I really wanted to try this pudding and was sure I could make something work.

I opted to substitute almond butter for the cocoa powder and maple syrup for the agave.  I am still adjusting to almond butter.  The pudding did not taste bad, but my boys were both right, it was not very sweet.  I did not want to add more syrup, so I sliced a banana and stirred it in after the pudding chilled.  (It was devoured before I could take a picture.  Oops!)

Chia Seed Benefits and Risks

Huh.  I planned to find a great link touting all of the wonderful benefits of eating chia seeds and I stumbled upon sights warning of side effects.  My curiosity got the best of me.  I found some info at the webmd.com website.  However, I found the info at seed guides far more informative.  

I encourage you to check out the sites above.  Below, I tried to summarize what I learned...  but I may not have caught all of the info.

There are a ton of benefits to eating chia seeds.  Check out the benefits here. 

As for the side-effects... the following information was paraphrased from webmd.com and seedguides.info.

You should limit the amount of these seeds you consume (for adults it sounds like 2 Tbsp. per day should be the limit - less for children.) 

Pregnant or nursing?  You should avoid chia seeds.
High triglyceride levels?  I recommend checking with your doctor.  Although other websites indicate chia seeds may lower triglyceride levels and raise HDL levels, webmd.com states that some types of chia seeds actually raise triglyceride levels. (This may be due to the high alpha-linolenic acid levels.)   According to webmd, you should only use chia called "Salba," as it does not significantly increase triglycerides.  
Hemophiliac? On blood thinners?  On an aspirin regimen? Preparing for a surgery? Check with your doctor first.  The omega-3's in the chia seeds can cause the blood to thin. 
High risk for prostate cancer? Check with your doctor first.  High levels of alpha-linolenic acid may increase your risk with this type of cancer. (According to webmd, the jury is out on this as studies have shown increased risk and no changes in the risk - but they recommend avoiding alpha-linolenic acid supplements.)
Low blood pressure? Ask your doctor first.  Some research indicates you should steer clear of chia seeds as they could drastically lower your blood pressure.
Take B17 supplements? Adding chia seeds to your diet could cause an overdose.
Allergic to mustard or mustard seed?  High protein levels in chia seeds can contribute to allergic reactions in some people.  Sounds like the risk is higher with allergies to mustard seed.

Almond Butter Chia Pudding

Almond Butter Chia Pudding (Dairy-Free) - Please Read Chia Seed Benefits & Risks 1st.

3/4 - 1 cup almond milk (I used original, unsweetened)*
1 Tbsp. almond butter
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 banana (optional)

1. Blend together almond milk, almond butter, and maple syrup.  (I used our immersion blender with the tall cup it came with.)
2. Stir-in chia seeds.  Bananas may be diced and added at this point.  Or if you do not want them to brown at all, wait until the pudding has chilled.
3. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
4. If desired, add sliced or diced banana.  
5. Enjoy!

*NOTE: The longer the pudding chills, the more liquid the chia seeds will absorb.  I used 3/4 cup almond milk and it was perfect an hour later.  If you plan to chill overnight, you may prefer to use closer to 1 cup of almond milk.

I look forward to trying more varieties of this delicious dairy-free "pudding."