Excuse me, but I must ask you what you are drinking? I’ve never seen anything like it before!
Those are the kinds of questions a girl gets asked when she’s toting this drink to a spin class. You get stares, sideways looks, and nervous smiles. The people out there are curious and they need to know that you aren’t drinking little black bugs. They need to be able to sleep at night. For goodness sake, tell them what you are drinking so they can get back to their workout!
So I tell them with a big smile, Chia bugs. Then there’s an awkward pause and even more confusion.
Ok, ok, it’s actually a healthy beverage called Chia Fresca which has been a popular drink in Mexico and Central America for many years. I’m sure many of you have heard of it before or even made it yourself. It’s made up of water, chia seeds, lemon or lime juice, and sweetener.
When chia seeds are soaked in water a gelatinous coating forms around the seed very similar to a tomato seed. This makes it very easy to swallow so the seeds don’t get stuck in your throat. Chia Fresca probably isn’t for people with texture issues (cough, cough husband), but I’ll leave that up to your discretion. I recently brought it back into my life to get a boost of Omega-3 fatty acids in my diet. It’s so much more fun than drinking plain water! Plus, it’s a total conversation starter much like bringing a Green Monster into the work place. I know you’ve been there. Well, why not bring Chia Fresca and show them just how crazy you can really be?
Here’s a quick refresher on chia seeds:
- Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seed
- Chia seeds do not need to be ground to be absorbed by the body and they can be stored for long periods of time without going rancid
- They help with hydration due to their ability to absorb up to 9-10 times their weight in water
- Chia seeds also contain fibre, protein, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc among many other nutrients
- Chia seeds like to get stuck in your teeth. You were warned.
Chia Fresca is said to boost energy levels too. I’m not really sure if it boosts my energy or not, but I sure feel happy and hydrated when I drink it. When I have some on hand, I like to pair it with coconut water for a natural potassium boost after a tough workout, but water is just fine too.
Edited to add: Some of you were asking me about the thickness of this drink so I thought I would add a few words on this. I wouldn’t say it has a smoothie-like texture, but it’s more like a water consistency just with a whole slew of gel-y seeds in it. Does that make any sense? You just have to try it for yourself. My guess is you will either love it or hate it.
Chia Fresca
Yield
2 cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Ingredients
- 2 cups water or coconut water
- 1.5 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice, or to taste
- Sweetener, to taste (I like 1/2 tbsp maple syrup)
Directions
- Add chia and water into a jar or glass and stir very well to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to swell up. I like to use a jar with a lid so I can shake it up really well and break up the clumps of chia.
- Add lime or lemon juice and sweetener to taste. Stir (or shake) well to combine and enjoy!
Tip:
Chia seeds will sink and collect at the bottom of the glass quickly. Give it a good stir as needed.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Wishing you a very happy (and hydrated) weekend!!
wow – this looks great Angela – a must try for sure!!!
I really enjoy your blog and I share much on my Pinterest. Thank for the inspiration striving to live a healthier life!
Cheers!
I have never tried chia fresca but really want to make it! Thanks for this post!
Ps your pictures look so cool!
This sounds like something I’m willing to try. However, do the chia seed actually get digested and absorbed if you’re not chewing them to break them down? Flax seeds need to be ground or well-chewed to reap their benefits. Are chia seeds different?
Hi Amanda, Yes chia seeds are different than flax – chia seeds don’t have to be ground to be absorbed. Another reason I use them more often than flax. They also have a longer shelf life.
Wow I love the idea of this and am going to try it soon!! I often have lemon-water ((my tea)) in the day but never thought of adding chia :) thanks!! Is it as refreshing as water, with the texture??
Yes I find it very refreshing…esp with the lemon or lime and a bit of sweetener. I’m in love with it lately.
Sound great during the summer when I over do it outside. I use Chia seeds in V-8 drink with hot sauce for breakfast drink. Just a side note if you haven’t used Chia seeds you might want to start with a small amount because it has lots of fiber and might cause a little discomfort.
it really looks kind of odd, but I bet it’s awesome for your energy level! I could need something like that right now!
I just stumbled upon your blog searching for a green smoothie recipe. Simple as that. Yet I found myself on it for hours… just looking at recipes and reading about how you keep yourself healthy. And I keep coming back to it, that’s how much I enjoy it :) You have yourself a subscriber. Thanks for all the useful information you give out. Looking forward to your cook book! I love all your recipes
Welcome Cindy! Thanks so much for your lovely comment.
I can’t wait to try this, I just started adding chia seeds to smoothies and yogurts, but this looks great!
Oh I just love your gorgeous photos but I could never swallow that drink. I can’t even get a tiny tablet down without two whole glasses of water and a lot of eewwwing and gagging…
I put chia seeds in lemondade to drink at school. One day, one of my students asked if I was drinking frog eggs!!!
Hi Angela! I just have to say that these photographs are gorgeous!! I love following your blog and normally don’t comment but I had to take this opportunity to thank you for your inspiring, motivating and just plain lovely posts!!
Hi Christina, Well, thank you so much! I appreciate it and thanks for reading!
Oh! This is so new and cool to me. I need all the help I can get with energy and I am putting chia seeds on my shopping list right now.
Love your blog!
xo
Sharon
I LOVE chia kombucha, so I know I will love this. It will be much cheaper, too :)
I love it. A great way to get some chia seeds into the diet!! Keep the great ideas coming! An inspiration to us all.
You make it look so pretty! And I love your name “chia bugs”!! You mentioned some awesome benefits, and I have a post on chia too that I’d like to share :) http://fresh-you.blogspot.com/2012/05/chia-seeds-energy-food-of-aztecs.html Happy Sunday!
this sounds so simple, but i haven’t thought of it before…
thank your for bringing it up.
I just had some chia water with freshly squeezed blood orange juice :D
OJ sounds fab!
I love having chia seeds in this simple and refreshing way. Especially with fresh fruit juice (lime, lemon, grapefruit, etc.). Thanks for sharing :)
I tried it last night with lime juice and didn’t mind the texture at all. I found the lime juice made it taste a little medicine-y so I’m trying it with just water and chia today!
I’m excited to try this! Do you think it be ok to use ground chia seeds? I happen to have a bag that someone gave me and other than adding them to bread they aren’t being used much… Otherwise I have whole seeds too but I use them for oatmeal etc. Hmmm also do you know if the ground seeds lose much of their nutrients? Maybe using ground would defeat the benefits of this drink!?
I think using ground chia seeds might turn out very gritty – but that’s just my guess. Let me know if you try it!