Chia, chia, chia. The seeds once associated with a cheesy infomercial product (didn’t we all secretly want a Chia Pet?) is suddenly the newest health craze, everyone raving about the health benefits of the almighty chia seed.
Am I will gladly admit I am one of them.
As a vegetarian, getting omega-3 fatty acids (a type of polysaturaed fat that can lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, boost brain health, etc.) naturally is rather tricky, since it’s most commonly found in fish and fish oil. But chia and flax seeds are good sources of omega-3s, so I’ve been incorporating both into my diet for years now, adding them to cereal, oatmeal and, yes, my yogurt.
So I was initially skeptical about Stonyfield’s newest product: Greek yogurt with chia seeds. I mean, aren’t I doing this already? But I was curious about the flavors — pear, blood orange, and a berry mix — so I gave them a whirl. (I didn’t bother trying to get the kids to try them…I knew they’d freak out at the chia seeds.)
One thing I noticed immediately is that the chia seeds were all soft and plump, having soaked up liquid from the yogurt, similar to a chia seed pudding. For those not familiar with chia pudding, after the seeds are soaked for a while they take on a consistency similar to tapioca. The same was true with the Stonyfield yogurt, which I definitely liked better than when I typically sprinkle my seeds on just before I eat my yogurt, and they’re all hard and crunchy and, well, seed-like.
The flavors I admit I was kind of up-and-down on. Loved the two berry flavors, but blood orange was just ok, and I personally didn’t care for the pear. I also thought they were on the sweet side (they do contain 17g of sugar each), but then again, I’ve mostly been eating plain Greek yogurt for weeks now, in which the sugar content is more like 12g.
But if you’ve been thinking about trying chia seeds yet feeling squeamish about the whole seed thing, this might be a good place to start. And I think this yogurt would make a fantastic (and filling) breakfast, with 12 grams of protein each.
By the way, in case you missed it, I recently wrote about my love for another new Stonyfield product, OP (Organic Protein) Smoothie — my new go-to post-workout treat. Yum!
To find a store that carries Greek and Chia, visit the Stonyfield website and click Where to Buy.
Disclaimer: As a Stonyfield Yo-Getter, I sometimes receive free product and/or compensation. However, my opinions are entirely my own.