The first time I ever ate chia seeds was at the juice bar of a retreat center in Costa Rica.
The menu touted the seeds as the newest superfood, so of course I said “yes please” to a scoop in my smoothie.
Cut to 10 minutes later, and my belly bloated up to 6 months preggers and my gut was squirming.
I chalked it up to being my first time eating the seeds and my digestive system not being used to it.
I’d go on to eat chia again, surmising that I just needed to soak the seeds first.
Soaking definitely helped (if by helped you mean not being in pain and bloated) but I still suffered from existing psoriasis, joint pain, and migraines.
After spending much of the last two years studying the microbiome and gut health, I finally learned that chia seeds (and many other so-called superfoods) contain nasty proteins called lectins that have a way of getting past the guard cells of our gut wall, causing “leaky gut.”
Leaky gut is gnarly because it means that bacteria and pathogens can get into our bloodstream and cause an immune response, which in turn creates inflammation.
When we eat foods (or are exposed to substances like glyphosate or NSAIDS/Ibuprofen) that blow holes in the gut wall, inflammation follows. Chia, like gluten, is one of those foods.
I know, I know — you love your chia pudding parfaits — I did too!
The good news is there’s a new (or not-so-new) seed in town that acts just like chia — you know, swells up like a tapioca bubble, has a little crunch, and all the fiber — but none of the leaky gut or inflammation!
It’s basil seeds.
Basil seeds contain:
2x more fiber than chia
2x more potassium than chia
2x more calcium than chia
2x more iron than chia
They are also rich in flavonoids, polyphenols, and other plant compounds like Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Luckily, a new mother-and-son company called Zen Basil is bringing organic basil seeds to the market. Use code BASILSEEDSROCK for 10% off!
So how do I eat them?
They go into the smoothies (with no trouble this time), and I also make them into a chocolate pudding using this recipe I adapted from Kristine at Lectin Free Gourmet!
See the video below when I last made it in my kitchen.
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
1 Tbsp Zen Basil Seeds
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Cream
1 Tbsp Raw Cacao Powder (or for a thicker almost fudge-like pudding with some protein, use Dr. Gundry’s Power Plant Shake)
1/4 tsp Stevia Drops
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
1 oz. 72% or higher Cacao Chocolate Chips
Tiny Pinch Salt
Directions:
Soak Basil Seeds
In a small saucepan, whisk together the Zen Basil seeds with coconut cream, cacao powder, and stevia drops. Allow the seeds to soak in the mixture for 5 minutes.
Add Heat
Put the saucepan on low heat and stir in the chocolate chips until they melt. Pour the whole mixture into dessert cups and chill for a min of 2 hours.
Serve
When you’re ready to serve, garnish with whipped coconut cream and shaved dark chocolate.