Chia seeds

Any good ideas of what to do with them. I've purchased them because someone said they were helpful for lowering cholesterol. I have no idea what to do with them.

Get a plastic container (like a Glad pottle) put in about half a cup of seeds and fill container with milk or a milk/ yoghurt mixture and sweetener if desired. Stir well and put in the fridge. It will thicken right up. You can eat it as a pudding or for breakfast maybe with some fruit, or you can add a few spoons as a topping to your fave cereal. You can have afew spoons of it to stave off hunger between meals if you are trying to diet.
ETA: The centre of the seed remains firm and crunches between your teeth like eating the tiny seeds in strawberries.

I use two tablespoons seeds to half glass water cover with gladwrap and it keeps in fridge at least 3 days.Use the gel in smoothies, in dressings, on yoghurt, in puddings, can also use to replace one egg out of two in most recipes.

l put on saladson salad sandwichnever make it into a dessert .Each to their own.Does make you feel full.Must get some more.Cheers

1/3 cup of seeds added to 2 cups of water is the ratio recommended - eat that over 4 or 5 days.It keeps in the fridge for at least a week and doesn't need covering - I keep mine in a glass jug as I don't like to use plastic storage long-term.

Is it better to soak them in water or sprinkle them over cereal

Soaking them releases the most nutrients - if you just eat them unsoaked they go straight through (sorry TMI)

I can only eat 500-800 cal per day due to a disease that hit me mid November (and lost me 22 kg in 10 weeks.), so that is the amount that suits my particular needs, without waste.Just clarifying.

how can a person survive on that little for long periods

Not sure if you're asking seriously, but one way or another, one does what one has to to survive.It may not be the "right" place to do this, but it may help someone else.

I came back from your country (Aussie) in November and the next day started "going both ends" - yeah, TMI, but it's part of the story.Ends up it was suspected to be either Cigueratoxin (reef fish - I'm a sea food freak, and was in northern Queensland, with several trips out to the GB Reef), or a bad case of food poisoning, that set off an underlying disease - Collagenous Colitis.Took a bit to be fully diagnosed, but as I kept a food intake, vomiting and BM diary (timed, and up to 22 a day - and night) and the extreme and fast weight loss, I had actual evidence not just anecdotal stuff, and with several trips to hospital (including 3 weeks 20th Dec-11 Jan) in isolation ward, drips, the whole shebang, colonoscopies and gastroscopies and endoscopies, I was fortunate to be quite quickly diagnosed.

But, from there, I quickly realised the dieticians and specialists couldn't do much for me other than the dreaded Prednisone - there's no cure - so I lurked in here and Health and Beauty, clicked links, read and read, trialled what worked (and what didn't), and lucked onto a whole heap of things that DID work - and certainly helped and tasted a whole heap better than Fortesip, Complan, and the like!

So I now go GF and DF, lots of pre and probiotics, very limited vegetables (crave salads!), virtually no fruits, and have become something of a home chemist making my own yoghurts, put down my cider vinegar, etc, and have finally put on 1 kg from my lowest weight.And my Gastroenterologist is learning from me!

But when you're fighting nausea and dry retching constantly (from the Prednisone and the original complaint), and have chronic diarrhea, trust me - it's blardy hard to force a body that's rejecting food from both ends to take on more than 500 -800 calories a day.The fact I'm a foodie, and an ex-restauranter makes the loss of a wide range of food all the harder.But the choices are increasing. small amounts , but texture and taste now, rather than yoghurt and banana.

But I AM lucky to have been diagnosed so relatively quickly, I now have a figure I haven't had for 30 years, and I have been able to help myself get this sorted by taking responsibility for myself and doing the research, rather than just accepting what the medical profession were offering.And - even with pre-existing heart and other conditions - I think I'll be a lot healthier from here on in, too :)

autumnwinds, may you continue to improve in leaps and bounds.Sometimes we have to do the research and healing ourselves, as the medical profession doesn't always have the answers.It is nice when they work together with you though!

Wishing you all the best for ever-improving health.I wondered where you'd disappeared to.

Autumnwinds. I am so sorry that someone had to challenge you when you made it quite plain that there were medical reasons for your much straitened diet. Remember, you do not need to justify yourself to anyone on here.

In the meantime, I congratulate you for taking responsibility for your own well being and are working hard to effect a cure in the best possible way. I know that losing 22kg is a big thing and the way you lost it is not the way anyone wants to experience but I hope it all works out well for you in the end.

Thanks cookiebarrel, ellihen, and buzzy110 for your positive comments.
Well aware I don't have to justify myself - been here long enough to know that ;)

But just wanted to make clear:
- don't self-diagnose.
- don't just accept the dr's and specialist's opinions as the final answer.
- do your own research, and trial things, and listen to your own body.
- there will be set-backs, so just go back to basics, drop what didn't work, and try again.
- and keep trying!
- and good luck - there's lots of help to be had on here, using the search function <----- over there. try that, before asking an new question :)
- doing your own research is a darn sight better than giving up, and loosing all enjoyment of life, and there's always someone worse off than yourself.

-

I just stir 2 tsp of chia seeds into a glass of orange juice each morning.I leave for maybe 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then drink=)

Healthy Fruit Loaf

Put 1tbsp chia seeds, 1 cup sultanas, 2 cups water, teabag ( lift out later) 2 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp baking soda. Bring to boil in pot and remove from heat. When cool add 1 cup splenda (or sugar), 2 beaten eggs ,1 tsp baking powder, 2 cups flour. Add more flour or water depending on consistency. Optional to add if you wish; mashed banana, lemon zest, grated carrot/zuchinni, coconut or vanilla essence, walnuts, LSA. Should be a gooey mixture, put in baking paper lined loaf tin (glass one excellent) and bake about 40 mins in a moderate oven. Big loaf, keeps well. Chia seeds replaces the butter, splenda replaces the sugar.

Quotevomo2 (38 )1:16 pm,

autumnwinds, you are an inspiration! I don't envy the journey you have been on one bit. (Much as I would LOVE to lose some weight, I sure wouldn't want to do it your way)