NOTES ON MACROS:

• As stated in the recipe description, chia pudding can be a very nutrient-rich meal idea. But another reason I wanted to provided this recipe was to show what BALANCED chia pudding looks like. Many recipes online are for extremely calorie dense versions of the pudding.
• Decadent pictures show them soaked in full-fat milks and yogurts and then loaded up with fruits, nuts, granola, and chocolate chips. Chia seeds themselves are seeds and therefore already packaged in healthy fats.
• Adding more carbohydrate and fat tastes good but can soon lead to the too-common frustration “I’m eating healthy but can’t lose weight”. I hope this recipe shows an alternative.

NOTES ON TYPE OF MILK USED:

• As mentioned, you can use non-dairy milk, just watch the change to protein, fat, and calcium (though many non-dairy milks are now fortified with calcium).
• Low-fat products are recommended so that the fat for the meal comes from the nutrient-rich chia seeds.
• I tested nearly every type of milk – buttermilk by accident while I had it out to make the Cornbread Topped Veggie Bake. I was so surprised that it turned out to be my favorite. Skim milk didn’t have a strong enough taste to “carry” the seeds and yogurts and kefir were too thick for me. Buttermilk has enough flavor to pop in this, especially with the added maple or honey, while keeping a thinner consistency. And ‘cultured’ buttermilk, like the Kalona brand, also provide beneficial probiotic bacteria.