Ten Easy Ways to Eat More Seeds Every Day Without Changing Your Whole Diet

Healthy eating habits stick best when they are small and simple. You do not have to overhaul your kitchen to enjoy seeds. A spoonful here and there is enough. Here are ten easy ideas, grouped by time of day.

Breakfast

First, stir a tablespoon of ground flax or chia into your porridge, oats or cereal. Second, top yogurt with hemp hearts and a few pumpkin seeds. Third, make overnight chia pudding the evening before, so breakfast is ready in the morning. Fourth, blend a teaspoon of seed powder into a fruit smoothie, where it disappears into the texture.

Lunch

Fifth, sprinkle toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds over a salad or soup for crunch. Sixth, swap plain rice for quinoa in a lunch bowl, or mix half and half if you are not sure you like it. Seventh, spread tahini or sunflower butter on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise now and then.

Snacks

Eighth, keep a small jar of mixed seeds, plus a little dried fruit, on your desk or in your bag. Ninth, make a batch of energy balls from oats, dates and ground seeds, and store them in the fridge. A handful or about two tablespoons of seeds is plenty for a snack.

Dinner

Tenth, use seeds as a coating or topping. Press sesame seeds onto fish or tofu before baking, scatter pumpkin seeds on roasted vegetables, or add hemp hearts to pasta. Make a pesto with pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts.

Tips to make it stick

Place seeds where you will see them, near the kettle, the oats or the fruit bowl. Keep to one new habit at a time. Rotate different seeds over the week to get a variety of nutrients and flavors. Increase fiber gradually and drink water. Store seeds in airtight containers, in the fridge if your kitchen is warm.

Seeds are nutritious, but they are also calorie-dense. Two to three tablespoons a day in total is enough for most people. A varied diet with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, protein foods and healthy fats is what makes the difference, and seeds are one useful piece.

Who should check first?

People who take blood thinners, medicines for blood pressure or blood sugar, those with kidney disease, swallowing problems or bowel conditions, and anyone with a food allergy should speak to a healthcare provider before making seeds a daily food. The same goes for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Small children should have seeds ground or soaked, not whole.

If you like the idea of a ready-mixed option, a blended seed powder from Naturalition is one simple way to try several seeds at once.

This article is general information, not medical advice.