If you haven’t tried chia seeds, buckle up! You’re in for a ride. These tiny seeds are packed with nutrition. Seriously, don’t be fooled by their size. Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, protein, Omega-3s, and antioxidants. Due to their popularity among health conscious consumers, chia seeds are easily found in supermarkets today so, next time you see them, be sure to buy them because we have a kidney-friendly recipe for you. Note on this recipe: don’t be scared by what might seem a slightly higher phosphorus amount?  Much of the phosphorus in seeds is not absorbed as it is bound in phytates.

Easy Chia Seed Pudding

Delicious, 5-minute breakfast packed with kidney-friendly nutrition.

• Author: Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 5 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Breakfast, Snack

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Chia Seeds
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup Rice Milk

Instructions

1. In a bowl or mason jar, combine the chia seeds, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, and rice milk.
2. Stir chia seed mixture until well combined, making sure chia seeds are not sticking to sides of the container. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. (Optional) Add fruit before serving

Notes

Rice milk was used because it is the lowest in potassium and phosphorus. If you do not like the taste of rice milk you can use other milk alternatives that are low in potassium and phosphorus. This will change the nutrient composition.

Other additions:

If you have earlier stage kidney disease (stage 1-3, earlier stage 4), you can likely include more potassium in your diet. Unless your doctor has given you a potassium restriction, I would recommend adding extra fresh fruit to this recipe, bananas, berries, peaches, kiwi, mango would all taste delicious.  Also, if you need to increase calories because you’re struggling with weight loss due to new dietary recommendations, add 2 tbsp of coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, or melted unsalted butter (preferably grassfed like Kerrygold).  This will add fat and calories to the recipe

Keywords: renal diet recipes, vegetarian renal diet

KidneyGrub Verdict:

This recipe definitely surprised me in a good way. I was expecting more of a bitter, earthy flavor but, instead, it was a mouthful of vanilla and cinnamon. It makes the perfect ready-to-go breakfast because who isn’t rushing to make it to work on time in the morning? I prepared it in less than 5 minutes and left it in the refrigerator over night. Done. I had a filling breakfast that didn’t cost me any time. You could also use the pudding as a snack. It has a sweeter taste and, from someone who is always looking to satisfy a sweet-tooth, it makes a perfect treat to get you through your cravings in a kidney-friendly way. The texture can be unexpected but for us it was still a pleasant taste.

A 1/2 cup serving may not seem like a lot but the chia seed pudding is very filling. Looking at the nutrition facts, you may notice that it is relatively high in phosphorus (231 mg) but, don’t worry, your body will not absorb all of it due to the high amount of fiber found in the chia seeds.  The recipe also only contains 153 mg of potassium making it a kidney-friendly food.

This recipe is very easy to make for all the nutrition you’re getting from the chia seeds! Go try it out!

Author: Lauren Antle, Texas A&M University Dietetic Intern

Reviewed by: Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT