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6 Friday, April 27, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com If you're following a partial or fully plant-based diet, one of the easier ways to bump up your proteins and other nutrients is to add some "super seeds" to meals. Seeds such as hemp, chia and flax are powerhouses when it comes to plant-based proteins and the essential fats. The great news is they are virtually tasteless, so if you're worried about your child not getting enough protein, add a few tablespoons of hemp seeds to a fruity smoothie and they'll never know they are in it. All these super seeds contain quantities of omega-3 fatty acids, which are the essential fats the body can't make from scratch. Hemp seeds are a complete protein and chia seeds are very close to being a complete protein. Ground flax seeds are often used in baking to replace eggs. By adding water to the flax seeds, you create a flax seed egg that binds ingredients together like eggs do. Chia seeds are often used to make vegan puddings and overnight oats due to their great binding powers. Chia seeds were also the foods of Inca warriors and are in homemade energy gels for ultra marathoners. Hemp seeds are great in granola, smoothies and oatmeal One of my favourite things to eat are the hemp seed bars at Rawlicious in Whitby. I eat them post work-out as a recovery food. I found this handy chart on vegkitchen.com that compares the omega and protein quantities in the three seeds. You may think the protein is low, but remember, you're adding these to foods that already contain protein. For example, if you add 2 tbsps. of hemp seeds to a ½ cup of oatmeal, you have 13 grams of proteins 1 TBSP FLAX CHIA HEMP Total Fat 4.5g 4g 4.6g Omega-3s 2300mg 2400mg 1000mg Omega-6 600mg 800mg 2500mg Protein 2 g 2.5 g 3.5 g Fibre 3 g 5 g 0.3 g Calories 55 60 57 Flax Seed Egg 1 Tbsp. Flaxseed Meal (ground or milled flaxseed) 3 Tbsp. Hot Water Instructions Add the tablespoon of ground flaxseed to a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water from the kettle (just boiled). Allow to sit for a minute or two. Once it has a gelatinous consistency it functions like an egg in recipes, this generally takes about 1-2 minutes. Use it in place of an egg in recipes, it's usually 1 for 1, so 1 flax egg replaces 1 regular (chicken) egg in recipes. Pull out your favorite muffin recipe and replace the egg with a flax seed egg for a plant based muffin. Sheree's hack: Keep little jars of these seeds on your countertop to add to cereals, smoothies, and salads. Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Resolution: Bump up to Super Seeds