Basil seeds look similar to sesame seeds but are black. The type that we eat typically comes from sweet basil. They also go by many other names, including Tulsi Seeds, sabja, and tukmaria seeds.
Basil seeds have a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine.
Benefits and Uses:
- Good Source of Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Iron
- Packed with fiber particularly soluble fiber hence all the associated benefits like daily requirement of fiber, gut health, feeling of fullness, help in blood sugar control, and improve cholesterol.
- Flavorless Thickener and Stabilizer; easy to use in cooking and baking.
- Rich in Plant Compounds including flavonoids and polyphenols which are antioxidants.
- Important Beverage Ingredient. Basil seeds have long been used in drinks in India. A popular cold beverage-like dessert in India is falooda, made with basil seeds, rose-flavored.
- Plant Source of Omega-3 Fat: 1 tablespoon can provide the daily requirement of omega 3 fats.
- Great Alternative to Chia Seeds Basil seeds are a little larger than chia seeds but have a similar nutritional profile. The most notable nutritional differences are that chia seeds contain more than twice the omega-3 fat but a little less fiber compared to basil seeds.
- Easy to Use To eat basil seeds, we need to just soak them.
We can use basil seeds in:
- Smoothie
- Milkshakes
- Lemonade and other drinks
- Soups
- Salad dressings
- Yogurt
- Pudding
- Hot cereal like Oatmeal
- Whole-grain pancakes
- Whole-grain pasta dishes
- Bread and muffins
