Chi Chi Chi CHIA

So what’s all the fuss about, I keep seeing ‘Chia’ seeds mentioned everywhere that I go.  I am bombarded with Advertisments on television, on the internets as well as on the grocery shelves.

Touted as the new superfood, yet, I did not know anything about this myself until fairly recently.

I must have been living under a rock or just so consumed by processed garbage that I was closed off from seeing what apparently was right in front of me.

My first thought turned to the 80's when the Chia Pet was popular and came in the form of clay figures that served as the base for a sticky paste of Chia seeds, that when watered the seeds would sprout and this would suggest the figures fur or hair.  I guess you could have eaten that, but, who would have thunk it.

Fast forward to the newly marketed antioxidant wonder food, originally grown in Mexico and coveted by the Mayans and Aztecs for it’s health properties, Salvia hispanica,  commonly known as chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family 'Chia' meaning ‘Strength’.

Below are a few great reasons you should integrate these little babies into your lifestyle right now:

• ·         Easy to incorporate into your diet -  because they are tasteless they can be sprinkled, mixed with, stirred into almost anything without the pre grounding and can amp up the nutritional value instantly

• ·         As most of the carbohydrates come in the form of fiber, not only are they filling and low carb, they also aid in keeping your gut healthy and therefore everything is moving well inside and out
• ·         Chia seeds are gram for gram an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein and can keep those bones healthy for those that don’t eat dairy
• ·         The seeds absorb water really well and can be used as an egg substitute in recipes, so they are fabulous for vegetarians as a hearty protein substitute
• ·         As they contain protein and fiber in the form of carbohydrates they assist in weight loss as your body does not constantly crave snacks because it feels satisfied for longer periods of time
• ·         Filled with antioxidants as these fats protect the seeds from becoming rotten, it can only be a good thing for your health as it is always better to receive your antioxidants from real food rather than supplementing.

A few cautions, as chia seeds absorb 10-12 times their weight in water, please be careful when eating them raw with a spoon and then following this with a glass of water. As they expand quite quickly, they may cause an obstruction for those with intense dysphagia, or difficulty of swallowing.

So, let’s become like those Aztec warriors who ate chia seeds to give them high energy and endurance.

Not only will our skin and body look and feel better, but our digestive health and overall better sense of well being will be satiated.

Peace Love 

and 

Hugs

Nerina 

xOxO