Chia Seeds

We recently found chia seeds at Whole Foods and began adding them to our morning shake.  We both immediately noticed a spike in our energy levels after drinking the shake, so we decided to do a little research on them.

Chia seeds come from a flowering plant belonging to the mint family. It is native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala, and was cultivated by the Aztecs and Mayans in pre-Columbian days.

Chia is an excellent vegetarian source of omega fatty acids. In fact, they are the richest plant source of Omega-3, and they even contain more Omega-3 than salmon.

Chia is an easily digestible form of protein and is full of minerals, vitamins, and soluble fiber. It contains more antioxidants than flaxseed and is an excellent source of dietary fiber. Unlike flaxseed, chia seeds are easy to digest and they don't need to be ground up.

Chia seeds can help you feel full longer by absorbing ten times their weight in water! They form a bulky gel which can prevent some of the food you eat from getting absorbed into your system. This blocks calories which is great for maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight.  It is also great for your colon, but we will leave that for another post.

The gelling action of the seed, and its unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber combine to slow down your body's conversion of starches into sugars. Some studies indicate chia seeds may help control blood sugar, which is a huge health benefit for diabetics. The combination of complete protein, vitamins, minerals, and blood sugar balancing gel all work together to provide your body with a stable and consistent source of energy throughout the day, as opposed to many foods which make you jittery.  

Chia seeds can be found online or at Whole Foods.  They can be stored at room temperature for a long period of time (up to 2 years).

The best part about chia seeds is they are 100% chemical free and they are cheap!

When we first purchased the chia seeds we had no idea what they were (they were just something new we thought we would try out and read about), but now we are seeing them all over the place.  They were even featured on a recent episode of Dr. Oz.  We are trying out new ways to incorporate chia seeds into our recipes.  If you have any suggestions, please share!