Chia: Historical Super Seed Wonders

While ago, previous to the Spanish take-over of Latin America – and well before the Ch-ch-ch-chia Pet was created – chia plant seeds were  choice food, like maize and legumes, in the diet plans of the Aztecs and Mayans. Chia actually got its name from the Mayan word for “strength.”

 Most proof shows that people started using chia plant seeds around 3500 BC. Aztecs and Mayans absorbed chia plant seeds regularly, crushing them into flour, pushing them for oil and consuming them blended with water. Presently in record, chia plant seeds were considered to be almost wonderful because of their ability to increase endurance and energy over a while.

 previous to the Spanish take-over of Latin America, chia  seeds and their advantages became somewhat surpassed, as the Language presented their own foods and disallowed the agriculture of chia. Now, as contemporary researchers and health professionals are acknowledging the excessive lack of certain healthy value in the standard American diet, they are looking to record for natural remedies, such as chia. Because of this, it is restoring popularity and its advantages are becoming known to contemporary the United States.

The chia plant seeds are “super” because, like a super fruit, they provide a great deal of healthy value with minimum calorie consumption. They have several of the same advantages as the more well-known “super seed” flax, but as opposed to flaxseed, you don’t need to smash them to obtain the health advantages. The healthy advantages of chia include dietary roughage, Ω body fat, calcium mineral, anti-oxidants and much more – even protein!

While the American Dietetic Association recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day, unfortunately the average American only gets 12 to 15 grams. With nearly 11 grams of fiber per ounce, chia delivers 42% of your recommended daily value of fiber in a single serving. Fiber is vital for all aspects of health, and is especially key for weight loss and digestion. Fiber helps slow digestion and makes you feel fuller by soaking up fluid and expanding in your digestive tract.

Chia absorbs up to 12 times its own weight and expands to curb your appetite, so adding just an ounce or so of chia seeds to your diet can reduce caloric intake and help lower the energy density (or calories) of foods, plus double the amount of fiber you receive.

 My favorite way to eat chia is as a snack or dessert in a weight-loss pudding. To make the pudding, simply mix 3 tbsp of ground chia seeds with a cup of your favorite juice – my favorite is pomegranate and berries with resveratrol, for an extra boost of antioxidants. Click here for the complete recipe.

 Contributing to its super-seed status, ounce for ounce, chia seeds have more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon! Chia is one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 in any food. It also contains high amounts of omega-6. Everyone needs to consume high amounts of these essential fatty acids in their diet, because these EFAs build new cells and regulate various processes of the body, but our bodies cannot make them internally. They also support heart health and beautiful skin, hair and nails.

 Chia also contains calcium; in fact, it delivers 18% of your daily value per ounce, which is three times more than skim milk. Many Americans – especially vegetarians or those who avoid dairy – are not getting enough calcium. Calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, a disorder characterized by porous and fragile bones. Osteoporosis is a serious health problem for more than 10 million US adults, 80% of whom are women. Another 34 million have osteopenia, which is essentially pre-osteoporosis.