Superfood: Chia

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Chia is going through a renaissance of sorts. No longer is it that goofy gag gift that proliferates the shelves during the holidays to feign a spiked hairdo on assorted animals or cartoon character’s heads. Indeed, it’s so much more! Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, which is technically part of the mint family. Before chia pets, the chia seed was the primo food in Aztec and Mayan diets and the basic survival ration of the Aztec army. Just think about what that means– this seed is packed with some good stuff! So maybe it’s time to take this little seed seriously.

Ch-ch-ch-chocked Full of Nutrients – What It Is

Chia seeds are loaded with essential fatty acids carrying the highest amount among any known plant. They also have among the highest amounts of antioxidants of any other whole food– even more than the highly-touted blueberry. Ounce-for-ounce, chia outshines some legendary health mainstays. It has 15 times more magnesium than broccoli, 3 times more iron than spinach, 6 times more calcium than milk, and 2 times more potassium than bananas. It gets an A+ for containing all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein (gluten-free at that).

DISCLAIMER: please don’t eat a chia pet. The chia seeds that come with the terra cotta pet have not been approved as “food” by the FDA, so buy the seeds from a health-food store or from online.

Ch-ch-ch-charge Up Your Food – What It Means To You

Chia seeds absorb up to 10 times their weight in water, which effectively maintains the body’s hydration longer and improves overall endurance^[1]. It will also keep those minerals floating around the body, which helps to reduce stress, builds strong bones, and regulate the heartbeat.

And, for the sake of our tummies, the human body can easily digest chia seeds. Unlike other seeds, chia seeds do not have to be ground up to be eaten. When mixed with stomach juices, the seeds form a gel, creating a barrier to digestive enzymes so the seeds’ carbohydrates are digested slowly and glucose is released at a steady rate^[2] versus in spurts. This is great for preventing spikes in blood sugar, unlike some other carbohydrates we know (ahem, white sugar).

This ‘gel when wet’ phenomenon also helps us to feel fuller, as the seeds suck up digestive juices and expand, encroaching upon the empty space in the stomach.

And the taste? Quite tasteless, actually, which makes them a perfect addition to almost any snack or dish. Mix them with a favorite smoothie, let them set in almond milk to harden into a pudding-like texture, or add them to cereal, salad, granola mix, and just about anything else. Find chia seeds at health markets, online, or at many bigger chain grocery stores. Extra extra credit- bugs hate them, so it is easy to find organically grown varieties.

So maybe it’s time to consider trading that icon of kitsch for a new pet. And by “pet,” I mean “food.”

1. Omega 3 Chia seed loading as a means of carbohydrate loading. Illian TG., Casey JC.,  Bishop PA. Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The University of Alabama, Auburn, Alabama, USA.  Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2011 Jan;25(1):61-5. [↩]
2. Lipid redistribution by α-linolenic acid-rich chia seed inhibits stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 and induces cardiac and hepatic protection in diet-induced obese rats. Poudyal H., Panchal SK., Waander J. School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland. Australia Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 2011 Mar 22. [↩]