Everyone knows that you can sprout Chia Seeds! Although many of those Chia Seeds are never eaten, and just go for a laugh with the Chia Pets. But for those of you who are ready to go beyond the entertainment and learn how to incorporate Chia Seeds into your Health Lifestyle Food Plans…continue reading for several ideas.

In ancient times, the Aztecs valued Chia Seeds and it is reported that the messengers who would run between villages in the rough terrain would chew Chia Seeds to maintain their strength and provide endurance as they traveled long distances. The Chia that is a member of the Salvia (Mint) family is Chia hispanica, the seedstock typically used as a food.

Chia Seeds are grown in South America and in Mexico as a staple and made into cakes and porridges, especially because the seed becomes gelatinous when soaked in water or fruit juices. A popular drink in Mexico is referred to as Chia Fresca. It certainly makes water and fruit juice more nutritious.

Chia Seeds are noteworthy for their health benefits because they are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, fiber, anti-oxidants, and is 20% protein with no toxins. It’s a little nutrient power house. Chia sprouts can be used just as you would alfalfa sprouts in salads and other dishes. They’re better used this way than on a clay pet!

Some people make a ground paste from the seeds and add the paste to biscuits and cakes. You can bake the seeds with bread and whether you add the seeds to the dough or sprinkle the seeds on top of the bread…it adds a nice touch plus some great nutrients.

There’s no gluten and no sodium in Chia Seeds and 64% of each seed contains the EFAs that are particularly prized for health benefits. The 25% of the seed containing soluble fiber makes it especially valued for balancing the digestion of carbohydrates.

Many people forget how important the trace mineral Boron is to support healthy bones and joints. Chia Seeds have Boron, but should not be relied upon as the only source for this trace mineral. These precious little jewels also contain calcium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, niacin, and zinc in trace amounts.

You can sprinkle the raw seed on top of yogurt if you like the nutty flavor. Some people put a few seeds in their cereal or in their trail mix. Any recipe that calls for small seeds like poppy seeds or sesame seeds can be substituted with these seeds. Some nutritionists think that the Chia Seed is a more potent source of Omega 3s than flaxseed. Chia is easier to chew than flax!

If you need to thicken foods or drinks, you can soak the Chia Seeds in water or juice for half an hour or until the mixture becomes gelatinous. Once you blend it to smooth it out; then you can add lemon juice and apple juice for a cooling beverage. You can add the gel to smoothies, especially to fruit juice smoothies which will thicken it up better than crushed ice. The Chia Fresca found in Mexico is made with this gel and lime/lemon juice with a natural sweetener.

You can also add this gel to sauces and mayo to extend them…even BBQ sauce goes well with Chia gel… Dr. Oz mentioned Muffins when he talked about Chia Seeds as a Superfood on Oprah. Yes, muffins and other cakes are great when ground seed is added to the recipe. Pinole was a favorite food of Southwestern tribes who took this meal and made into cakes and other food forms for strength during warring activity or on long treks.

Experiment…chew on a few seeds, try a few recipes and see what you think! You’ll most likely come to love Chia Seeds as a Superfood, just as much as Dr. Oz, Dr. Weil, Dr. Shealy, and we do!

Mountain Rose Herbs

We enjoy adding chia seed meal to our baked goods like muffins and cookies. There are recipes on the Net that are good and you can substitute meal for many flours or other dried ingredients. Remember to adjust the water levels a little as the meal will absorb more liquid. We are finding that people are searching for pine nut or pinole seed recipes which include chia seeds and we encourage your use of these delicious little gems. Add pine nuts to your muffin mixes and to pancakes or waffles. Sprinkle pine nuts on top of your kudzu root and chia seed gel pudding for texture and nutrition. You can also add some chia seeds to your pesto recipe with pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, parm, and basil or spinach. You might want to grind the chia seed first in a spice grinder or the blender before mixing it into the rest of the ingredients in your pesto. Feel free to send us Comments with your favorite recipes and share them with our visitors.

If you LOVE Chia Seeds, too, and you want to order them in Bulk quantities; then head on over to Raw Food World and get your Chia Seeds for an excellent price. They are as fresh here as they are anywhere:

Raw Food World Chia Seeds

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 12:58 am and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.