Ch-ch-ch-Chia

Remember that big craze when we were kids, where you could buy a "Chia Pet" and grow your own grass-looking stuff on a clay figure? Well, how about eating the seeds instead of sprouting them on top of Elmer Fud's head? ;) Yep, that's right, chia seeds are super healthy. I found some at our local health food store last week and gave them a try.

Chia (salvia hispanica) is a tiny seed from the mint family. They are high in protein, contain water-soluble dietary fiber, and are the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids of all other supplements, along with vitamins B, C, E, and calcium. Unlike flax seeds, which are also high in omega-3's but need to be ground up, the chia seed can be consumed whole and digested easily. They have no taste, so it's easy to add them to foods without altering the flavor, or grind them up and sneak them into things so your kids don't notice. ;) You can put them in bread, smoothies, on top of cereal or hot breakfast cereals, or anything else you want. This little seed is pretty amazing!

I read that one of the great qualities of the chia seed is it's hydrophilic colloidal properties. It can absorb 12 times it's weight in water! This helps aid in hydration and digestion. It's said that bc of this hydrophilic property, eating chia seeds will help alleviate discomfort from foods that normally bother a person. I wanted to test this theory out, so I drank 2 tsp of whole chia seeds in water before I ate processed ice cream (a food that normally makes my stomach really hurt). And sure enough, no stomach pain. Now, I don't plan on doing this regularly and I don't recommend chia seeds as the "cure all" to be able to eat all the foods you know normally make you sick. But I do plan on adding chia seeds to our regular diet. :)

I am really excited about this little seed! I am always looking for ways to get more healthy fats into our diet. We eat a lot of coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, soaked almonds, avocados, cod liver oil, and ground flax seed. Now I have something else to add to our arsenal of healthy fats. Getting more good fats ( especially omega-3's) into your diet is essential. Your body doesn't make these fats, so you have to get them from the food you eat. Most people have an imbalance from consuming large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids (from vegetable oils and processed foods) and not enough omega-3's (from fish and fish oils, farm raised chicken eggs, dark green herbs and veggies, flax and chia seeds, flax oil, nuts, and a small amount in whole grains). Healthy fats are so important for healing and maintaining the body.

Anyhow, check your local health food store for chia seeds, or order them online. You can read more about them here at More Than Alive. Do some reading on the benefits of adding healthy fats to your diet, you'll be surprised. This Sally Fallon article is excellent (but long). I notice that I feel so much better and so do the boys when I am getting enough fats in my diet.