Chia Seed

A Recently Discovered Super Food that was an Ancient American Food
– Organic and all Natural as well

by
David W. Allan
16 May 2009

How would you like a food that:

Sounds to good to be true. A year ago March, I would have thought so too. My wife and I read newsletters from Dr. Williams and Dr. Weil giving some of the above amazing properties of chia seed. The more we learned about chia, the more amazed we were.

We soon learned that we were not alone – that this was new to almost everyone else. We found a good bulk source in SW Arizona and made a four day trip to bring back over 3,000 lbs. of chia – sight-unseen. We were able to get that for $3.00/lb. and shared that with family and friends. It was gone in a few weeks. Then the price went out of sight because lots of others had read the same newsletters, and the demand exceeded the supply. We have had many phone calls over that last year, and until recently, we were not able to help them with any good cost savings.

The reason for the lack of knowledge was that it had been one of the most important foods of the ancient American, but the Conquistadors, wanting to destroy them, destroyed their chia crops. Dr. Coates of the U. of AZ in 1991 reintroduced it back again. By the year 2000, western Australian farmers learned about it and have developed some of the best chia farms in the world. We have been buying from the Chia Company.  They are third generation farmers who take great pride in the quality of their produce.

We have just gotten our third metric ton from them, and we have found the quality to be excellent. By buying it in bulk and sharing with family and friends, we have been able to get it for $3.50/lb. and cover our costs. It has worked out exceedingly well, but is a lot of work, and we don’t plan to continue this for long. We want to let others know of this wonderful food. We have had several of our friends report positive benefits. One friend lost 30 pounds and is sleeping much better. Another gave it to her relay running team, and they recently took first place.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. My wife and I love to put our two tablespoons per day per person in a small glass of orange juice. We let it set for 15 minutes or so as it swells up almost 9:1 in a water based substance, and it tastes great and is so easy. I have tried the experiment to let that be my main breakfast item as I did today before going on a mountain bike ride up on the deer trails above our home. I had plenty of energy, and really enjoyed the ride. Grinding the chia seeds aids assimilation. 

Where can you find a better food to solve the omega-3 deficiency problem, which is very severe in the American diet? It is the richest plant on the planet in omega-3. 1/4 cup is equivalent to nearly a pound of wild salmon. To read about the seriousness of the Omega-3 deficiency problem in our diets read:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Classic-Symptoms-of-Omega-3-Deficiency&id=490927  This is an informative article but misses the miracle of chia as a solution to the omega-3 deficiency problem – again probably like we were a year ago – they don’t know about chia.

Some of the diseases associated with omega-3 deficiency include Cancer, Arthritis, Obesity, Heart disease, Arteriosclerosis, and Diabetes. One can find lots of good information on the internet both on the omega-3 deficiency problem as well as about the nutrient benefits of chia. There are also lots of easy and good recipes for using chia.

Other nutritional properties of chia seed are (by weight):

We know of no side effects. It seems to be nearly the ideal food, but because of its mild flavor it is always fun to use it in conjunction with other tasty foods. It is so versatile that it can go in about any recipe. It is reported to have a long shelf life. We highly recommend it after having used it for a year.

See also: