CHIA SEEDS

Chia Seeds - Yum!

What is Chia Seed?
 
Chia seed is an ancient superfood that is currently experiencing a glorious renaissance ;) It is a member of the sage family (Salvia Hispanica). The little black and white seeds were once a staple of the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures, along with the Native Americans of the southwest.
"Chia" is actually the Mayan word for strength. The seeds were used by these ancient cultures as mega-energy food, especially for their running messengers, who would carry a small pouch of it with them. Chia has been called 'Indian Running Food' and gives an incredibly 'sustaining' surge of energy. People definitely have noticed the 'running energy' that chia seems to impart. If clients eat chia, then run later that day, their endurance and ability to run further is greatly enhanced - pretty impressive stuff... ;)
The chia that is sold at an excellent online store is imported from Mexico and is certified organic. In Mexico they say that one tablespoon of chia seeds can sustain a person for 24 hours. Chia also happens to TASTE great, looks cute (like tiny dinosaur eggs) and is ready to eat really quickly - besides which it has an off-the-scale nutritional profile...

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Why would you want to eat Chia?

Chia seeds are said to have:

2 times the protein of any other seed or grain, 5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones, 2 times the amount of potassium as bananas, 3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries 3 times more iron than spinach copious amounts of omega 3 and omega 6, which are essential fatty acids... They are a complete source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids in an easily digestible form. They are also a fabulous source of soluble fibre. Like flax, chia is highly 'hydrophilic' - the seeds absorb water and create a mucilaginous gel. They can hold 9-12 times their weight in water and they absorb it very rapidly - in under 10 minutes. Antioxidants One advantage of chia is that because it has such a high antioxidant content, the seeds stay stable for much longer, whereas flax, for example, may turn rancid. Chia seeds can easily be stored dry for 4-5 years without deterioration in flavour, odour or nutritional value. You can substitute chia in any recipe that calls for flax. Mild Taste The taste of chia is very mild and pleasant. That means you can easily combine it with other foods without changing the taste dramatically. People add chia to their sauces, bread batters, puddings, smoothies and more. The flavour is retained, plus masses more nutrition is added ;) The 'Dieter's Dream Food' Chia has been called a dieter's dream food because when added to foods, it bulks them up, displacing calories and fat without diluting the flavour. Thus, someone can eat a typical serving, yet only consume about half the calories they might have eaten, because the food has been bulked up with chia. PLUS, the eater gets a bellyful of nutrient-rich superfood goodness, which hydrates and sustains them - magic ;)  --------------- What are some other benefits of eating Chia? Provides energy Boosts strength Bolsters endurance Levels blood sugar Induces weight loss Aids intestinal regularity Sugar Absorption Chia slows the impact of sugars on the system, if eaten together. Chia gel creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, which slows the conversion of carbs into sugar. That means the energy from the food is released steadily, resulting in more endurance. This is clearly of great benefit to diabetics in particular. It also means that I can combine chia with super-sweet tastes like apple juice and not get super-spiked ;) Absorb and Retain Water Due to the exceptional water-absorption quality of chia, it can help you prolong hydration and retain electrolytes, especially during exertion. Easy to Digest Whole, water-soaked chia seeds are easily digested and absorbed. Their tiny dinosaur-egg-like shells break down quickly. They feel light in the body, yet energising. Their nutrients can be quickly assimilated into the body. Intestinal Broom Chia seeds bulk up, then work like an incredible digestive broom, sweeping through your intestinal tract, helping to dislodge and eliminate old accumulated waste in the intestines. Many people find their stools also become more regular once they eat chia. Inexpensive Chia is a very reasonably priced, concentrated food. Our 1lb bags cost $8. 1/3 cup of dry chia seeds (2 ounces) makes about 17 ounces of chia gel. This costs about $1. Depending on how much gel you use, those 17oz will likely last, on average, about four days. That is about 25cents a day. Versatile Chia can be used in so many kinds of recipes - savoury, sweet - it works with anything. You might want to try them in salad dressings, cookie mixtures, smoothies, crackers, ice creams, juices and so on. Gluten-Free Chia seed protein contains no gluten. This makes it ideal for anyone with a gluten sensitivity or simply wanting to find a replacement for gluten-containing grains like wheat, barley, rye and oats.  --------------- Which medical conditions can Chia help relieve or support? Chia is reported to be beneficial for a vast range of issues, for example: weight loss/balance thyroid conditions hypo-glycaemia diabetes IBS celiac disease acid reflux lowering cholesterol Ancient Remedy In the traditional cultures that consumed chia, like the Aztecs, chia was also regarded as a medicine. It was used in myriad ways - from cleaning the eyes to helping heal wounds, topically, to relieving joint pain and so on. It was considered extremely valuable for healing. Acid Reflux One woman we know uses chia therapeutically to manage her acid reflux. Because of the highly absorbent properties of chia, she can swallow a Tbsp of dry seeds with just a little water and they go into her stomach and absorb the excess acid. She makes sure to drink a glass of water a few minutes later, as the seeds are so hydrophilic that if they do not find enough to absorb in the stomach, they will draw from the tissues instead. By allowing the seeds to first absorb the acid, then drinking some more water, our friend is able to very simply, effectively and cheaply handle her condition. :) Regeneration Chia aids rapid development of tissue, due to its incredible nutrient profile and easy assimilation. It can be very beneficial for those healing from injuries, people like bodybuilders who are always re-forming tissues and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.   --------------- How do you use Chia? The most common way to eat chia is to first soak the seeds. They can very rapidly absorb a large amount of liquid - between 9-12 times their volume, in under 10 minutes. The Basic Gel To make a basic chia gel, simply add 1/3 cup of seeds (2oz) to 2 cups of water. Stir the mixture well, to avoid clumping, then leave it in your fridge, in a sealed jar. This will yield around 17oz of chia gel. You can begin to eat the gel almost immediately if you like. Just 10 minutes is enough time for the gel to be formed. More of the nutrients will be easily accessible after a few hours however, so many people like to make up a batch like this and leave it in the fridge. It will stay good for about three weeks. Then you can just reach into the fridge and take out some of the ready-made gel whenever you need it. You might add it to smoothies, mix it with salad dressings, puddings or granola, or simply take it by the spoonful. Beyond Water... As mentioned above, chia will absorb anything - it doesn't have to soak in water. We like soaking it in things like apple juice for example. That way, the intense sweetness of the apple juice is also offset by the chia and it tastes yummy ;). We also often blend fruits - for example bananas and persimmons, then stir the chia into that mixture. Again, the longer the seeds are left to soak, the more their nutrients will be readily available to you, yet you could easily eat a meal like this 10 minutes or less after preparing it. Whole Seeds You can also sprinkle the dry seeds onto salads or add them to granola mixes. You may also want to experiment with grinding them first in a coffee grinder, to make a 'chia flour' you can then add to smoothies, soups and so on.   --------------- Ten Raw Chia Recipes WARNING - these are 'hardcore' raw foodist recipes, developed and used by long-term raw food eaters. Some may seem quite peculiar or unfamiliar to those who are not accustomed to eating raw. We encourage you to try them out though and to perhaps use them as a 'spring-board' for creating and enjoying your own chia recipes... All of these recipes are based on one person eating. Basic Chia Gel Chia Water Mix 1/3-cup chia seeds to 2 cups water. Stir. This is the 'basic gel' recipe that can be stored in your fridge and used as required. Sweet Shortbread Chia 4-5 tbsps chia seeds 2 cups fresh apple juice 2 tbsp lucuma powder 1/2 cup dried mulberries 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds Soak the chia seeds in the apple juice. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Leave to soak for at least 10 minutes before consuming. 'Chia Fresca' 2 tsp chia seeds 10oz pure water juice of one lemon or lime agave syrup or raw honey to taste This is still a popular drink in modern-day Mexico. Simply stir the ingredients together and enjoy. Fruity Chia 3 small or 2 big apples 8 dates, pits removed 4-5 tbsp chia seeds 1/4 cup dried mulberries Blend the apples and six of the dates together. Transfer that mixture into a bowl and stir in the chia seeds and mulberries. Chop down the remaining 2 dates into pieces and stir those in too. Leave to soak for at least 10 minutes before consuming. Bana-paya Chia 1 banana 1 cup papaya flesh 6 dried Turkish figs 4-5 tbsp chia, ground Blend the banana and papaya flesh together. Put the figs in this mixture and leave it to soak overnight. Blend the whole mixture, including the figs, the next day. Stir in the ground chia seed. Serve. Chia Gel 'Muesli' 1 cup of basic chia gel 2 bananas, mashed with a fork 1 tbsp lucuma powder 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds Mix together the ingredients in a bowl with a fork and eat. Green Chia 8 dried prunes, soaked in 1 pint pure water 1 tbsp spirulina powder 1/3-cup chia seeds Drain off most of the prune soak water and put the chia seeds to soak in the prune soak water. Blend together the prunes with the spirulina and a small amount of the soak water. Stir the spirulina/prune mixture into the soaked chia seeds. Leave the chia to soak for at least 10 minutes before consuming. Persi-nana Chia 4-5 tbsp chia seeds 1-2 bananas 1-2 persimmons 1tsp maca 1 tsp cinnamon handful of goji berries handful of pumpkin seeds Blend together the bananas and persimmons. Pour out the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the chia seeds, maca, cinnamon, gojis and pumpkin seeds. Leave the chia to soak for at least 10 minutes before consuming. Raw 'Rice Pudding' 4-5 tbsp chia seed 2 cups almond milk raw honey or agave syrup to taste Combine the ingredients to your taste. Leave the chia to soak for at least 10 minutes before consuming. You can also add other flavours like vanilla, cinnamon or cardamom. Banana-nut Bread 2 cups vegetable juice pulp (preferably at least half carrot) 8 tbsp ground chia 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup raisins 5 bananas Mix together the veggie juice pulp and bananas in a food processor. Add in the ground chia and let the food processor run until the seeds are completely mixed in. Transfer the mixture to a bowl with the walnuts and raisins and mix them in thoroughly by hand. Shape into a loaf. For major yumminess, top with ?Cream Cheese? (see below). Cream Cheese Flesh of three avocados 9 dates juice of 1 or 2 lemons big handful of dulse seaweed Blend.  --------------- Thanks to Angela Stokes for putting this info together ;)  Organic chia seeds can be purchased from  TheRawFoodWorld.com HERE.

Spry Chewing Gum

Have you been like me ... searching for a "healthy" gum --- one that would not subject you to the neurotoxic effects of Aspartame? Well, look no further ... :)

(One caveat: the taste does dissipate quite quickly yet your mouth shall still be refreshed)

Organic Mung Bean Fettuchini

So, I just discovered this product as I continued my connoisseurial activities of combining cellular healing with delicious food for the masses :) And my friends ... the creators of this product, as well as its sister product, Organic Black Bean Spaghetti, have "pinned the tail on the donkey" --- I simply tossed olive oil and sea salt on them --- and created a beautiful shrimp and vegetable noodle dish --- the recipe shall soon follow. ;)

Avocados

I love this super food so much --- it was my daughter's first solid food choice. And thanks to www.avocadonutrition.net we are informed to the far reaching nutritional value:

About the avocado nutrition, this fruit has become the most favorite fruits that have lots of vitamins and energy. The avocado has the no 2 highest number of monounsaturated fatty acids after OLIVE OIL. With more than 20 % from the total number avocado nutrition become the most complete for children growth after the olive oil, and this amount of avocado nutrition we can say that this fruit become the important fruit that give you lots of nutrition. For many years avocados is believe that its has large amount of fat which make people who doing on weight reducing programs often stay away from this fruits, but one thing that they don’t know that those sentence are totally myth, in fact the all nutrition and monounsaturated fats that contain in the fruits help you to increase basal metabolic rate which can help people reduce their appetite that prevent them from over eating.

The other avocado nutrition that gives your body mineral supply is the potassium, as we know that banana has large amount of potassium, but in avocado you can find larger amount of potassium which is 3 times more, and another mineral that will be used for blood development, iron, phosphorus and magnesium. Avocados also categories an ideal fruit for diabetic people and can treat hypoglycemic. Even though you can treat for hypoglycemic, this fruits categorized as low glucose fruits therefore you can use it for diabetic people and patients.

Last but not least, avocados has lots of vitamin which not only useful for the body but also useful for the skin, because avocados are rich in vitamin E which can make your skin younger if you use it regularly. Not forget to mention that the vitamin B and the other vitamins that will help you take care of your skin and hair. So what are you waiting for? Eat your avocados now and feel the nutrition!

Organic Coconut Oil

The Health Benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil

Since the 1960s, coconut oil has been unfairly labeled as “unhealthy.” The media reported studies of how tropical coconut oils were laden with artery-clogging saturated fats. What was left out of these reports was the fact that the coconut oil used in the studies was not the virgin oil used for centuries but hydrogenated coconut oil. We have since learned it’s the hydrogenation — artificially adding a hydrogen molecule to oils in order to make them shelf-stable — that’s the problem, not the coconut oil itself. Hydrogenated soy, corn, and canola oils — loaded with dangerous trans-fats and processed with toxic hexane solvents — are routinely added to packaged foods. Hydrogenation fattened corporate profits and American waistlines, and is now linked with trans-fats and associated heart disease.

Baby formulas often include pure coconut oil as an ingredient because coconut is such a healthy super food. Virgin coconut oil is rich in the essential fatty acids, the “good fats” that doctors recommend and is cholesterol – and trans fat-free. :)

Health Properties of Lauric Acid

One of the “good fats” that makes up about 50% of coconut oil, is lauric acid. Lauric acid is a rare medium-chain fatty acid found in mother’s milk. It is now being shown to have anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial health-protecting properties. Some researchers predict that lauric acid will one day become as well known in health circles as Omega-3 is today.

As studies reveal the downsides of consuming too many Omega-6 vegetable oils with their saturated fatty acids, coconut oil is making a comeback. We suggest consuming 3 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil a day.

Hydrogenated Trans Fat or Healing Coconut Oil?

The FDA started requiring the labeling of “trans fats” in 2006, and as a result the entire fat category is undergoing a review of its traditions and assumptions. Hemp and coconut oil products deliver the nourishing “good fats, which can play a vital role in our health. Millions of Americans are questioning the outmoded assumptions regarding “zero fat is good”, “tropical fats are bad,” and “lots of vegetable oils are beneficial”.

The traditional Pacific Islander diet included large quantities of coconut meat and oil, and those who still follow this diet have a low incidence of heart disease or weight issues. When a Western-style diet including vegetable oils replaces their traditional diet, all of the fat-related diseases common in the developed nations such as coronary heart disease begin to appear, their immune systems get weaker and serum cholesterol levels go up.

Besides its nutritional value, pure coconut oil also makes a luscious and soothing massage and body oil for dry and or damaged skin.