In love with Chia

I learn something exciting that pumps me up EVERY day from CBC radio. Today was yet another mind-blowing commute into work as I tuned into the last 5 minutes of a segment on “Chia Seeds”. Yes the same chia as those popular grass headed characters from the 80′s is now back as a SUPERFOOD. I am totally serious. I had no idea this seed was so amazing and full of good stuff our bodies need.

Let’s start with a little background on this tiny seed. It’s Latin name is Salvia Hispanica; a flowering plant in the mint family. Folklore dictates it was so prized by the Aztecs it was offered to rulers, traded for goods and valued higher than gold. Chia has the highest amount of Omega 3′s of any other plant which means it’s great for our heart, skin and hair! The seeds are about the size of poppy seeds so they can be easily ground up to add to other foods such as breads and apparently, quite tasteless (not sure if this is a necessarily good thing…). I’ve been doing a ton of reading on chia today and many articles call it “natures forgotten super food” due to the omegas, high protein and fibre content.

Seems to good to be true doesn’t it? Well it comes with a hefty price tag…I thought quinoa was expensive! I urge you to check out your local health food stores and co-ops; maybe they have chia for a reasonable price. In my neck of the woods there is a little company that’s doing it’s best to bring chia to the masses via a cereal called (I love this) Holy Crap. The site claims it’s the ‘worlds most amazing breakfast cereal’ and I admit, I’m intrigued.

I’m a self-professed cereal-aholic. I have admitted it openly that I sometimes have cereal for dinner. Two bowls sometimes. I’m not ashamed to say this. I do not however have my cupboards full of sugar-laden garbage cereals, and do try to be somewhat choosy about what I put into my bowl. This Holy Crap cereal sounds like a little bit of heaven that is seriously good for you and yes, I need to try it. The company seems a little overwhelmed with orders and are shipping out a ton of cereal so once the frenzy dies down, I’d love to try some.

Another company selling this seed is Webber Naturals under the name ChiaNutra…Also Cobs bread is apparently baking with it now but I’ve yet to see this myself or check it out in the bakery…

Don’t get me wrong there are a TON of places selling chia seeds and products but I’m only going to mention the companies I know of, or were mentioned on CBC this morning in this segment…because I trust where the info came from.

Just when you thought that little green afro seed-head from the 80′s was a silly passing fad…we realize we could have munched on our Chia Pets if we were hungry.

Cheers to chia- I look forward to trying this super food!

What will I learn tomorrow?

Phew. OK so the main thing here in this scientific gibberish is “damage cells”. That can’t be good. Antioxidants are ‘free radical scavengers’ and could prevent damage from heart disease or cancer.

Research is ongoing in this field but it can’t be denied that antioxidants are something we should try to get enough of because simply put, it can’t hurt. Right? Vitamin E, C and A are all rich sources of antioxidants…as are dried beans…

Of course fruits and veggies are loaded with these hero scavengers (do you really need another reason to eat MORE healthy?). Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries lead the Berries in antioxidants and since it’s summer now, what better time to dig in?