Just Ask The Aztecs About The Benefits Of Chia Seeds

Just Ask The Aztecs About The Benefits Of Chia Seeds

Have you heard the stories about the "running people" of the Copper Canyons in Mexico?  It has been said that they are perhaps the finest long distance runners on earth.  The stories tell of 100 to 300 mile runs that the people do with ease.  You can just imagine the intense physical conditioning that must take place to be able to run like that!

The Tarahumara people of Mexico begin that conditioning at a very young age with the goal to be becoming runners for life, and along with a simple diet, the people have been known to live to 100 years old.  They also rarely suffer from disease and illnesses like we do in the western world.  Main staples of their diet were chia seeds and pinole.  Pinole was actually a type of roasted corn, often mixed with sugar, which is an excellent food for staving off hunger. Super concentrated and super nutritious, it is a food that will sustain you for weeks.

The mighty chia seed comes from a member of the mint family that thrives in the desert.  These seeds, along with the pinole are true "super foods" and chia offers twice the protein of any other seeds, like flax seeds for instance. They are also a rich source of antioxidants. 

Dr. Andrew Weil's website tells us that: 

"Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don't deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc."

The Aztec peoples of Mexico ate chia seeds as a staple of their diets as the plant was grown all over Mexico as far back as 1500 BC.  The chia seed helped maintain their powerful military and was known as the ultimate survival food.  They also used chia for medicine and it was included in religious ceremonies as an offering to the gods.  When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived they made note of the importance of this food in the people's diets and they promptly decided to do whatever they could to remove it from the people's lives.

Today, we know that the mighty chia is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.  We also know that it can help us reduce our risk of heart disease and even help us avoid the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. Studies have shown that eating chia "improves major and emerging cardiovascular risk factors".

When we learned about all the health benefits of eating chia seeds, we just had to find a way to include them in our snacks.  Along came the Organic, Blue Corn Tor"chia" chip which has been infused with the mighty chia seed.

Contact us and we will let you know where you can grab a bag today!