Benefits of Chia Seeds: Five Reasons to Incorporate them Into Your Diet

Chia seeds are a super food that can provide many benefits to those who consume them on a regular basis. In fact, the peoples of South America (where chia seeds originate) have known the benefits of consuming chia seeds for hundreds of years, and they were even a staple in Mayan and Aztec diets. Today, they draw the attention of many health food junkies due to the benefits they can provide, as well as the various ways in which they can be used in cooking. While there are numerous benefits of consuming chia seeds, here are the top five reasons to eat them.

1. Great Source of Fiber: Consuming the proper amount of fiber is vital to one’s health, as fiber is associated with lowering cholesterol and regulating bowel function. Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, containing 10 grams in only 2 tablespoons, which is about one-third of the recommended daily fiber intake. Eating chia is thusly an easy way to incorporate more fiber into your diet.
2. Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Chia seeds are rich in unsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, chia seeds are one of the richest plant based sources of omega-3s. Why is consuming omega-3 fatty acids important? Consuming these unsaturated fats can help to reduce cholesterol and can even help to enhance cognitive function.
3. Chia Seeds are Filling: Eating chia seeds helps one to feel full and satisfied after a meal. This helps to cut down on cravings and snacking in between meals. This can help with weight management, and can help to improve one’s overall health as it helps to prevent overindulging in unnecessary food.
4. They are Full of Minerals and Nutrients: Two tablespoons of chia seeds contains roughly 18 percent of the daily recommended intake of calcium, 24 percent for magnesium, and roughly fifty percent of the daily recommended intake of manganese. These nutrients can help to prevent high blood pressure (hypertension), and can help you to maintain a healthy weight by improving your metabolism.
5. Chia Seeds Help with Blood Sugar Regulation: Chia seeds can help those with diabetes by helping to regulate the insulin levels in their body. They do this by helping to decrease abnormally high levels of insulin in the blood.

Chia seeds truly are a super food that can provide many benefits to those who incorporate them into their diet. Contact us to find out about more of the amazing benefits of consuming chia seeds, as well as to find out ways you can incorporate them into your diet.

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!