The Chia Diet

Ch-ch-ch-ch-CHIA!  Watch it grow!

Remember the commercial?  I was probably the only child in the known universe who didn’t own one of those cute pottery ‘pets’ that grew plant hair from the chia seed.  And yes, I feel cheated.

Well apparently it now has a new use; as a dietary aid, which hopefully, won’t make you grow!

Hailed as the new super food, and heralding from the plant salvia hispanica, the Aztecs used to eat them to increase their energy for battle.  They are high in protein, fiber, magnesium and ALA, which is a type of omega-3 fatty acid…in fact the chia seed contains more omega 3’s than any other plant source, including its famous counterpart flaxseed.  Not too shabby for a seed whose fame up until now has derived from providing hair to a retail gimmick.

But how can the chia seed help you in a diet? What does it do?  Well, there is a little research that rendered some interesting results.  A 2007 study was conducted on diabetics who ate four tablespoons of chia seeds for three months.  Researchers found:

• Their blood clotting problem was reduced by 20 percent.
• Inflammation was reduced by 30 percent.
• Their omega-3 fatty acid levels were raised 80 percent; and
• Systolic blood pressure was dropped by six units.

However, this was a study conducted specifically on salba seeds, a particular kind of chia.

According to the research on salba, 3.75 ounces of the seed contained as much omega-3 fatty acid as a 32-ounce salmon steak (that’s a big chunk of fish!), as much magnesium as 10 stalks of broccoli, the calcium of 2.5 cups of milk, and the same amount of iron as in ½ cup of kidney beans.   That’s pretty healthy, folks!

But can it help you lose weight? According to Dr. Andrew Weil , chia seeds are not only essential to good health, but help slow the digestive process of converting carbohydrates into sugars.  Also, chia seeds can be soaked in water to make a gel, which not only expands the stomach giving a feeling of fullness, but can replace eggs and oil in items such as cake mixes so they are healthier to eat.  In addition it’s thought to help regulate blood sugar, curbing hunger levels.

To make a gel paste out of chia seeds, do the following:

• Mix one part chia to nine parts water.
• Allow to steep for a few minutes then stir with a whisk.
• Have mixture sit in the refrigerator for an additional couple of minutes and stir again.
• Finally, stir one more time, keep refrigerated in an airtight container, and use for several weeks.

Note: for thicker gel add less water, thinner-more water.

Conclusion

Chia seeds seem super healthy so we’d recommend purchasing them.  They run at around $7 for a 1-lb bag on amazon.com.   They have no taste and can be sprinkled on your cereal, cooked into muffins or breads, even drunk in beverage form.  But clinical studies have not been conducted on chia to see if there’s really any proof behind weight loss claims.  Buy it for your health but don’t expect your thighs to miraculously disappear.  And if get fed-up with ‘sprinkling’, break out that old pottery chia pet (it’s under the kitchen sink), and give it a fro.

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