Why is chia so good for you? Science is just now catching up on all the benefits that chia can offer. It seems like new things are being discovered almost daily. One of the benefits of chia is its high level of Omega-3 fatty acid. This is extremely important in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and a healthy heart. By promoting the production of ‘good’ cholesterol, and keeping ‘bad’ cholesterol in line, chia helps keep your arteries open and clean, and prevents hardening of the arteries.

Is chia nutritious? Chia seed is very nutritious, and is the only vegetative source of complete protein, otherwise found only in animal products. Chia seeds contain 20% to 22% protein, and can add this vital nutrient easily to any diet. Chia also has high levels of calcium and fiber, as well as magnesium, boron, and iron. Chia seed can benefit every member of the family.

How easy is it to use chia seed? Chia seed can be used in a number of ways. Some people will just munch on the seeds, but usually chia is added to other foods. One easy way to get your chia is to put a tablespoon into a glass of juice, stir it, wait 15 minutes, stir again, and drink. As chia has almost no flavor of its own, it will not affect the taste of your beverage. Chia seed gel can be prepared ahead of time and added to stews, soups, salads, and casseroles. Chia flour can be sprinkled onto meat dishes or used in baking.

Will chia seeds go bad if I keep them for a while? You do not need to worry about chia seeds spoiling, they will store nearly indefinitely. Keep them in a covered container and they will keep their properties. Once chia has been ground into flour, however, it will be subject to deterioration, so it should be used fairly quickly. Storing the chia flour in the refrigerator will help keep it fresh longer.

How does chia help prevent dehydration? Chia helps to keep the body hydrated because the chia seeds absorb at least 9 times their weight in water, which is then gradually released into the body as it is needed. This is especially important for athletes and anyone doing heavy physical labor.

Will chia help me to lose weight? Because chia stays with you longer, it will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. Chia also releases carbohydrates gradually into your system, instead of the big rush that usually accompanies a meal. This gradual release means that your blood sugar levels remain more constant, which also helps to keep you from feeling hungry. If your hunger is under control, it will be more likely that you will be able to lose weight more easily.

Probably the easiest way to receive all the health benefits of Chia Seed is to prepare it for drinking. A great way to begin the day is with your favorite fruit juice reinforced with Chia Seeds. To do this, it is only necessary to put a tablespoon of Chia Seeds into the juice. Stir it around and wait for five to ten minutes. By this time, the Chia Seeds will have dissolved into the juice. Stir the juice again and drink. Nothing could be simpler.

Chia Seeds can also be prepared as a gel to be added to almost any food. To make Chia Seed gel, you will need a plastic container that can be sealed. The ratio of water to Chia Seed will be 9 to 1, so begin by putting the water into your container. As you add the Chia Seed, be sure to stir it to prevent the formation of lumps. Let your mixture stand for about 10 minutes, then stir it again. It is now ready for immediate use. This mixture can be kept refrigerated for 2 weeks. The Chia Seed gel can now easily be added to soup, pudding, salad dressing, or cereal, among other things. The gel adds no flavor of its own, and is even said to enhance the flavor of the food to which it was added. Children will love Chia Seed gel added to their smoothies or milkshakes.

While it would be possible to grind Chia Seeds yourself, it is going to be much easier for you to buy the flour from a reputable company. Chia Seed flour can be used in almost any baked recipe, either using Chia Seed flour only, or mixing it with another flour, often in a ration of one part Chia Seed flour to three parts other flour. Chia Seed flour has a higher moisture content than other flours and when using it in a recipe, you should allow the baked goods to remain in the oven for 15% to 20% longer. Chia Seed flour can also be sprinkled into the slow cooker when making stew or added to almost any dish, even meat dishes and casseroles. Every meal can be made that much healthier with the addition of Chia Seed.

Chia is a member of the mint family, Salvia Hispanica. Use of Chia was suppressed after the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, but remnant plantings were always made, often in isolated areas. The rediscovery of this plant is due mostly to the Northwestern Argentina Regional Project. Rescuing Chia Seed from oblivion and making it known to the world at large has proven very successful and the benefits of Chia Seed are becoming available to everyone.

As a dietary supplement, Chia Seeds can be used in many ways. One of the easiest ways to use Chia Seed is as a beverage. As the seed absorbs liquids in a proportion of 30 times its weight, several tablespoons of Chia Seed dissolved in your favorite juice will provide a refreshing and healthful morning beverage. You need only wait for 15 minutes before the Chia is completely dissolved.

Children and babies can also benefit from Chia Seeds. To boost the nutritional value of the food and formula of an infant, prepare the Chia Seed as a gel and add it to the foodstuffs. Milkshakes and almost any drink for children can have their protein value, among other things, increased by the addition of Chia Seed gel.

Ground up Chia Seeds can also be added to almost any food to make it more nutritional. You can even sprinkle the Chia flour on meat to improve its value. In fact, Chia Seed flour can be added to almost any food imaginable, since it adds little or no flavor of its own. When baking bread or almost anything, ground Chia Seed can be put in to make your baked goods to add to their food value. When used with any food, Chia Seed, in whatever form, will help promote digestive health and aid in the absorption of nutrients.

Chia is also very useful to runners and other athletes as its high ratio of energy to weight and will provide a sustaining beverage, when first prepared as a gel and mixed with juice. Chia helped keep Aztec warriors running while on their missions of war, and is still helping long distance runners today in their more peaceful sport.

To begin with, Chia Seed is an excellent source of protein and contains all the amino acids necessary for good health. The Chia Seed contains about 20% protein and is way ahead of all other grains in that respect. As gluten intolerance is a serious problem faced by many people, it is great to find out that Chia Seeds have absolutely no gluten. Ground Chia Seed can be added to almost any food to increase its nutritional value. Chia Seed is also an excellent source of fiber, one serving can give you about 30% of your daily fiber needs.

One of the issues facing athletes of all kinds is that of maintaining a proper electrolyte balance while engaging in heavy physical activity. It is all too easy to lose bodily fluids during exercise and run the risk of dehydration. One of the wonderful properties of Chia Seed is that it is able to absorb up to 30 times its weight in water. This is important because Chia Seed will then help to retain water in the body, and help to keep the body hydrated. Chia Seed will also keep the bodily electrolytes in balance, so the body can function at its best.

Because Chia Seed will form a gel, this will help to slow down digestion – a very important factor in controlling blood sugar. This quality can be very important to those suffering from diabetes as it will help prevent the rush of sugar into the blood. It will also help prevent the sudden lowering of blood sugar, helping to avoid the up and down problems associated with diabetes.

Chia Seed also provides you with high levels of fatty acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are found in these seeds. Their levels are higher in Chia Seed than in any other grain. These fatty acids have many health benefits. There is some indication that Omega-3 can help reduce varicose veins as it improves circulation. Some benefits in treating rheumatoid arthritis have also been reported. In helping to control free radicals, these fatty acids can also help to reduce the risk of developing cancer, and have been of some value in its treatment as well. The immune system will also receive an improvement when you eat Chia Seeds.

The benefits to health from Chia Seed are so many that it would be impossible to list them all here. Perhaps the best way to see if Chia Seeds can improve your health and well-being is to try this wonder food for yourself.

In Mayan, the word “Chia” means strength, and it is interesting that these ancient people recognized the invigorating qualities of the Chia Seed. Chiapas, the Mexican state, is named after this member of the mint family – Chiapas means “River of Chia”.

After the Aztecs had conquered most of what is now Mexico, they used their agricultural practices to cultivate Chia on a large scale. As their capital, Tenochtitlan, was located on very marshy ground, the Aztecs actually used this to their advantage. They would weave mats from tree bark, float these platforms on the water, cover the mats with soil, and then plant them with Chia, among other crops. It was an ingenious system that made use of an otherwise difficult agricultural site.

As the Aztecs had an aggressive, expansive culture, they often went on missions of conquest to neighboring areas. They were already well acquainted with the high energy value of Chia Seeds, and their warriors carried these with them on their journeys. After a tribe had been conquered, the Aztecs would demand Chia Seeds as part of the tribute that would be paid to them.

The Aztecs found Chia to be so important that for some time is was used as currency by them. The seeds were also used in their religious rituals, as offerings to their gods. The Aztecs used Chia Seed as a grain, either alone or combined with other grains, mixed with water as a beverage, as the base ingredient for cosmetics and body paints, and medicinally. The Aztecs used Chia flour, mixed with other ingredients, to treat constipation, sore throats, colds, and as a poultice for wounds.

After the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, the cultivation and use of Chia was suppressed, as it had been used in Aztec religious rituals. The Spanish conquerors were attempting to impose a new culture on the indigenous people and everything associated with the Aztec culture was actively discouraged. Chia and most of the other crops formerly grown by the Aztecs were replaced by European grains and vegetables. It is thanks to the Northwestern Argentina Regional Project that Chia had experienced a resurgence and that the many benefits of Chia Seed have become known to the world at large. This project contributed to the spread of Chia cultivation from the few isolated areas where it was still grown to being a commercial crop in many countries.

As Chia Seeds are hydrophilic, they absorb water, up to thirty times their own weight. Chia seed gel is what is created when adding water to the seeds. When this happens, the processing of food through the body is slowed considerably. Absorption of food becomes more and regular, an important factor to diabetics. The fluctuations of blood sugar are evened out, reducing the risk of adverse reactions. Chia Seed has also been found to help reduce insulin resistance, whereby the body becomes unable to use the insulin and higher levels are needed to achieve the same effects. As high blood pressure is another symptom of diabetes, it was found that eating several teaspoons of Chia Seeds helped to lower these readings.

Another great benefit to Chia Seeds is that they can help to alleviate several factors of heart disease and are thought to even be able to prevent it. High blood pressure is a major determining factor in the development of poor cardiovascular health. Chia Seeds, as noted above will help to reduce high blood pressure. The Omega-3 Fatty Acids found in Chia Seeds help in other ways to improve the health of your cardiovascular system.

As America’s population ages, cardiovascular problems will become more frequent. Many people will develop hardening of the arteries caused by the buildup of plaque in the veins and arteries. Chia Seeds have already been shown to help reduce this buildup, thanks to the seed’s high levels of Omega-3 Alpha Linolenic Acid. Keeping the arteries free of plaque will also help prevent strokes. Chia Seed will also help prevent or reduce cholesterol.

While more studies need to be done to further demonstrate the effect of Chia Seeds on diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it is encouraging to know that this natural food has such a positive effect on health. Remember, if you are suffering from diabetes or hearth disease, Chia Seeds are not a substitute for your regular medicine, you must continue to take that. Also, before beginning to supplement your diet with Chia Seed, please confer with your doctor, who should be made aware of any change in your diet.