Ch Ch Ch Chia... "Running Food"

A few years ago, a friend told me about Chia seeds. He had been eating them and had been feeling more healthy. I went ahead and bought a bag. It was over $300. I wondered why it was so expensive but after researching online and my friends rave reviews, I felt it was worth it for my emergency storage. I put the bag in a plastic bucket for safe keeping as I didn't want my edible gold to be ruined by water or insect. Life got busy and I forgot about it. It isn't like you find Chia recipes in any books.

Flash forward to last week. My sister is doing the "biggest loser" with me and she pulled out the Chia she bought at the same time I bought mine. She found a recipe that her friend made and made it while I was visiting last week. It wasn't bad. Not great, but not bad. She swears it is helping her lose weight so I came home and made some. Chia is kind of a strange grain. It soaks up 9 X its weight in water. What you end up with after soaking it is a thick gel. I didn't add enough water at first and ended up with such a gel that I could turn the bowl upside down and nothing came out. It was thicker than jello. I added more water and stirred.

I let mine soak for over 24 hours and then made this little mixture.

Fresh ginger root zest

raw sunflower seeds

Tamari sauce or another type of soy sauce (Just a note on the soy sauces. I don't do well with wheat. Tamari is wheat free. Nama Shoyu is also organic and "raw" for those who eat raw. I tried both as my sister used Nama Shoyu. I have both but chose the Tamari since it was wheat free. Both worked well)

soaked Chia seeds

Basically, you just add the above to taste. I added about 1 tsp ginger, 1/4 cup sunflower, 2 tables soy sauce to about 2 cups chia (once soaked). I did have to add the second table spoon of soy after trying just one because the ginger was stronger but you will just have to add to taste. It has a weird texture all around but without the sunflower seeds it was like a crunchy but slimy jello. I do know people who add it to recipes but I haven't done that yet so I am just letting you know how I have used it.

I drank about 1/2 cup a day. I didn't see huge diet result but I did notice my hands were softer and less dry than normal. I think I need to keep it up for more days and see what the results are for me but after reading this information below that my sister sent, I think I will continue to use it. It is an amazing food that gets a bad rap because of the commercials for Chia pets. :-)

Chia seeds
-when added to foods, it bulks them up by displacing calories and fats without diluting the flavor
Chia is known to be a complete source of protein providing all the essential amino acids
Chia slows the impact of sugars on the system if eaten together
Chia contains no gluten so it is ideal for anyone with gluten sensitivities.

A really cool feature is that when eaten with carbs it lines them with its gel in the stomach. It stops the enzymes from turning carbs into sugar and then to fat. Excess sugars in the stomach normally are turned to fat, so this helps stop that process. Then it goes into the colon and lines it with fully hydrated fiber that can be used over time by the body. Thus it helps hydrate the body which is a huge plus. It provides a wonderful source of Omega 3 which is what helps create the lining of cells.

I dropped some soaked Chia on the counter to try and let you see how it looks like a cell with the seed as the nucleus. It keeps fluid around itself so it is no wonder it helps the cells hold water.

Here's something my sister found online about it:
"THE AZTECS CALLED IT RUNNING FOOD!The Tarahumara Indians are an ancient tribe of super athletes that live in the Copper Canyon. Tarahumaran Indian Cirildo Chacarito showed up to a 100 mile Ultra Marathon over 30 minutes late. Cirildo wore his native garb including Hurache Sandals made from the tread of a tire and leather straps. He looked completely out of place amidst these world class Ultra Marathoners.The unlikely contender won the race 37 minutes ahead of the 2nd place finisher. To top it off, Cirildo was 52 years old!The Media swarmed around Cirildo and asked how he could run such an amazing race. Cirildo said it was the chia seed that gave him all his strength and endurance.The Aztecs discovered chia and called it "Running Food". Chia is a potent nutritional product. 8 X more Omegas than Salmon, 25% More Dietary Fiber the Flax Seed, 15 X More Magnesium Than Broccoli, 6 X More Calcium Than Milk, 30% more Antioxidants than Blueberries."

Fairly amazing stuff for such a little seed!