The History And Future Of The Chia Seed
When you think about the chia seed the first thing that comes to mind for most of us is the little chia pets of the seventies and eighties. Nearly every family remembers spreading on the gel that would grow nearly over night giving your pet its bright green hair. But the history and fame of the chia seed starts far earlier than this, back in the time of the Aztecs. In 3500 BC chia seed was a prized food and medicine of the Aztecs used both as a food source for armies and traveling trading parties, as well as a poultice for wounds and pain reliever for aching joints.
These seeds have been used for centuries in the tribes of the southwest and Mexico as a staple food that is renowned for its high energy and endurance enhancing effects. In the tribes of the Tarahumara and Chumash Indians chia seed is a staple food, it roasted, crushed and soaked in water and used for a variety of dishes or consumed alone. Chia is a concentrated food source that supplies many of their nutritional needs; in fact the World Health Organization has labeled it as one of only a few complete foods meaning that it contains protein, fiber and fat as well as most of the vitamins and minerals.
Indians of the southwestern tribes would take only chia seeds on running trips, not only do they supply the necessary energy and endurance needed for long hard runs, but they can absorb water over 10 times their weight making them a perfect way to hydrate the body for long runs. It is said that one tablespoon of chia seed was enough for a person to subsist on for a day if necessary even with hard labor. Chia seed was so valued in early civilizations that it was often used as a currency.
While we may best know them from the chia pets, chia seed is enjoying a resurgence of popularity these days because of its wide spread health benefits. Well known health specialists such as Andrew Weil and Dr Oz have began touting the benefits of these tiny seeds for as the perfect food and as way to reverse the damage we have done to our bodies thru eating processed and highly refined foods.
Chia seed contains five times the calcium of milk, three times the iron of spinach, and are considered to be the best available balance of omega 3 and omega 6 available. Chia seeds aside from having a wide array of vitamins and nutrients have very important hydrophilic colloidal properties. Hydrophilic colloids refers to a substance that is watery gelatinous and is the very important underlying property of all living cells. Most raw plant based foods contain these colloids but the cooking process destroys this altering the hydration ability of the foods.
This ability can help to keep the body hydrated and can aid in digestion especially for those that may have trouble digesting things such as raw foods. Chia seed has been said to be good for everything from maintaining a stable blood sugar, to helping with weight loss and lowering blood pressure. With so many health enhancing properties it can find its way into anyone’s diet.
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