Most people (except for you, which makes you a rare person ) haven’t heard of chia seeds, but I am sure they will become well known in the next few years because of their wonderful nutritional qualities and powerful effects on health improvement. The chia seed is an excellent source of fiber, packed with antioxidants, full of protein, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and the richest known plant source of omega-3.

These seeds are not a modern invention of the latest date, even if we may say they have been re-discovered in the past few years. Their use as a superfood and medicine can be traced back as far as the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Warriors used it as a high energy endurance food, but also as a medicine. Indians would pack the wounds with chia seeds to avoid infections and promote healing. It is said that one tablespoon of these seeds could sustain a person for 24 hours. Indians running from the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for seashells would only take the Chia seed for their nourishment.

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows in southern Mexico. This seed is the richest natural source of pure omega-3, the only unprocessed whole food source of omega-3. Omega-3 is nutritionally essential for the human body and has multiple health benefits –it stimulates blood circulation helping people with circulatory problems, such as varicose veins, it reduces the risk of heart attack, it is beneficial for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and cardiac arrhythmias, it is helpful in cases of depression and anxiety, it also has anti-cancer effects, prevents cardiovascular disease, improves poor developmental health and the behavior of children with learning problems, helps prevent Parkinson, and the list of benefits could go on. Unfortunately the human body cannot synthesize omega-3 de novo, that is why it is very important for us to consume food that contains omega-3 or take supplements.

Chi seeds are also very rich in fiber content (more than 35%), which gives them the remarkable ability to absorb ten times their weight in water, making them an excellent source of hydratation. If you leave chia seeds in a glass of water and return after about half an hour you will have the surprise to find no seeds in the water, but an almost solid gelatin. This gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber in the chia. Probably the same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when these gummy fibers get there. The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar. This is what offers the ability for creating endurance, as well as obvious benefits for diabetics. This retention of moisture produced by chia seeds also regulates more efficiently the body’s absorption of nutrients and body fluids.

Chia seeds are also rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, many minerals and protein. Chia is digested and absorbed very easily, which makes it very effective when rapid development of tissue takes place. That is why it is recommended during growth periods for children and teenagers, but also during pregnancy and lactation, as well as for athletes and weight lifters.