Ch-ch-ch-Chia!!!

Research has revealed that more than two thirds of all deaths in the United States are diet related. More than 50% of all deaths are caused from coronary occlusion, blockage of blood flow to the heart and/or the brain. These are all preventable deaths according to the Journal of American Medical Association which published in 1961 that, “All coronary occlusion can be eliminated by 97% through a vegetarian diet.” Fourteen hundred Americans are dying of cancer everyday. In the prestigious Advances in Cancer Research, they concluded, “At present, we have overwhelming evidence that none of the risk factors for cancer is more significant than diet and nutrition.”

My purpose is not convince you to reform to a vegetarian lifestyle (although it would definitely be a healthy choice). I would like to introduce you to a “super” food that all would agree on. It is known as the Chia Seed. Once valued so much that it was used as currency, this unique little seed has exceptional nutritious and structural benefits.

Chia, is familiar to most of us as the seed used for the novelty of the Chi Pet, clay animals with sprouted Chi seeds covering their bodies. For centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. Known as the running food, its use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the Aztecs.

The chia seed is a muscle and tissue builder and an energizer of endurance with extensive hidration properties. This little seed also supports effective treatment in immediate problems of digestion. The change in the lower gastrointestinal tract, is due to the hydrophilic colloidal properties of the chia seed. Which basically means that the chia seed has the ability to absorb large amounts of water in the body.

As a source of protein, the Chia, after ingestion, is digested and absorbed very easily. This results in rapid transportation to the tissue and utilization by the cells. This process is especially critical for women during pregnancy and lactation, for conditioning, athletes, and weight lifters.

Another unique quality of the Chia seed is its high oil content, and the richest vegetable source for the omega -3 fatty acids. It has approximately three to ten times the oil concentrations of most grains and one and a half to two times the protein concentration of other grains. Chia seeds are rich in the unsaturated fatty acid, linoleic, which the body cannot manufacture. It is also a rich source of calcium as it contains the important mineral boron, which acts as a catalyst for the absorption and utilization of the calcium by the body.

These are limitless ways to incorporate the Chia seed into your diet. a chia must be prepared with water before using it in food recipes. You can add to salads, cereals, and fruit smoothness. I always try to add some to my oatmeal and cream of wheat in the morning.

Try some and see what you think. Remember, when you FEEL better you DO better.

Have an amazing weekend!!

Continued light & love
Monique Cash