Chia and Pets
[Chia seeds: delicious, nutritious and itty bitty.]
I had intended to write this post at 9 a.m., when I arrived home in a particularly good mood after a long walk with my dog, Zoey.
[She may not be pretty, but she’s got a great personality.]
It was already 68 degrees in Philly (6 hours later, it’s now 78 — no complaints from this former Midwesterner), and I’d taken a detour past my favorite sign in the city, pictured below. (For Philly natives, it’s on the back side — pun totally intended — of the Free Library on 7th and Carpenter.)
[Why is “poop” in quotation marks?! What does it really mean?]
After deciding it was a banana vanilla Wallaby yogurt kind of morning, I took it a step further and decided to add two tablespoons of the chia seeds I’d received in the mail the other day.
Chia as in Ch-ch-ch-chia Pets? Yes, the very same.
Turns out chia seeds are high in soluble fiber (7 grams per 2 tablespoons), calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, niacin and zinc. They contain powerful antioxidants (chlorogenic and caffeic acids, myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol flavonols). Plus, they’re a good source of protein and higher in omega-3 fatty acids — which protect against inflammation and heart disease — than any other plant source (higher even than flaxseed). To boot, they’re gluten free and have very little sodium.
I heard about chia seeds through two of my favorite fitness bloggers, Crabby McSlacker at Cranky Fitness and MizFit of MizFit Online. More specifically, when MizFit wrote this guest post on the topic back in March, I was convinced enough to place my order same day.
I did some further digging, and wouldn’tchia (<it’s like taking candy from a baby) know it, it’s looking like chia is poised to be the next superfood.
Mehmet Oz, MD, was on Oprah speaking to the benefits of chia (see the clip here), and Andrew Weil, MD, wrote an article in Prevention magazine called “Chia Seeds Are Good for the Heart.” There are even books extolling the virtues of the chia seed — take The Magic of Chia: Revival of an Ancient Wonder Food by James Scheer, and Chia: Rediscovering A Forgotten Crop Of The Aztecs by Ricardo Ayerza Jr. and Wayne Coates. And — I can’t resist this little plug — Experience Life featured these Omega3 Chia Energy bars in the May issue.
Now for a few disclaimers. I’m in Mark Sisson’s camp when it comes to so-called “miracle foods.” (Click here to see his assessment of goji berries.) As with the goji, chia seeds are probably not a solution to all of your health problems. They are just really good for you, is all. And adding something to your diet that isn’t processed to the hilt and full of additives — that is, on the other hand, packed with nutrients? To me, that seems like good sense, but probably not a miracle. Or maybe it is a miracle that we, collectively, seem to be starting to have better sense about what we put in our mouths. Your call.
My other disclaimer is that while the taste of chia seeds was completely inoffensive — in fact, I really liked the nutty crunch they added to my yogurt — when I got distracted for a bit and then came back to my dish, I discovered a slippery, gelatinous coating around the seeds. Also not offensive, but definitely something to be prepared for.
According to the article “Chia Seeds: The Ancient Food of the Future” at www.living-foods.com, “This gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber in the chia. Research[ers] believe this same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when food containing these gummy fibers, known as mucilages, are eaten. The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar. In addition to the obvious benefits for diabetics, this slowing in the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar offers the ability for creating endurance. Carbohydrates are the fuel for energy in our bodies. Prolonging their conversion into sugar stabilizes metabolic changes, diminishing the surges of highs and lows [and] creating a longer duration in their fueling effects.”
Think of it as all-natural Gu, I guess.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I have been dying to try these since MizFit told me about them. Where did you buy them?? Just googled chia seeds? Mugged a pet store?
May 8th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Im doing the chia daily but am STILL icked out by the gel.
not enough to cease eating it though (that’s how I roll. I HEART the icky things if I feel they are good for me) but my husband?
he chomps em UBER FAST so there is no gelification chance.
M.
ps–charlotte? you can find them lots of places online —I cant find them locally but I get mine from hidalgofoods.com
May 8th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Charlotte,
I got mine where MizFit got hers, at Hidalgo Foods (I do what she says cuz she was so RIGHT about Laughing Cow cheese wedges). Their chia seeds were back ordered for quite a while, though, which is how I ordered them in March and got them Monday of this week. But it looks like they’re in stock now! There’s a different link at the end of the Andrew Weil article to www.chiaseedandoil.com, but I think those seeds are a little pricier. I’m a bargain-basement chia buyer, myself.
MizFit,
The gel is a little strange, but you’re right, not prohibitive.
Did you happen to come across any “baking with chia” links when you were writing your blog? Turns out some people soak their seeds to create “chia gel” — on purpose(!) — and add the gel as an ingredient to their recipes. (I rarely manage to bake, but I envision myself baking quite often. Someday.)
This recipe for Banana Chia Muffins sounds delicious: http://justbaking.net/2007/06/13/ch-ch-ch-chia-%E2%80%A6-muffins/
May 8th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I had the opportunity to taste the Omega3 Chia Bars we featured in the magazine, and I thought they were delicious. The texture was kind of strange at first, but you get used to it. Now I’m inspired to order the seeds so I can add ‘em to my yogurt — granola is getting a little boring. Time to mix it up!
May 8th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Granola boring? Never….. I’m not sure I can climb onto the chia bandwagon. It’s just that I keep seeing those things sprouting from the little dog thing in the old TV commercials, and it just makes me wonder…..
May 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
C’mon, Craig, get on the Chia Train. Chew chewwwwwwwww! (Hahahahaha …)
Jamie, thanks for the eval of the Chia Bars. Must try.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I can’t believe I have to read your blog to get a picture of your (so-cute-I-can-hardly-stand-it) dog.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
And I cannot believe I had to put a picture of my dog on my blog to get YOU to comment.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:25 am
oooh, there should have been a muffin recipe on the cranky post—I think it was there?
(love the dog pic. as does my own dog who is BARKING WILDLY. or perhaps he needs to be fed—–either way)
May 9th, 2008 at 6:51 am
MizFit,
Um, think I’ve taken one too many hits to the head? Of course you’re all over it, and of course I saw it on your Cranky post. Color me embarrassed.
I think that what struck me about the recipe above — and evidently zapped my memory — is the concept of baking with chia GEL as opposed to baking with chia SEEDS. I mean, it amounts to the same thing, but brave of them to put the somewhat creepy consistency out there from the start.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:26 am
I have not yet tried the chia seeds but all this hype has intrigued me. I’m having a hard enough time getting through my bottle of flax seeds, not because I’m opposed to them, just because they take a certain amount of preparation (grinding or soaking). I’m a vegetarian, so the idea of getting some omega-3’s from a convenient plant source is very appealing. Interesting about the goop though - the same effect occurs when you soak flax seeds (which actually works very nicely in creamifying my bircher muesli). I wonder if the same science is at play.
Regarding cooking with Chia, does anyone know how tolerant the seed is to heat exposure? I know flax seeds don’t like it.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:23 am
hmmmm. GEL (ick)
can we slather it lovingly on our epidermis and get the same results?
who can say?
as far as the heating/spoilage all the info I found indicated that chia maintains its integrity (unlike the MizFit) when heated to high temps.
love the idea of chia gel as a binder for homemade granola bars.
M.