Elmer Fudd Chia Bust
Remember Chia Pets? You’d wet a terra-cotta form in the shape of Elmer Fudd, spread chia seeds on its surface and a few weeks later Elmer magically sprouted green hair. I always wanted one but my Mom never caved. My cousin Jimmy, on the other hand, had many Chia Pets. I remember the Elmer Fudd bust as well as a Sylvester/Tweety form. I think they had a dude in a sombrero in their vast Chia collection. Green I was, not with Chia hair but with envy.
Why am I going on about chia pets? Oh yeah, the chia seeds themselves are not only edible but highly nutritious. You might be laughing now but give me a second.
You might be asking yourself how and why I started ingesting the source of Elmer Fudd’s flowing locks. The answer, as unsexy as it is, revolves around omega fatty acids.
Let me give you a little background info. I don’t eat seafood, never have and probably never will. In my search for better skin and less brittle hair I purchased omegas in various forms including capsules, pills, oils and in every case became violently ill. I tried taking them with food, on an empty stomach, at night right before bed and the result was always the same. A pukfest that lasted several hours. I gave up and figured omega supplementation just wasn’t for me.
Fast forward a few years and I was at the Vitamin Shoppe purchasing some of my usual items and a jar of “Salba Seeds” (brand name) caught my attention. I picked it and read the label and was pretty impressed with what I read, particularly the “…gram for gram, Salba provides eight times more Omega 3s than salmon.” I purchased the seeds and haven’t looked back.
Chia seeds are being pushed hot and heavy by the nutrition industry, it has become one of the new “superfoods.” Truth is Chia seeds have been around forever. They are native to Mexico and were valued by the ancient Aztec people as both a food and a seed that could be used medicinally. I’m sure there is a Wikipedia page out there dedicated to the origins and historical uses of chia seeds. I don’t want to spoil the story so I’ll let you google and research it on your own.
Personally, I don’t care what the Aztecs did or thought of chia seeds. I only care about what chia seeds can do for me. As I mentioned earlier the omega 3 content is 8X that in salmon, but the benefits don’t stop there. Salba brand chia seeds contain 25% more fiber than flax seeds, 30% more antioxidants than blueberries, 15x more magnesium than broccoli, 6X more calcium than milk, 3X more iron than spinach, and on and on and on. There really is no reason you shouldn’t be eating these tiny seeds.
Another great tid-bit about chia seeds are their ability to absorb 9 – 12X their weight in water. The benefit is they keep you feeling full longer.
I’ve noticed my elimination is improved when I consistently eat chia seeds. I usually put 1 TBSP in my cooke
d oatmeal and stir it in. It does not alter or change the taste of my food at all. I have gotten creative and sprinkled them on my salad as well as used them in chicken recipes. If you go on the Salba Seed website you’ll find many recipes. I plan to print a few out and try them over the next couple weeks.
There are many brands of chia seeds on the market. They are offered whole or ground. I have only had the Salba brand of whole seeds because once I start on and am happy with a product I am slow to change brands.
Sorry Elmer, no seeds for you! I’m keepin my chia and not sharing,
Anamaria Grabowski
© 2009 Anamaria Grabowski
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