Three Cheers for CHIA! (and for Health)

So, you know those Chia Head/Chia Pet crazy commercials showing those completely hysterical hope-you-don’t-get-one-as-a-white-elephant-gift heads with growing green hair coming out of them?

Well, who knew that those little chia seeds used to grow said “hair” on these items were so stinkin’ good for you?

I didn’t, until I initially read about them on my friend Nadia’s AMAZING healthy raw and vegan food blog Nature Insider.

It’s hard to believe, these little guys are filled with antioxidants, calcium, protein (always a bonus for a vegan), phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, zinc, potassium, omega 3 & omega 6 fatty acids and many more essential amino acids.

Adding a pinch of these small black wonder seeds to every meal can help you lose weight, reduce your blood pressure and stabilize your blood sugar.

These little cuties are an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica that grows abundantly in southern Mexico. They were even thought to have been a main component of the Aztec and Mayan diets and were the basic survival ration of Aztec warriors.

AND they’re so teeny, you almost hardly notice when you add them to anything from salads, smoothies, or baking mixes (mixed in with the flour when you’re baking).

In fact, for reducing oils in baking,  I just read in this Top 10 Benefits of Chia article, that using a chia gel (let some chia seeds sit in some water and they create a chia gel) you can actually divide the amount of butter or oil in your recipe by half, using the gel to replace the other half.

This expanding that the chia seeds do in water is the same concept that can help you lose weight by eating them. They expand when you consume them making you feel fuller, longer. Ok, I’m all for feeling fuller longer and any type of weight loss attempt that is non-medicated and doesn’t leaving me feeling hungry ALL THE TIME is one for me!

There’s so much information online about their benefits, that I really encourage you to read more. Here’s a link I used to view articles on the Benefits of Chia.

I’ve read so much about these benefits now that I’m carrying a container of them with me in my purse, I have a container on the dining table at home and another one on my desk at work. Let’s just say, I’m chia prepared and there’s no room for excuses.

Being healthier is always a goal of mine and if I lose some weight along the way, well, that’s even better. Trust me, if I do, I’ll keep you posted on it!

Have some fun ways to use chia? Did you know about it’s goodness already? Please share any information you have so I can pass it along.

Be Healthy,

P.S. If you have time today, could you vote for my blog over at the Circle of Mom’s site? It just takes a second, no information is asked for, just click the “VOTE” button to the right of Lita’s World. Thanks a Million!