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Chia reportedly contains more omega-3 fatty acids than flaxseed, more fiber than bran and more protein than soy.
One 3.5-ounce serving (about 1/4 cup) of Salba — the variety of chia used in a new study published in the November issue of Diabetes Care — contains as much calcium as 3 cups of milk, has as much omega-3 fatty acids as 28 ounces of salmon and is higher in antioxidants than blueberries, says Vladimir Vuksan, the University of Toronto researcher who led the study.
He found that supplementing conventional diabetes therapy with Salba significantly reduced cardiovascular risk factors in people with well-controlled diabetes.
“The results were lower blood pressure and reduced low-grade inflammation, and it also made blood thinner,” Vuksan says. “There are not many studies in the literature showing these kind of results from a natural grain. It was rather spectacular.”
Vuksan says he can’t vouch for all chia, but Salba, a variety developed through selective breeding so its nutrients are standardized for scientific studies, is high in fiber and has “a lot of nutrients that we have learned over the years have healthy properties, including calcium, iron, vitamin C and magnesium.” Common chia seeds collected randomly from fields in Mexico have all the same nutrients, but not in the same proportions, and they have not been studied, he said.
Chia seeds were a basic food of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans, and legend has it that a handful could sustain a warrior for a full day. The seeds are harvested from Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows in Latin America.
Physician Mehmet Oz offered Oprah Winfrey some of his Pumpkin-Chia Seed Muffins on her show recently and told her, “Chia is as chock-full of fiber as other whole grains, but it packs in even more vitamins and minerals ... more magnesium than about 10 of those heads of broccoli.”
Nutrition guru Andrew Weil says the tiny seeds are a better source of omega-3 fatty acids than flaxseed.
“Research has shown that adding it to chicken feed makes for eggs rich in omega-3s. Feeding chia to chickens enriches their meat with omega-3s; fed to cattle, chia enriches milk with omega-3s,” Weil writes in his online library.
He predicts chia will begin to be added to more commercial products, such as prepared baby foods, nutrition bars and baked goods.
Salba Smart Natural Products of Denver, has developed a line of foods, including salsa, chips, tortillas and pretzels, made from ground Salba. Some of the products are available through amazon.com.
•Salba Smart tortilla chips in packs of 12 bags ($28.06) are sold at www.amazon.com.
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