Ever since reading “Born To Run” by Christopher Mcdougall, chia seeds have been in my diet. In the book, the Tarahumara Indians were described as the best ultra-marathoners (50 miles or more) in the world. The thing is they achieved this feat sans sneakers, training and without any performance enhancing supplements. In fact, they are vegetarians and love to eat chia seeds. The best ultra-marathoners in America typically run in $150 sneakers and eat scientifically engineered protein bars, gels and salt tablets during their races. The Tarahumara eat bean and corn burritos and chia seeds while running in homemade sandals or barefoot. Mcdougall says they don’t even look tired or unhappy after 100 miles!
Chia seeds have been around since the Aztecs and are the same seeds used to grow Chia Pets. However, they have just become a popular health food in America.
Benefits of Chia seeds:
vegetarian source of healthy omega-3 fats (more than salmon)
tons of fiber (11 grams per ounce, almost half of your RDA)
it is a complete protein
three to six times more calcium than milk
chock full of antioxidants
increases stamina and energy over long periods
ability to absorb 12x its own weight and expands in your stomach to curb your appetite and helps maintain hydration
7 times more vitamin C than oranges
3 times more iron than spinach
helps regulate insulin levels
Organic Chia Pudding (4 servings)
3/4 cup Organic Chia Seeds 2 cups Organic Unsweetened Almond milk or Coconut milk (or Chocolate flavor) Tiny dash salt
1.5 Tsp of Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon (or less) of Honey or Stevia for taste
1.5 Tsp of Organic Vanilla Extract
Take a fork or other favorite mixing utensils and stir the ingredients together. Cover and place in your refrigerator unit. At first, it’ll seem far too liquidy, but over the course of thirty minutes the chia seeds will plump up. When I serve it, I put walnuts, raisins and sometimes blueberries on it. Go crazy and play around with toppings or nothing at all. Have it as a dessert and add coconut slivers and some maple syrup.
FYI: I also like to throw the raw seeds on my yogurt, protein shakes and in my ice tea.
Sources:
1. Journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=2802408 2. Journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2011/01000/Omega_3_Chia_Seed_Loading_as_a_Means_of 3. Jn.nutrition.org/content/142/1/64.short
Doug Joachim – NYC www.JoachimsTraining.com
