Referred to as the ‘supergrain’,
Chia is exploding into the health food scene and now sports nutrition stores
everywhere are starting to big up the tiny seed. Always sceptical I decided to
do my research...
So what is Chia?
Chia, or Salvia hispanica L, is a member
of the mint family grown in Mexico
and South America . The tiny black or white seeds
of the plant are what contain its nutritional punch
Nutritional Information (per 100g):
Protein: 20.7g
Fat: 32.8g
Carbohydrate: 41.8g
(of which fibre is 41.2g)
Calcium: 714mg
Iron: 16.4mg
Niacin (B3): 613mg
Thiamine (B1): 0.18mg
Riboflavin (B2): 0.04mg
Energy (KJ): 1650
Whats so amazing about
Chia then?
- Firstly its high Omega-3
content, higher than salmon, in fact its the richest source of omega-3 in
nature! (Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid, good for fighting off cancer
and keeping the brain healthy)
- High in Fiber, good old ruffage
- Full of vitamins and minerals; calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium, folic
acid, B vitamins (niacin, thiamine, riboflavin), zinc, manganese,
selenium, and vitamin A to name a few.
- Full of Antioxidants; protect
the body from harmful free radicals.
- 2 times the potassium of
bananas, 3 times the iron of spinach, 3 times more antioxidants than
blueberries and twice as much protein of any other seed grain.
- Gluten free
- Can be stored for a long
time, the antioxidants help keep the seeds fresh and stop them going
rancid.
Chia and Sports?
Well as you can see it is stock full of energy. Some sportsman
already swear by it, I read an article recently of an endurance athlete taking
a film canister full of the seeds on his long runs.
Chia really became famous from being the main food of the Tarahumara
running people of Mexico
It only gets better actually:
When consumed the seeds have a gel-forming reaction in the
stomach, this has two consequences. Firstly the gel slows the conversion of
carbohydrate into smaller sugars, thus slowing the conversion of the sugars,
making chia a super slow release energy food, perfect for endurance. Secondly the gel aids the retention of water,
prolonging hydration and maintaining electrolyte balance for longer.
Is there anything wrong with
the stuff??
Well they have been demonstrated to lower blood pressure, so
people with already low pressure or on hypertensive drugs shouldn’t be
consuming copious amounts.
And.. well that’s it, they can be quite filling, so some people
can feel very bloated if they eat too many, oh no!
I guess you could be allergic too.
So how do I eat Chia?
I prefer to mix it with meals, so add to porridge, rice, couscous
or bread. You can sprinkle it over salad.
You can make an easy gel by mixing with some water, then you could
take during sport neat (not as nice). At home you could mix the gel into
sauces, jams, etc.
Tarahumara style; mix with lemon or lime juice and water to make a
refreshing cold drink (my recommendation).
What is Salba?
There is a lot of talk of the ‘Salba’ seed being much better, but
it is infact the same seed as Chia, just the white coloured version. Salba is
the branded version of Chia essentially.
Salba growth and production is more strictly controlled so you can
expect a purer product (more consistent nutritional content) and less GM
products used etc etc. but really it is the same thing.
My advice:
As with anything, take in moderation, I think it is a great addition
to meals as a garnish for a nutritional kick. Try in training, see if it works
for you, and don’t try anything new on race day as usual.
Hope this helped, any questions doesn’t hesitate to ask, I read a
lot of articles for this. I will post a review soon and more on the uses in
triathlon when my Chia seeds arrive in the post :D
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