Showing posts with label chia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chia. Show all posts

Monday, May 31, 2010

Supergrain is the new superfood?

We subscribe to a number of journals here at The Mansfield, some foodie, some healthy, some a bit of both. I guess Men's Health falls into both categories, and like most of the magazines can be a bit hit and miss. This month's edition, with Lance Armstrong on the front cover, is a bit of a hit if not just for the following letter that was sent into Dr Bob. Someone wrote in and asked what was the fuss about a grain called chia, which is a form of the grain called salba? It turns out that this new grain has been around a while. The Aztecs prized it more highly than gold, and it is being hailed as a nutrient-dense super seed with remarkable levels of nutrition.
The University of Toronto have found that 100 grams of salba will yield 70% of your daily requirement of calcium and 50% of your iron requirement.
It also contains 10 times more magnesium than milk, 25% more fiber than flaxseed, twice the potassium of bananas, 30% more antioxidants than strawberries, and 50% more vegetable protein than soybeans.
Dr Bob said that by adding the grain, it looks like little poppy seeds but has a mildly nutty taste, he lost 7 pounds in just a month by incorporating it into his diet.
We bought a 1lb container of 'Ultimate Chia' from Whole Foods for just under $20 and will be adding it to our diets this week. We'll let you know how we get on with it!