spanish saliva ?

Last year out of the blue, my mom's friend calls me to tell me about these seeds that are supposedly a better source of calcium and fiber than flax seeds. a few weeks later, i hear about them again at a raw food festival. so i figure, alright, don't have to tell me anything twice!

Salvia hispanica or chia seeds have since been a daily part of my food consumption. I've also been finding them to be much more adhesive in my baking (as an egg substitute) than flax seeds. AND they don't leave the nutty flavor in my banana bread like the ground up flax seed mixture did. overall, i LOVE them! i currently have two bags - one of whole seeds, and one of ground up seeds. i keep them in my fridge and use them in my smoothies, and whatever else i consume in the mornings. mmm mmm fiber.

and apparently "for centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. Known as the running food, its use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during the conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a 24hr. forced march. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for seashells would only bring the Chia seed for their nourishment." (source: http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html) Well how COOL is that?! that article also says more about the mechanics through which this little seed offers a whole lotta goodness for the body.

I still use flax seeds in my smoothies since they've got a little bit of iron in them, but it's just always good to learn more about what natural source of goodness exists in my world.

happy exploartions!