Chia Seeds Offer Powerful Health-Building Benefits:

•Super-Energizing For Increased Endurance and Sustained Energy. A Balanced Blend of Protein, Essential Fats, Fiber, Complex Carbohydrates, and Antioxidants. Chia is unrivalled among all seeds and grains for providing energy to your mind and body. Native peoples knew about chia and made it their power food of choice. The energy and endurance of native athletes, runners, and warriors is legendary. Now you can benefit from their knowledge about chia!??

• Improves Cardiovascular Health. Provides Extremely High Levels of Heart-Healthy Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). Chia’s oil contains the highest-known percentage of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, an incredible 62%–64%! Foods really can be the ‘best medicine.’ And chia’s benefits just get better!

• Stabilizes Blood Sugar. Reduces Blood Glucose Swings and Supports Conditions of Hypoglycemia and Diabetes. Chia’s soluble giber exerts a stabilizing influence on blood glucose levels by regulating the rate at which complex carbohydrates are digested and assimilated in the body. This creates steady, stable blood glucose levels…which also means steady, high energy levels.

• Reduces Cravings for Sweets and Junk Foods. Chia’s Soluble Fiber Allows the Measured Release of its Natural, Unrefined Carbohydrate Energy into the Bloodstream. This is exactly the opposite of a blood sugar rise followed by a crash, which happens when consuming foods high in sugar, refined carbohydrates (e.g., white-bread products), and concentrated sweeteners (such as high-fructose corn syrup). Some people may not even know what normal blood sugar regulation feels like (due to poor diets or long-term blood sugar problems). Chia can help restore normalcy to blood glucose levels, especially for individuals suffering from lifelong consumption of ‘standard American diets’ (SAD) in our sugar-and-carbs-gone-wild civilization.

• Improved Mental Focus and Concentration. Chia’s Balanced Essential Fats (Omega-3 and Omega-6) Can Signficantly Boost Brain Power…and Brighten Mood (EFAs are known for their antidepressive effects). Essential fats make cell membranes more flexible, and enable more efficient membrane function, including better nerve transmission and nutrient transport into cells. A healthy nervous system supports more efficient brain function. In fact, the essential fats in chia are well-known for helping improve brain function!

• High-Quality Protein. Chia Contains 20% or More Protein…a higher percentage than found in other grains, such as wheat, corn, rice, or oats. Plus, chia is high in Natural Antioxidants (unlike flax), which means it stays fresh far longer and supplies powerful dietary antioxidants. In addition, chia’s high-quality, vegetable-source protein works synergistically with its other benefits (like reducing cravings and cardioprotective properties). The cumulative effect of consuming chia is super nutrition giving you exceptional staying power and supporting your active, healthy lifestyle!

• Promotes Lean Muscle Mass. Chia’s High-Quality Vegetable Protein Helps Build Increased Lean Muscle Mass. Therefore it is useful for weight loss and weight maintenance. Chia is suitable for all lifestyles and dietary regimens, including low-carb diets and vegetarian diets. In addition, chia’s essential fatty acids (see above) actually boost metabolism and contribute to optimal metabolic function, thereby serving to build and maintain lean muscle mass.

• Gluten-Free. Unlike Typical Grain-Source Proteins, Chia Protein Contains No Gluten. Chia thereby is an ideal food for individuals having gluten sensitivity, carbohydrate intolerance, hypoglycemia, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, or for anyone wishing to avoid common gluten-containing grains like corn, barley, and wheat. (Moreover, simple carbohydrates—including high-gluten foods—are implicated in obesity and blood glucose instability, and generally provide poor nutrient-density.) Chia is a gluten-free, nutrient-dense alternative to grain-source proteins!

• An Ideal Superfood. Chia is an Excellent Functional Food for Most People, including individuals exhibiting food allergies, food sensitivities, or food and chemical hypersensitivity. One study found no evidence of allergic response to chia, even among individuals having peanut and tree nut allergies. Plus, chia is an ideal superfood because it is portable, won’t easily spoil (i.e., protected by natural antioxidants), and safely can be stored for extended periods; chia can be eaten raw, but also remains fresh after grinding; and even after being ground and mixed with water, chia (as a gel) can keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Chia absolutely puts the “super” in “superfood”!

• Super-Hydration and Electrolyte Balance. Chia’s Soluble Fiber (i.e., Hydrophilic Colloids) Massively Retains Water…keeping you well-hydrated and maintaining your electrolyte balance. Chia seeds hold 12 (or more!) times their weight in water. When consuming chia seeds that have been hydrated, you thereby obtain that hydration for yourself for hours! Because when chia is placed in water, juice, or mixed (whole or ground) into moist foods, it greatly swells and thereby provides effective super-hydration for your body. This uniquely powerful swelling capacity also provides special properties (i.e., thickening) you may find useful in the kitchen…or anywhere you happen to be when you need hydration. Given that water is the major component of our bodies, chia’s value for hydration is very significant indeed, especially for active persons, and can make a huge difference in your levels of hydration, and thereby in your quality of life!

• Supports Healthy Elimination and Detoxification. Healthy Oils and Soluble Fiber work together supporting greater regularity and comfort…beneficial effects not to be underestimated! Considering that most Americans are deficient both in essential fats and soluble fiber, chia is an obvious choice for supporting better elimination and natural detoxification, naturally.

• Uniquely Balanced. Chia Offers Amazingly Balanced Ratios of Macronutrients. In fact, chia’s ratios are better balanced than most grains, seeds, and many other foods. That’s why chia is considered by many to be Nature’s perfect food! Add chia to your diet, and witness your own transformation for yourself!??

• Sustainably-Grown. Our Chia is Grown Using No Chemicals, Herbicides, Pesticides, Fungicides, or Artificial Fertilizers…and No GMOs! Why does this make a difference? Because sustainably-grown seeds are hands-down healthier for you…and the planet. Chemical-free chia both better sustains your health and contributes to sustainable agricultural practices by reducing or eliminating toxins associated with industrial agriculture. That means a happier, healthier, more wholesome planet! Sustainabililty matters! You can count on our natural chia for healthy and complete nutrition, and for a cleaner, greener world! ??

• Completely Natural. Our Chia Contains a Colorful Mixture of Black and White Seeds. They are neither “hybridized” nor otherwise tinkered with in a laboratory (as are some brands of so-called ‘white’ chia seeds). Special note on seed color: Independent studies positively show that differences in seed color (i.e., black or white) are not associated with any substantial differences in composition or nutritional value. Rather than seed color, differences in nutritional composition among chia seeds primarily relate to external growing conditions (e.g., where and how they are grown), including factors as various as climate, soil type, etc. Thus all colors of chia seeds are equally nutritious if they are grown under the same conditions.

NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS:

Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) contain oil amounts varying between 32-39%, with the oil offering the highest known natural percentage of alpha-linolenic fatty acid (60-63%). Alpha-linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid acting in the human body as a substratum for the transformation into EPA and DHA through the action of desaturation and elongation enzymes. The seeds also contain some omega-6 essential fatty acids and exhibit a favorable omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of 3:2. Modern diets contain too few omega-3 fatty acids. The seeds possess 19-23% protein and the amino acids of chia protein have no limiting factors in the adult diet (i.e., they are a complete protein source providing all of the essential amino acids in an appropriate balance).

Chia Seeds are also a good source of B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, boron, and copper. They also have demonstrated strong antioxidant activity. The most important antioxidants they provide are chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and flavanol glycosides. Because oxidation is significantly delayed, chia offers great potential within the food industry when compared to other alpha-linolenic acid sources, such as flax seeds, which exhibit rapid decomposition due to a lack of antioxidants.??The human body easily digests chia seeds. The seed’s outer layer is rich in mucilloid soluble fiber (chia possesses 5% soluble fiber) and absorbs up to twelve (or more) times its weight in water. When mixed with water or stomach juices, the seeds form a gel that creates a physical barrier between the carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down. The carbohydrates thereby are digested and converted into glucose (blood sugar) at a slow, uniform rate. There is no insulin surge or spike needed to lower the blood sugar level. The water-retaining capacity of the gel also maintains bodily hydration (i.e., helping level out water intake) and electrolyte balance.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

Serving Size: 15 g (2 tablespoons). Servings Per Container: 30

Total Calories Per Serving: 78. Calories from Fat Per Serving: 44

2 tablespoons contain the following percentages of the Daily Value:

* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

An excerpt from Alternatives by Dr. David Williams, March 2008:

 In addition to both having the highest fiber content of any food and being one of the best sources of Omega =3 fatty acids, chia is an excellent source of dietary calcium. A daily serving  (about 2 tablespoons) contains about 125 mg of calcium, more than 7 grams of fiber, and more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.

Chia helps restore the omega-3 to omega-6 balance that has become so lopsided from our diets. Omega-3 oils, as you recall, are anti-inflammatory in nature, and excess omega-6s promote inflammation. Chia consumption can help with most types of arthritis, joint pain, and stiffness, along with conditions such as ulcerative colitis.

Chia’s ALA (alpha linoleic acid) gets converted to DHA which has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and even to improve some cases of Alzheimer’s. DHA makes up between 15 and 20 percent of the cerebral cortex and anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of the retina. Deficiencies of this fatty acid can have profound effects on both brain and eye function and development.

As you can see from the following chart, chia gives you a lot of ‘bang for your buck”.

         Omega-3 Content per 100 grams

Food                                                Omega-3 Content

Salmon, Farmed Atlantic            3.7 grams

Salmon, wild Pacific                        1.7 grams

Flax                                                22.8 grams

Chia                                                24.3 grams

Sardines                                     1.6 grams

 … (Chia) stores without refrigeration or special care. It digests easily without having to be ground. 

History

Buckwheat is native to Northern Europe as well as Asia. From the 10th through the 13th century, it was widely cultivated in China. From there, it spread to Europe and Russia in the 14th and 15th centuries, and was introduced in the United States by the Dutch during the 17th century.Buckwheat is widely produced in Russia and Poland, where it plays an important role in their traditional cuisines. Other countries where buckwheat is cultivated commercially include the United States, Canada, and France, the country famous for its buckwheat crepes.

How to Select and Store

Just as with any other food that you may purchase in the bulk section, make sure that the bins containing the buckwheat are covered and that the store has a good product turnover to ensure its maximal freshness. Whether purchasing buckwheat in bulk or in a packaged container, make sure there is no evidence of moisture.Place buckwheat in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place. Buckwheat flour should be always stored in the refrigerator, while other buckwheat products should be kept refrigerated if you live in a warm climate or during periods of warmer weather. Stored properly, whole buckwheat can last up to one year, while the flour will keep fresh for several months.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

Tips for Preparing Buckwheat:

Like all grains, buckwheat should be rinsed thoroughly under running water before cooking, and any dirt or debris should be removed. After rinsing, add one part buckwheat to two parts boiling water or broth. After the liquid has returned to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Combine buckwheat flour with whole wheat flour to make delicious breads, muffins and pancakes.Cook up a pot of buckwheat for a change of pace from hot oatmeal as a delicious hearty breakfast cereal.Add cooked buckwheat to soups or stews to give them a hardier flavor and deeper texture.Add chopped chicken, garden peas, pumpkin seeds and scallions to cooked and cooled buckwheat for a delightful lunch or dinner salad.

Safety

Buckwheat can be safely eaten by people who have celiac disease as it does not contain gluten. Buckwheat can be a good substitute for wheat, oats, rye and barley in a gluten-free diet.

Nutritional Profile

Buckwheat is a very good source of manganese and a good source of magnesium and dietary fiber. Buckwheat contains two flavonoids with significant health-promoting actions: rutin and quercitin. The protein in buckwheat is a high quality protein, containing all eight essential amino acids, including lysine. For full article visit whole foods website.

Are you interested in expanding your food repertoire? Let’s try artichokes! They’re yummy and fun to eat. Helps you slow down and enjoy the company.

Check out this website for all kinds of Artichoke information and recipes. http://www.oceanmistfarms.com/html/recipes/recipes.aspx

As far as cabbages go, baby bok choy are pretty darn irresistible.

Cuteness quotient aside, baby bok choy are more tender and incomparably milder than big bok choy. They’ve also got it all over their adult counterparts when it comes to relative ease of cooking. Whereas the adult counterpart demands a sort of tag-team approach — the crunchy stems must be separated from the leafy greens and cooked far longer — the diminutive bunches can be braised whole.

Baby bok choy are also surprisingly lightweight and possess a far greater leaf-to-stalk ratio, an economical choice for anyone in the habit of lopping off the leaves and tossing the stems in the trash.

True to its name, these diminutive bunches are immature bok choy or a bok choy dwarf variety. They are typically available year-round at Asian markets and some supermarkets.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Bok choy, which belongs to the cabbage family, contains the cancer-thwarting compound common to cruciferous foods. It is also a viable vegetable source of beta-carotene, calcium and folate.

HOW TO SELECT AND STORE: Take only those bunches with vibrant green leaves that bear no trace of yellowing or wilting. Figure a head or two per person. Place in a plastic bag — but do not close — and refrigerate for no more than three days.

HOW TO PREPARE: The mild sweetness of baby bok choy is easily overwhelmed. Reserve the pungent black bean and chili stir-fry sauce for another night and rely instead on simple techniques that emphasize the vegetable’s innate flavor.
Halved lengthwise, brushed with peanut oil and tossed on the grill. Left whole and braised with chicken broth or with sauteed garlic or toasted sesame oil. Steamed and drizzled with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. Or thinly sliced and stirred into a Vietnamese chicken broth, a chilled soba salad or summer minestrone just prior to serving. As with common bok choy, baby bok choy can be steamed, braised or tossed into any stir-fry.
Perhaps the simplest approach is to coarsely chop the leaves (and stalks, if desired) add them to a hot skillet slicked with peanut oil and stir-fry (with slivered garlic if desired) until wilted and, for those so inclined, barely crisped about the edges. Tuck the greens into an egg-white omelet, toss with pasta or transfer to a serving dish.

– Renee Schettler