By Dr. med. Claudia Schmiemann
Chia seeds are the edible seeds of salvia hispanica (mint family). They are native to central and southern Mexico as well as southwestern United States. They were already wildly grown by the Aztecs and became a staple food of Mesoamerica. Chia was introduced to Europe in the late 1990th.
These oval shaped seeds are hygroscopic means they can absorb water easily. Their skin is so fragile that they don´t necessarily have to be ground in order to get their full content in opposite to other seeds like flax seeds. In contact with liquids they develop a mucilaginous texture. They contain some B Vitamins and minerals like zinc, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, iron and calcium. Moreover they carry a content of unsaturated fats like linolenic and alpha- linolenic acid. This makes them a valuable contribution for any diet (and feed the high need of minerals and trace elements of people with chronic inflammation issues like Lyme).
Chia is so versatile to use in the kitchen. You can add it to cookie dough, to bread, muesli, snacks, yoghurt, beverages, smoothies etc.. You can also sprout it.
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