2009 December 02

You know it’s Christmastime when all the commercials you see during your TV shows are for chia pets and The Clapper! Before I get to the ‘seed’ of today’s blog post, I just have to say how hilarious I think it is that The Clapper commercial I saw last night is EXACTLY the same as it was when I was like 10 years old. Does that make them CHEAP or GENIUS? I’m not sure! And the lady at the end of the commercial who is in bed and clapping off her lights? Do you think she’s still around? She was old when the commerical was filmed! She’d have to be ancient now! (I mean no disrespect, Clapper Lady!)

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Now, who wouldn’t want a Hilary Clinton chia pet in their stocking this year? (I’m not kidding – there actually is one. Click the link to see!)

Who knew that these crazy holiday gifts known as Chia Pets are grown from a SUPERFOOD??? I didn’t, at least not until this past spring. I’d been wanting to try them for a long time, but was having a hard time finding them locally. Apparently there WERE at Whole Foods the whole time but on the very bottom shelf with a sample table sitting right in front of it. Luckily MSP happened to be running and errand with a friend and that friend was on the hunt for chia seeds. He’d read about them in the book Born to Run (another on my list of books to read sometime in the future.)

Once I got them home, I made my first batch of “chia pudding” by mixing the seeds with almond milk and adding some vanilla extract and cinnamon. It did not “gel” in 10 minutes as the recipe said they would. In fact, I ended up needing to leave them in the fridge overnight. (Maybe they aren’t supposed to go IN the fridge until AFTER they “gel”?) Either way, I will need to search for a better recipe. That one did not impress me, so no photos or recipe links to share with you yet. If you have a great chia pudding recipe please feel free to share with us in the comments section!

I used to love tapioca pudding, so I figured the gelatinous chia pudding would be right up my alley. In actuality, the consistency isn’t quite like tapioca so it’s taking a little getting used to. I find I’m using them more as “add-ins” for salads and smoothies (since they don’t need to be ground first to be digested, the way that whole flax seeds do.)
Many of the FitFeat readers are quite savvy in the health foods arena, but for those of you new to chia seeds (as I was) here are a few interesting ‘quick-reads’ to check out:

Dr. Andrew Weil on Chia for Health - one tablespoon can sustain a person for 24 hours?? WOW!
Love to Know Vitamins: Benefits of Chia – chia seeds were used to remove foreign objects from the EYE?? I’m hoping that was AFTER they were soaked and had gelatinized!

According to Brendan Brazier in The Thrive Diet, white chia seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and are almost 20% protein.

Because they can expand to up to 10x the size of their seeds when then ‘gel’ they are also supposed to be useful for dieters because you can eat a small amount and it will help you feel full quickly. I’ll be testing this theory out for sure – if it’s a way for my clients to help lower their calorie intake while still feeling full, AND getting their omega 3 fatty acids PLUS fiber and antioxidants… well, consider me sold!

Have you tried chia? (Or chia sprouts for that matter – anyone been trimming the “hair” of their chia pets to use in salads or smoothies?) Please share your experience with the FitFeat readers!