Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!!!!!!

I know I am not the only one that remembers those awfully annoying commercials advertising the little terracotta figurines that all you had to do was provide some H2O, slather on the seeds and it would grow magnificent “fur” or “hair”!

Well who would have known that chia seeds are good for something other than providing us with cute little “furry” animals??  The Mayans, Aztecs and Incas have been using these little super-foods for years and chia actually means “strength” in Mayan.  In ancient times, Chia seeds were used as medicine and were valued more than gold due to their incredible health enhancing properties!

Salvia Hispanica (commonly known as Chia) is actually chock full of a number of healthy benefits and has been called nature’s most powerful food.  It is a great source of stamina and provides the following:

·        5 more times more calcium than milk (and includes boron which is a trace mineral that helps the calcium get into your bones)

·        More Omega 3 than flax seed

·        Excellent source of dietary fiber

·        Excellent source of iron and other minerals

·        Low glycemic index, delivering it’s amazing nutrients slowly to impart energy throughout your day (awesome super-food for the diabetic)

·        Extremely high in anti-oxidants (3x more than blueberries!)

·        One of the highest plant-based sources of complete protein (a complete protein is a source of protein that contains all 9 of the essential amino acids in the correct proportions necessary for our dietary needs)

·        Great for weight loss

They really don’t have a flavor so they can be mixed into just about anything!  When you add water to the seeds, it creates a gel-like coating around the seed.  Both the gelling action of the seed, and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber combine to slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars keeping you feeling fuller for longer.

So what are you waiting for??  Start adding these guys to everything!

Uses:

Mix into sauces to thicken them, add some to your smoothies, stir into your granola or yogurt and even your cake mixes!  I love adding them to my morning oatmeal and even sprinkle them over my salads.  Basically, whatever you come up with, these guys will join the fun without altering the taste.

Enjoy!

MILK: Does it REALLY do the body good????

The dairy industry spends gazillions of dollars to make you think of milk when you think of good health and strong bones.  They drive this home with very elaborate, expensive marketing campaigns utilizing celebrities in their ads with beautiful little milk moustaches.  Of course, if Taylor Swift or Beyonce or Angelina Jolie or so and so says “milk does the body good” damn it, milk must do the body good, right?  Wrong!!!!

On average, American drinks 600 pounds of milk annually (http://www.visualeconomics.com/food-consumption-in-america_2010-07-12/), yet the occurrence of osteoporosis is higher than ever and continues to climb.  By comparison, the diet of a typical woman in Africa is devoid of milk and other dairy products; her calcium intake comes solely from plant sources. Even though she only consumes ½ the average amount of calcium consumed by North American women, she is unlikely to ever suffer from osteoporosis.  Despite this evidence, North American government departments and dairy bureaus advise us that the way to counter osteoporosis is to drink more milk. (Excerpt taken from “The Ultimate pH Solution”)

The dairy industry also achieves this high status by influencing government.  I am sure you are all familiar with politics….so what happens is these executives in the dairy industry become government regulators and help drive agenda that benefits the dairy industry.  Remember those lovely food pyramids that tell you how much of what you should be getting in your diet on a daily basis??  Guess who supplied the charts??  You got it, the dairy and meat industry!

Kris Carr said it best, “A cow drinks cow’s milk when it’s a baby.  A bunny drinks bunny’s milk when it’s a baby. Beyond a certain age, even they know that it’s freaky to suckle.  And do you ever see them switch and swap?  The only time milk is essential for good health is when we are babies, being breast-fed by human mothers.  Once we are weaned from our mothers, the majority of us quit producing the lactase enzyme necessary to break down the lactose in dairy products, hence lactose intolerance.  Cow’s milk contains more than three times as much protein as breast milk.  That’s because baby cows need a lot more protein.  They grow to between 1500 and 2000 pounds.  Is that your desired weight?”

Ok, so you may be thinking “where in the world do I get my calcium then??”  Fear not, here is a short list of foods that you can start with:

Almonds, arugula, black beans, broccoli, cabbage, chickpeas, collard greens, figs, flaxseeds, kale, kidney beans, lentils, okra, peas, peanuts, pinto beans, potatoes, quinoa, spinach, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, salmon, sesame seeds, swiss chard, tahini, tofu, turnip greens and on and on and on………….

And how do I eat my cereal?  Or make my smoothies?  There are plenty of milk alternatives: almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, hemp milk, etc.

As if all of this isn’t enough to think twice about consuming milk, I happened upon this awful youtube video exposing what goes on behind the scene at a typical dairy farm.  I found this video very disturbing and stopped it 3 minutes and 42 seconds in….I wouldn’t watch it if I were you but wanted to make it available in case any of you were curious.  http://youtu.be/6RNFFRGz1Qs