Chia Power

History of the Chia Pet

Read about the Chia Pet company here.

The Best Reference on Chia Seeds

Wayne Coates and Ricardo Ayerza are research scientists who were affiliated with the Office of Arid Land Studies of the University of Arizona in Tucson. They have conducted research on chia seeds since 1990. Their book, published in 2005, is a thorough and very readable treatment of the history and uses of chia seeds.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest. Order it here.

Timelapse Chia Pet Turtle

My TEDx Talk

 

How I Used to Spread the Word About Chia Seeds

Over the years, I have had some fun sharing my knowledge of chia seeds with the public. It all began with a booth at the Women's EXPO Long Island.

When I first started, in 2008, almost none of the visitors to my booth knew that chia seeds were edible. I sold a few Chia Pets that year, and enough chia seeds to cover the cost of my exhibitor fee. 

 

By 2014, virtually everyone who stopped at my table was familiar with chia seeds. Many stated that they had a pound of chia seeds in their kitchen that they didn't know what to do with. Others told me that they stir a spoonful of chia seed into their morning oatmeal. This year I had the opportunity to share literature and offer tastes of products donated by my sponsors. Health Warrior Chia Bars were especially popular, as were the ChiaBia Bars donated by Arizona Chia.

My $2 Chia Card Kits were a big seller that year,  for the first time. Maybe I'll try to put them on Etsy one of these days.

In 2014 I exhibited at Stony Brook University's Wellness Expo. Over 2,000 students and staff attended. I invited participants to sample chia products donated by our sponsors, and to complete a simple "Chia Taste Test" evaluation form in exchange for a free sample: bars, whole seeds, or Chia Pets!

I found that not many students were aware of the nutritional benefits of chia seeds, but they were very enthusiastic about the products they sampled, especially the Mamma Chia Vitality Beverage.

 

 

Vegan Chia Seed Egg Replacer

My daughter has been baking vegan cookies lately and told me that this works fine. From the website, Vegan Baking:

This recipe makes the equivalent of 1 egg.

3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon white chia seed meal

You basically mix the two together well and let it sit until the gel forms. Go to the website for more details.

There's no reason not to use black chia seeds, and one of the commentors says you can even mix the chia meal in with your dry ingredients and add water to the whole mix. I'm not so sure about that.

 

Does Chia Grow Wild in New York?

According to the USDA PLANTS database, chia is grows wild in Florida, Texas and New York. More information is available at the link.

The New York occurrence has to be an error. More research is needed.

Weed Seeds in Your Chia

Have you found these round hard things among your chia seeds?

 

I recently received this photo from a reader who wanted to know what they were. She found them in a 6 pound bag of chia seeds that she had bought online.

I referred the question to Dr. Wayne Coates who says that they appear to be weed seeds from wild amaranth or pigweed. They are not harmful but they may have a strong taste.  He goes on to say, "That is the problem today many companies . . . are selling absolutely poor quality chia.  Either out of ignorance or they do not care."

So buyer, beware! This is animal grade chia and not the best quality.

 

 

Superfood Video Link

This is an excellent and entertaining video summarizing the superfood values of chia seeds.

Buy Chia in Bulk From Bolivia!

In February 2010, I received a phonecall from a chia seed grower, Mr. Marcelo Aspetty from Bolivia. He says he reads and enjoys my website and wanted to get in touch.
He represents a family farming company, GRANICORP, that grows chia seeds, along with corn, rice, and other cereals, near Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

In Bolivia, chia seed is planted in May and June, and is harvested in September.
Mr. Aspetty told me that his family produces nearly 200 metric tons of chia seed a year, and most of it is exported to Chile and Germany. He is asking my help in finding interested distributors in the U.S.

So Dear Reader, if you are in a position to import a ton of chia seed from Bolivia, here is who to contact!

 Link to Granicorp info.

Food Scientists Study the Gelling Properties of Chia Seeds

Many commercially sold food products use gelling agents to improve viscosity or mouth-feel. Seeking examples, I cruised my fridge and found xanthan gum in salad dressing, barbecue sauce and frozen lasagna and locust bean gum in a stir-fry sauce. Guar gum is another frequently used food additive. Here's an article describing the uses and safety of these products, if you want to know more. For the most part, these additives are soluble carbohydrates that can be mixed with water to form a tasteless thick, viscous edible substance.

Food scientists have begun to evaluate chia seed carbohydrate as a gelling agent in food products. Here is a peer-reviewed article that tests these 5 properties: water‐holding capacity, oil‐holding capacity, viscosity, emulsion activity, and freeze–thaw stability. The authors conclude that "chia seed gel has potential application in food formulation as a thickening agent, emulsifying agent, and as a stabilizer in frozen food product."

Source: Coorey R, Tjoe A, Jayasena V. Gelling Properties of Chia Seed and Flour. Journal Of Food Science. 2014. (Press release.)

 

Warning: Don't Read The Magic of Chia Seed

This article, published on the Raw Living website by William Anderson over 20 years ago, gets a lot of traffic. Unfortunately, It's full of errors and misinformation.

 

Easter Week Chia

In parts of Mexico and Central America, chia appears in traditional Easter Week celebrations. 
In 2024 Viernes de Dolores, the Friday of Sorrows, falls on March 22, marking the beginning of Easter Week, or Holy Week. The day commemorates the seven sorrows of the mother of Christ. Temporary altars and displays are set up in the streets, usually featuring an image or statue of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores surrounded by flowers, and a variety of traditional items: candles, oranges, bowls of colored water, corn seedlings, and chia sprouts. According to this article, the chia seeds are blessed at the beginning of Lent.

Sprouted sage seeds blessed on February 2, have also long been associated with the celebration of Our Lady of Sorrows. Growing greens remind the viewer of the resurrection and renewal of life. These sprouting sage seeds are also known as chia, the seeds traditionally sprouted in the grooves of clay animals, figures and pots.

Ron Mader of Planeta has documented this use of chia pets in Oaxaca.

My friend, Rachel Lindsay, a Fulbright Fellow in Nicaragua, sent me this photograph of chia seedlings used in the famous huge street sawdust paintings in León:

Viernes de Dolores

In Oaxaca markets, vendors are busy planting chia pets to display on sidewalk altars during the Friday before Easter week.

Eew. Just Eew.

Be careful in consuming whole chia seeds.

A 39-year-old North Carolina man swallowed a spoonful of whole chia seeds, followed by a glass of water.

For two weeks he was unable to swallow anything else, because the chia had gotten stuck at the base of his esophagus and hydrated there into a hard dry ball of chia gel. He needed an endoscopy. His doctor performed one and removed the ball of seeds with difficulty. While inside of him, she took a snapshot with a little endoscopic camera.  View this photo if you dare. Eew.

“It got to be this sort of almost Play-Doh-like consistency, very hard in terms of a liquid but also sort of soft,” says Dr. Rebecca Rawl, MD, the gastroenterology fellow at Carolinas HealthCare System who helped treat the patient. As reported by @MandyOaklander at TIME.com.

Back in 2014, the "Chia Seed Challenge" was an experiment popular among pre-teens like these. The consequences aren't good and could potentially be even more serious than what happens at 3:27, below. Eew. Don't watch.