The tiny seed of the Salvia hispanica L. plant, better known as chia and widely available online, is surprisingly nutritious. Sprinkling 2 tablespoons of Salba (a commerical chia seed product studied at the University of Toronto) on a serving of hot cereal, yogurt, and other food adds about 3.6 grams of omega-3s and 6 grams of fiber, along with calcium, iron, magnesium, and other nutrients to one’s diet. Using whole seeds costs about $1 a day. Grinding the seeds at home makes one bottle last longer. So far, clinical evidence for the grain’s health effects is limited, but preliminary data suggest possible benefits for allergies, athletic performance, heart health, and appetite control. A January 2010 study of healthy volunteers published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition concludes that Salba supplementation may protect heart health by blunting the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. The new findings may help explain Salba’s cardioprotective effect that was noted in an earlier trial of type 2 diabetics. Some people must limit their potassium intake. One banana has about 450 mg of potassium; in comparison, 2 tablespoons of Salba contains 123 mg. For more information, visit salba.info or call 888-499-8665.

Ancient Chia Grain Makes a Comeback The Saturday Evening Post

Morning Glory Salba Muffins

Morning Glory Salba Muffins (GF)

Description

This recipe is Gluten- and Sugar-Free.

These muffins are hearty and nutritious. Whole raisins, grated carrots, and chopped walnuts lay a delightful foundation of texture. Fortified with the dense fiber and Omega-3s in Salba, a single muffin is all you need to get a great start to your day.

Makes 12 large muffins.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup soya flour
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup Salba Ground Seed
• 1/2 cup currants or raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup warm honey
• 1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots, packed)
• 1 tbsp grated ginger root
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Cooking Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In one large bowl, mix togerther the soya flour, brown rice flour, Salba Ground Seed, currants/raisins, walnuts, baking soda, salt, allspice, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, mix together the eggs, canola oil, buttermilk, honey, carrots, ginger, and lemon zest.
• Mix ingredients from both bowls together. Stir until just combined, do not overwork the batter.
• Bake on center rack for 20 minutes or until tops are golden.

Salba Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Salba Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

A hearty and nutritious family-favorite.

This dish is chock-full of creamy chicken, wild rice, and mushroom casserole with a healthy twist. This elegant, tasty recipe can be prepared in advance and baked right before company arrives. Serve with French-style green beans or broccoli, fruit salad and French bread.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup all-purpose enriched flour
• 3 Tbsp Salba Ground Seed
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 lbs chicken, fully cooked and diced into cubes
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup mushrooms, cooked and sliced
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp parsley flakes
• 1/2 cup diced pimentos, drained
• 1 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups cooked wild rice

Cooking Instructions

• In a large saucean, saute onion in butter until tender.
• Stir in flour, salt, crushed Salba and pepper until blended.
• Gradually stir in broth, bring to a boil while stirring for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
• Stir in cream chicken rice, mushrooms, pimentos and parsley; heat through.
• Transfer to a greased 2-1/2 qt. baking dish.
• Sprinkle with almonds.Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 mins.

Meaty Salba Lasagna

Meaty Salba Lasagna

A decadent and hearty lasagna dinner with a heaping helping of Salba, this recipe sneaks whole food nutrition into a traditional Italian dish.

Serves 12.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2/3 lb cooked lasagna noodles
• 1 small onion
• 3 Tbsp Salba Ground Seed
• 1 tsp salt1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup crushed tomato2 cups water

Cooking Instructions

• In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat is lightly browned.
• At 40 minutes, add beef and onion mixture to simmering sauce mixture.
• In a large saucepan, cook water, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes (diced), Italian seasoning, Salba Ground Seed, and garlic sauce over high heat. Bring to a light boil for 5 minutes, then simmer for 45 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese and romano cheese.
• Coat the bottom of a 13″x9″x2″ baking dish with the sauce mixture. Then, place a single layer of cooked noodles, then a layer of cheese blend, then another layer of noodles, a layer of the meat mixture, and a layer of mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat this process once more, topping the top layer with the remaining mozarella cheese.
• Cover the baking dosh with almunium foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
• Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes to brown the top layer of cheese.
• Allow lasagna to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Salba Irish Hummus

Salba Irish Hummus

Hummus is a chickpea paste that is popular in various local forms throughout the Middle East, but its origins are unknown. In Arabic the word hummus is used to describe the dish or just chickpeas. This Salba Irish Hummus is flavorful and nutritious with an abundance of protein, fiber, and omega-3s. It is best served with warm whole wheat pita or whole grain crackers as an hors d’oeuvre for a spring picnic.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 cup fresh parsley (keep some parsley for garnish)
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 2-3 Tbsp Salba Whole or Ground Seed

Cooking Instructions

• Mix all the ingredients with a blender until it is smooth and creamy.
• Garnish with parsley.
• Serve with warm whole wheat pita, toast, crackers or vegetable sticks.

For more wholesome recipes, please visit salba.com.

Photos Courtesy Salba.com.

Salba Recipes The Saturday Evening Post

For years nutritional scientists talked up dietary fiber as the key to better health, and now they are onto something even bigger and better. Whole grains, with their heart disease-fighting properties and the combined synergistic health effects of their phytochemicals and nutrients, can provide powerful protection from modern diseases and even help people stay slim. Although whole grains such as wheat, oats, and rye are all healthful, they are not all created equal. Recently, a handful of researchers around the world have been studying one of the lesser known but potentially most beneficial of all whole grains, the white-seed variety of the Salvia hispanica plant.

Once a favorite food of the ancient Aztecs who believed it increased their stamina, Salvia hispanica ranks among the richest of grains in omega-3s, dietary fiber, calcium, iron, and antioxidants.

“This grain’s nutrient composition seems phenomenal,” says Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, director of the Risk Factor Modification Centre at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital. “Its health benefits are becoming more and more apparent with emerging scientific evidence.”

In the first major study of Salvia hispanica, Dr. Vuksan and his University of Toronto colleagues baked the mild-flavored grain into white bread and assessed its effects in patients with well-controlled diabetes. They used the Peruvian-grown variety of white Salvia hispanica called Salba, noted for its superior and consistent nutrient composition. Subjects eating Salba for three months (compared to controls eating wheat-bran bread) had a dramatic six-point reduction in blood pressure and a 40 percent decrease in C-reactive protein levels, the inflammation marker that is a predictor of heart disease. Most important, Dr. Vuksan points out, the patients enjoyed eating the Salba bread, suggesting that it might help overcome a major hurdle in treating diabetes patients’ dietary compliance.

At the University of Antwerp in Belgium, independent researchers found similar improvements when healthy people added Salba to their diets for one month. Data showed reductions in blood pressure and triglyceride levels, but also that the subjects’ waistlines became smaller, even though none of them lost weight. “There was no change in total body weight,” Dr. Vuksan says, “but there was a difference in waist circumference, which indicates a change in body composition.”

In effect, the whole grain appeared to be selectively reducing visceral fat. “This is important,” Dr. Vuksan stresses, “because accumulating fat around the belly is the main problem with respect to developing heart disease and especially diabetes. Once we have this ‘spare tire’ around our belly, we get into trouble.”

The Toronto researchers have since identified further Salba potential. They found “impressive glucose-lowering effects of up to 40 percent” after meals, depending on how much Salba bread was eaten, Dr. Vuksan says. On average, each gram of Salvia hispanica reduces blood sugar levels by 2 percent.

Flax, which has a similar makeup and even more viscous dietary fiber, lowers blood sugar by about half that much, notes Dr. Vuksan. “We actually know the reason for this difference,” he explains. “The soluble fiber of Salba, although less than found in flax, is much more viscous on a per-gram basis. It has the ability to gel stronger with food in the gastrointestinal tract where it slows the absorption of nutrients in the small intestines. All the food will be absorbed, but the increased length of time means the glucose level will not go as high after eating Salba-enriched starchy foods.”

Dr. Vuksan also says that Salba’s soft, permeable husk gels easily, whereas flax husk is hard. Salba can be consumed either as the whole seed or finely ground because both forms are equally effective in lowering glucose levels. On the other hand, he says, “I’m not sure whether one will be able to see any effect with eating whole flax.”

Most recently, a study on Salba conducted at the University of Litoral in Santa Fe, Argentina, and published in the British Journal of Nutrition adds more to the Salba resume of benefits. Rats were fed for months with a sucrose-rich diet causing them to develop metabolic syndrome and obesity. Yet their condition was reversed by adding Salba to their diet. Their triglyceride levels came down, and abdominal fat was reduced. Additionally, their blood levels of omega-3 EPA increased.

The University of Toronto researchers are planning further studies of Salba, especially for its potential to curb weight gain. A brief study of subjective satiety indicated Salba bread eaten for breakfast reduced the desire to eat by 40 to 60 percent two hours after a meal.

“Those are quite impressive results,” Dr. Vuksan says. “It’s a pretty big change with a practical amount of Salba.” Next, researchers hope to study objective satiety, giving people a Salba preload and measuring how it actually affects eating behavior for the next meal. “Clinical data to date, though preliminary, are encouraging to us,” Dr. Vuksan says, “especially at a time when everybody is looking at how to reduce food intake, lower body fat, and improve insulin sensitivity and diabetes control. After all, we all want to live forever. Maybe this ancient grain holds one of the keys.”

Related: Salba Recipes.

The Whole-Grain Promise The Saturday Evening Post