In their new book,"Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs," authors Ricardo Ayerza Jr. and Wayne Coates compare fatty acid profiles of chia seeds with other major sources such as fish oil, flaxseed and marine algae.
Ayerza and Coates provide evidence that chia is superior in many ways, for example:
Chia offers superior omega-3 fatty acid content. It has more protein, lipids, energy, and fiber but fewer carbs than rice, barley, oats, wheat or corn, and its protein is gluten-free. Chia is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc and copper. Chia is low in sodium: salmon has 78 times as much, tuna 237 times as much.
Chia exhibits no evidence of allergic response, even in individuals with peanut and free-nut allergies. Finally, Chia doesn’t give off a "fishy" flavor, unlike some other sources of omega-3 fatty acid.
The need to supply omega-3 fatty acid in the human diet, combined with the imperative of finding a safe, renewable omega-3 source, positions chia to become one of the world's most important crops, say the authors.
A main Aztec crop at the time of Columbus, the plant was nearly wiped out by the Spanish conquistadores because of its use in "pagan" rituals. For hundreds of years, it survived in just a few scattered areas and has been largely unknown in the United States except as a novelty. Yet the Aztecs used chia as raw material for medicines and as an energy source on long journeys.
Agronomist Ricardo Ayerza Jr. is an associate in arid lands at The University of Arizona's Office of Arid Lands Studies and has been researching chia production and use since 1990.
Agricultural engineer Wayne Coates is a research professor in Arid Lands Studies at The University of Arizona. His work with chia began in 1990, and he developed the system that is now used to commercially harvest and clean the seed.
Their book - $50 hardcover; $14.95 paperback - is due to be published on April 14.
- Updated: March 23, 2005
