by nancylee bouscher

A short history of Chia seeds at the Co-op:These tiny beads seeds lived happily in the bulk herbs section for oh-so-many years somewhere between celery seeds and dandelion root. They had regular visitors,a few dedicated people who used chia seeds to eat,drink or maybe to use on their Chia Pet.

Then one day Oprah mentioned them on television. I remember this day because suddenly many,many people were asking for chia seeds. Like so many before them,now that they were in the lime light,chia seeds had fans flocking to them. They were moved into the upscale bulk,now next to sesame and flax seeds. They started getting invited to parties,everyone wanted chia seeds to sign their yearbook –chia seeds has “made it.”

For good reason too. They are tiny powerhouses of omega-3,calcium,protein and fiber. In one tablespoon of chia seeds there are 2.4 grams of Omega-3,64 mg of Calcium,2 grams of protein and….wait for it….4 grams of fiber. In one tablespoon!

Folks want fiber to help with digestion- which can aid in weigh loss or detoxification. Plus,there’s no grinding involved,like with flax seeds. Chia seeds can be eaten raw or soaked which will prompt the lil’dots to produce a gel-like sac and quickly turn water into something thicker. So everyone wanted chia. The wanted,they got and then there was no more.

No more chia. Sad,sad day for co-op-ers. Until,one day,a clever gal found some chia and another clever gal ordered over 150 twelve ounce bags of chia from Spectrum Organics. So now,chia seeds are back!

They are planning their stage set,their costumes are at the cleaners and they want to schedule a performance in your morning smoothie. Come on and get ‘em soon!  You can find them,under the big lights!,in the Health and Beauty Aid Department really close to those clever gals.