Green Options

If I asked you to identify quinoa, kamut, spelt and amaranth, you’d probably reply — correctly — that each of those are a type of ancient grain.  But if I asked you to identify chia, you might be more likely to respond by pointing to a ceramic, grass-topped pet.

Navitas Naturals, a California-based organic and fair-trade food company, is working to change that image. Chia is actually an ancient seed with nutritional similarities to flax seed — and a higher quantity of omega fatty acids than salmon. Until recently, finding organic chia in the United States was nearly impossible. But recently, Navitas Naturals  released the United States’ first certified organic chia seed.

Which ancient grain:

• is 15 to 18% protein?
• has five times the iron as wheat?
• contains three times the fiber as wheat?
• delivers twice the calcium as milk?
• is a great source of magnesium and manganese?
• is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid?
• contains both lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids usually missing from other grains?

This nutritional powerhouse is easy to prepare and can be substituted for other grains in just about any recipe. It is a gluten-free food, making it an easy choice for sufferers of celiac disease or wheat allergies to replace wheat, barley, and rye in grain-based recipes.

What is this amazing superfood?