The Magic of Chia: Revival of an Ancient Wonder Food

by James F. Scheer

In The Magic of Chia , authority James F. Scheer details the seed's abundant calcium, amylose (a slow-burning starch helpful for hypoglycemics), a vast array of vitamins and minerals, and an unusually good ratio of omega-3 oil to omega-6 oil. The book reintroduces this wonder food to the modern palate, with numerous tested recipes for using chia to upgrade the nutritional value of hamburgers, soups, salads, breads, fruit drinks, and much more. Included is the never before told story about the twenty-year program to domesticate the wild chia and, for the first time in modern history, grow it in large enough quantities to supply the U.S. and world markets.

Genres: Health, Food, Nutrition

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2000

Reviews

[Yves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but complete primer on Chia seeds with an emphasis on health.

[Gary Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Scheer is a world-renowned and respected wellness writer. His book is a fantastic read for anyone who's suffering from Type II Diabetes ...or wants to prevent it... while defeating fatigue and gaining more stamina. It also is a "must read" for those who wish to be truly healthy while eating modern, nutritionally-robbed foods.

In The Magic of Chia, Mr. Scheer explains how this simple, natural seed was used extensively by Central, South and North American, ancient Native Peoples as a miracle food that, among other things, allowed them to outrun deer.

Mr. Scheer documents a key power of Chia is it's ability to naturally address insulin resistance issues while having your day empowered by enhanced energy and vitality. Menopausal women will also benefit from oestrogen-level enhancement and post-40 men will see improvement in their night-time challenges.

The heart-health conscious will discover much to be excited about among Chia's power-packed "Essential Fatty Acid (EFA)" health benefits.

You'll discover further research about the above and other benefits discussed in the article at http://diigo.com/0otnp .

We eat one tablespoon of Chia Seed before every meal or starchy snack, at least three times a day. We take it mixed up and gelatinized in a small glass of water. This helps modulate the sugar spikes of the complex carbohydrate products we eat, including fresh fruit.

One can buy Chia Seed at Bulk Barn and many health food stores. Organic is best when available.

Read and get healthy! Blessings all!

GaryFPatton
(Updated: 2013-10-14 © gfp '42™)

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been using chia seeds as diet supplements, based on various online recommendations and became curious how they became a popular supplement in recent years. I started tracing mentions on the Internet, and found that a lot of them appear to have come from this book. In particular, a common quote that Aztecs or Native Americans could go on a 24/hr forced march on a tablespoon of chia seeds appears to come from this book (Scheer attributes the claim to historian Harrison Doyle, an amateur historian who lived to 107 or so and ascribed his longevity to chia).

The book describes how Bob Anderson, a health food salesman, and his colleague Hal Neiman, started selling large quantities of chia seeds in the US. Apparently, Neiman was the principal supplier to the company that made the Chia Pet, and was looking for other markets.

Unfortunately, the book, (like much of Scheers other writing, apparently), is basically an unabashed sales pitch for chia seeds, and various chia related business concerns. There is a lot of questionable sourcing, shoddy or poorly done research, anecdotal effects that can be easily ascribed to the placebo effect, and a lot of claims of miraculous benefits.

The book's primary value to me is for the insight it provides into the early use of chia seeds in the health food community in California.

The book is quite short and can be read in well under an hour.

[Casey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been eating Chia seeds for almost a year and have been urging all of friends to do the same. :-) All of the information that I read which urged me to include them in my daily diet was derived from the internet. I was looking for a good book that could provide me with additional information, the science and history of cultivating Chia, along with a few recipes. This book was a great choice!

It is an easy read and is chock full of easy to read science, facts and even a few great recipe suggestions too.