With the launch of the Chia Chronicles, I thought a mini-mission about chia seeds was in order.

I first read about using chia seeds for endurance sports in the amazing book, Born to Run , that made me want to be a runner. More importantly, the book sparked my interest in what the Tarahumara eat. Food is one of, if not the top way to improve your health. Because the Tarahumara are free of our modern day diseases and conditions, it only makes sense to me, to learn more about what they eat.

Aspiring runners or not, we all need to pay attention to our health and sometimes incorporate new food into our diet for improved health, (or drop food that is making us sick). It is our responsibility to do the research, and learn what’s best. We can’t rely on doctors to do this for us. Doctor will rarely tell you to change your diet, until it’s too late. When was the last time you went to the doctor for congestion, complained of chronic colds and your doctor suggested you stop drinking milk? Probably never, but it is a well known fact that inflammation causes mucus and milk causes inflammation. Take charge of your health and health care and decide what is best for you.

So here is your mini-mission, try chia seeds.

Top 5 reasons to eat chia seeds:

Chia seeds are great for vegetarians, because unlike flaxseed, chia seeds can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid and don’t require grinding. The oil they contain does not go rancid because of the high level of antioxidants. 1/4 cup of chia seeds has 160 calories and a whopping 11 grams of fiber. You do not need to grind the chia seeds to digest. It is a relatively easy to digest seed, whereas flaxseeds are not. Chia seeds are great for athletes because they are highly hydrophilic. Being hydrophilic means they absorb large amounts of water. Chia seeds can absorb over 10 times their weight in water making them a great enhancer in hydrating our bodies. They absorb the water we drink holding it in our system longer. Studies show that eating chia seeds slows down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrate calories into simple sugars. This leads scientists to believe that the chia seed may have great benefits for diabetics.

How to use Chia Seeds

Add a scoop to your water bottle before running or working out.

Sprinkle on yogurt, salad, oatmeal or just about anything.

Use in recipes from Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way.

Try my favorite breakfast smoothie…..

1/2 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon soy yogurt

1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon all natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon chocolate vegan protein powder

1/4 cup dry oatmeal slightly moistened with water

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1/2 cup ice

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

What foods do you really enjoy eating that benefit your health?

For more experiments to simplify your life, read Mini-missions for Simplicity. It’s available on the Amazon Kindle store, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. Kindle books can also be read using the Free Kindle Reader App for your Web Browser, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android.