Dear Readers,
This past week our newsletter (The Paleo Diet Update, volume 6, issue 4) featured an article by Dr. Cordain on Lysozyme and Egg Whites, and autoimmune disease. Readers who are not yet newsletter subscribers may obtain a free subscription on our web site to The Paleo Diet Update.
Readers who would like to obtain a copy of volume 6, issue 4 of The Paleo Diet update may purchase a copy of this and other back issues from our web store.
Dear Readers,
The following is an excerpt from a special report authored by Dr. Cordain on Chia seeds. The full report is available in our newsletter, The Paleo Diet Update, Volume 6 Issue 7.
Q: Are there any negative effects associated with chia seeds which would make them inappropriate in The Paleo Diet?
Thank you.
A: Good question. I would imagine that many of our readers have never even heard of chia seeds much less eaten them. Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) are a member of the Labiatae plant family and are native to southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. The seeds are small, oval shaped; either black or white colored and resemble sesame seeds. These seeds were cultivated as a food crop for thousands of years in this region by the Aztecs and other native cultures. Chia seeds can be consumed in a variety of ways including roasting and grinding the seeds into a flour known as Chianpinolli which can then become incorporated into tortillas, tamales, and various beverages. The roasted ground seeds were traditionally consumed as a semi-fluid mucilaginous gruel (Pinole) when water is added to the flour. In post-Columbian times the most popular use of chia flour was to make a refreshing beverage in which the ratio of seeds to water is decreased, thereby resulting in a less gelatinous consistency to which lemon, sugar or fruit juice are added. The sticky consistency of chia seed Pinole or chia beverages comes from a clear mucilaginous, polysaccharide gel that remains tightly bound to the seeds. This sticky gel forms a physical barrier which may impair digestion and absorption of fat from the seed4 while also causing a low protein digestibility.
In the past 20 years a revival of interest in chia seeds has occurred primarily because of their high fat content of about 25-39% by weight, of which 50-57% is the therapeutic omega 3 fatty acid and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). In the past 10 years chia seeds have been used as a foodstuff for animals to enrich their eggs and meat with omega 3 fatty acids. So I wholeheartedly approve of feeding chia seeds to animals and then eating the omega 3 fatty acid enriched meat or eggs of these animals.
How about feeding chia seeds to humans – should we consume chia seeds because of their high omega 3 fatty acid (ALA) content? The Table below shows the entire nutrient profile of chia seeds. At least on paper, it would appear that chia seeds are a nutritious food that is not only high in ALA, but also is a good source of protein, fiber, certain B vitamins, calcium, iron and manganese.
Unfortunately, the devil is always in the details…
Dear Readers,
Dr. Cordain’s article “A Critical Examination Of Blood Type Diets” was published in a recent issue of our weekly newsletter The Paleo Diet Update (Vol. 6 Issue 14). If you’re not already a subscriber you may purchase this informative article from our web store. Past issues of our newsletters are available for purchase individually, or as part of the entire archive.
Thank you for your continued readership.
Dear Readers,
The three most recent editions of our weekly newsletter The Paleo Diet Update (Vol. 6 Issues 15-17) featured Dr. Cordain’s newest paper “Consumption of Nightshade Plants”. The final installment (three of three) was published last week. All three parts of the newsletter will available for purchase as back issues from our web store until July 5, after which the entire paper will be available from our web store.
Thank you for your continued readership.
