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Chia is an herb, Latin name salvia hispanica, grown commercially for its seeds, which are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, so they are an alternative to swallowing spoonfuls of olive oil or munching on handfuls of nuts. Chia is better known in Mexico where it has been eaten as seeds, sprouts or ground seeds are added to baked goods such as bread and biscuits. Oddly enough, Chia seeds were used quite often for arts and crafts before their health properties were understood. This is now more widely known and there is a demand for them from ordinary consumers but it is hard to know where to buy Chia seeds as few supermarkets stock them.
Types of Chia supplements and products
You can get your dosage of omega 3 fatty acids either as seeds which you eat directly or by using the seeds in cooking. Alternatively, you can buy Chia oil, which as it is derived from a plant source is more palatable to vegetarians and vegans who do not want to eat fish oils. The oil has very little taste so is easier to swallow, too. As it grows in popularity, there are more and more places where you can buy Chia seeds and different ways to eat them. An easy way to take your dose of Chia is in capsule form, they contain between 500 to 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per capsule; a common dosage is 2,000 mg per day. Many want to be able to add Chia to their cooking, to gain from its health benefits and also as it helps the body to retain fluids and electrolytes and slows the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar it is fast becoming fashionable as an aid to dieting.
Sources of Chia Seeds
There are a variety of places where you can buy Chia seeds from, mostly online for bulk purchases. Amazon.com stocks a variety of Chia seeds and supplements; from health product suppliers such as Swanson, which supply 60 x 400mg capsules for $2.99 and pure unprocessed white Chia seeds in 16 ounce jars. Alternatively, you can source one and two pound bags of seeds from Raw Food World or Raw Reform, again from Amazon these will cost between $6.99 and $9.75. Goji King is a well known online supplier of health foods and seed shipping to Europe. If you want organic Chia seeds, not all suppliers stock them; so, this will influence where you buy Chia seeds from and how much you pay for them, organic seeds tend to be more expensive.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about seeds and organic gardening at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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