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Chia Seeds and Celiac Disease

People go on special types of diets for several reasons. Some people do it in an earnest effort to get fit and to lead a healthier lifestyle. Others do it simply to look good for a special occasion, or to enjoy the benefits of a good looking physique. Some of these special diets are made up of healthy foods, which are nutritious and truly beneficial to our bodies. Others are simply fad diets that are propagated through a combination of clever marketing and wholesale misinformation. The reasons behind such dieting are all very commonplace and easy for all of us to understand. However, there are some people who go on special diets because their very survival depends on it. One example would be people afflicted with Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease

is a disorder of the small intestine, in which the body reacts to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye, which causes the digestive system to cease absorbing nutrients properly, and triggers an inflammatory reaction that leads to diarrhea. Left untreated, sufferers of the disease will experience chronic fatigue, and afflicted children will fail to develop because of the resulting malnutrition. Despite years of study, research, and experimentation, the only known treatment for Celiac Disease is a life-long gluten-free diet. Maintaining such a diet is much easier said than done, because wheat, barley, rye, and all the other gluten-containing grains are among the most common sources of sustenance on the planet. Most packaged or processed foods contain some amount of gluten or gluten derived products. Most alcoholic beverages are made with a grain of some sort, and are also considered off-limits. Even meat products such as sausages may contain gluten in the form of the binder used in its manufacturing process. While there are foods that are guaranteed gluten free, they are often lacking in essential nutrients such as dietary fiber, iron, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and carbohydrates. This in turn could lead to additional health problems such as iron deficiency anemia and poor bone strength. Luckily, sufferers of Celiac Disease need not despair, because the chia seed is 100% gluten free, and packed with all the essential nutrients that are generally lacking in a gluten free diet.

Harvested from the salvia hispanica plant, a member of the mint family, the chia seeds’ value as both a source of sustenance and nutrition has been recognized for thousands of years. The ancient Mayans and Aztecs regarded chia seeds as one of their most essential grains, so much so that they were used as currency. In modern times, they are classified as functional foods

, and even considered by many to be a perfect super food. People with Celiac Disease are inclined to agree, as chia seeds provide them with the nutrients that would otherwise be missing from their restricted diets. Low energy levels are no longer a worry, because chia seeds are rich in carbohydrates, and help stabilize the body’s metabolism, resulting in better stamina and longer endurance. Chia seeds are also rich in dietary fiber, which is doubly essential for sufferers of Celiac Disease in maintaining the health of their digestive systems. Children who are afflicted with the disease no longer have to suffer from slow development brought about by dietary deficiencies of riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin. Growing and maintaining healthy bones is also easier because of the chia seed’s high calcium content. The large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in chia seeds are helpful in soothing the inflammation and irritation of the digestive system, and help heal the digestive tract and promote better absorption of nutrients. With such a great amount of nutrition in so every little seed, there is little wonder why chia seeds are ranked highly among nature’s superfoods.

Given the restrictions of a gluten-free diet, sufferers of Celiac Disease will be pleased to discover how flexible chia seeds are in the kitchen. They are mild tasting, which allows them to be mixed with a wide variety of flavorful ingredients. When ground into flour, they can be used for making gluten-free breads and pastries. They may be added directly into beverages, or mixed with water and allowed to turn into a gel for use as a binder or additive in any number of recipes. They can even be eaten on their own without any preparation at all. Hidalgo Foods takes care to provide only chia seeds of the highest quality available. Also, in keeping with our mission of providing only the best in natural foods, they are grown organically without the use of any GMOs or harmful chemicals.

Click here to buy Chia Seeds.

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