chia is healthy snack food

10.26: news.health/chia/fiber-carb ratio:
. did you see chia's fiber/carb ratio?
one way to highlight that is
give it in terms of % daily value:
20%/2%
.20/.02 = 10 .
10.27:
... what is the soluble-insoluble ratio ?

10.27: health/chia's soluble fiber:

. chia is a great snack food
because it's tastes like a grain
that can be eaten raw,
yet has a soluble fiber content similar to beans .

0.7 grams of soluble fiber per 15 g chia:
0.7 soluble fiber =
4.1 gm total Fiber - 3.4 g Insoluble Fiber
. compared to bean fibers (per cup/2 dried):
red: 2.0 sol, -- 7.9 total, 5.9 insol .
navy: 2.2 sol, -- 6.5 total, 4.3 insol .
black: 2.4 sol, -- 6.1 total, 3.7 insol .

rich in mucilloid soluble fiber:
If you leave Chia in water for 30 minutes
the glass will appear to contain
an almost solid gelatin,
absorbing more than 12 times its weigh in water .
"( Excessive consumption of flax [or chia] seeds
with inadequate water
can cause bowel obstruction. )

. chia's fat has more omega-3 than omega-6
unlike most grains, nuts, and seeds;
Grains are seeds of plants belonging to the grass family.
(members of the monocot families Poaceae or Gramineae)
chia is a pseudocereal .

per 100g chia the fat composition is (grams):
3.2 sat, 2.1 mono, 5.8 poly(18:2), 17.5 poly(18:3)
compare 100g salmon:
0.9 sat, 2.1 mono,  0.8 poly(18:2), 0.3 poly(18:3)
0.3 poly(20:5 -- epa )
0.3 poly(22:5 -- dpa )
1.115 poly(22:6 -- dha)

reading the usda charts:
18:3 means 18 carbons with 3 double bonds .
omega-3 vs -6: means
A double bond is located on the 3rd vs 6th
carbon–carbon bond,
counting from the terminal methyl carbon
toward the carbonyl carbon.
For example, alpha-Linolenic acid
is classified as an omega-3 fatty acid .
18:3 vs 18:2
alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA)     18:3 (n-3)
Linoleic acid (LA) 18:2(n-6) -- omega-6 fatty acid.

. keep in mind that omega-3's are
poly's (polyunsaturates) -- they are
easily increasing your free radical load
and causing oxidative stresses (rapid aging)
while not being easily converted by your body
into the healthy fish oils .

. while poly's do have anti-cancer effects,
a more heart-friendly anti-cancer strategy
is high-dosing the non-toxic form of selenium
and avoiding the moldy grains
that are folded into fast foods .

. worse news for poly's, [2014.6.30: later retracted]
 macular degeneration (leading cause age-related blindness)
and male prostate cancer,
were more likely with high levels of ALA,
the omega-3 plentiful in chia .
. while ALA is an essential fatty acid,
only very small quantities are required,
and should be mixed with
antioxidant herbs like rosemary,

. the amount you need ?
see usa's suggestion .
--(notice in that link
that you can have omega-6 amounts
that are 17times the omega-3 amounts?
that is the political opinion of the usa,
the world's grain supplier:
most of their exports --{wheat, soy}--
have too much omega-6
compared to omega-3 .
. they might be right about your omega-3 needs;
or they might be low-balling
due to usa's lack of it .

. I appreciate raw foods,
so I'm grateful chia seeds don't imbalance
my omega-3 omega-6 ratio's,
but, my favorite raw source for omega-3
is egg yolks and dark leafy greens .
. the closest I've found to bean-fed eggs
-- that would have more omega-3 I believe --
is Eggland's Best .

. to get a sure dose of DHA,
that is 3rd-party tested for
acceptable levels of the usual
fish oil contaminants
(dioxins,PCB's, mercury, ...)
I use Life Extension's
Super Omega-3 epa/dha fisho oil
(from a well-used discounter
like iherb.com  not amazon.com)
[2011.11.14: but not since
iherb changed its discount policies;
do consider however,
who amazon is connecting you with:
counterfeits do happen,
and dioxins are serious .]

chia is better than flax:
"( flaxseed contains a considerable amount of
[neurotoxic] cyanogen glycosides.
To remove cyanides from flaxseed,
5% of freshly ground flaxseed by weight
could be added to cold-pressed flaxseed,
with incubation at 30 °C for 18 h
followed by steam heat to evaporate HCN.)

"(Taking over 2 tablespoons raw flax seed,
may have hormonal effects that are
harmful during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
People with hormone-dependent conditions
like breast or prostate cancer
should also avoid using flax seed oil.
It is not recommended for children under 12.)

"(Flax seed may have estrogen-like effects,
and women taking flax seed daily
may experience changes in menstruation;
the NIH advises that women with
hormone-related health conditions
be cautious about using flax seed,
including endometriosis, uterine fibroids,
polycystic ovary syndrome,
and breast, ovarian or uterine cancer.
Pregnant women also should
not consume supplemental flax seed,
as it could cause hormonal effects
that might be harmful to the developing baby .)