Healthy Eating

Nov 1, 2007

Salba Seeds - Super Source of Omega-3

In a recent report from William C. Douglass II, M.D., I was astonished to read about the benefits of eating "bird seed." Skeptical about the findings in this report, I remain enthusiastic about eating a food that has:
6 times more calcium than whole milk
15 times morel magnesium than broccoli
3 times more antioxidant capacity than fresh blueberries …
More fiber than flaxseed, more protein than soy
This "ultimate superfood" has been sitting right under our noses for over 500 years, and totally ignored until just recently!
It’s a grain you never heard of, yet the ancient Aztecs of Mexico prised it more highly than gold. The fed it to their athletes, used it as medicine, even offered it up to their gods and …
They believed that this grain gave them supernatural ENERGY AND POWER…
And maybe it did, in a manner of speaking.
Yet, when the Spanish Conquistadors looted and ruined the ancient Aztec Empire, this nutritional treasure all but vanished with it. The Spaniards named the grain Salivia Hispanica L—and then it was promptly forgotten. Up to this point it’s just a colorful Aztec legend? But everything suddenly changed when …
500 years later, researchers finally started running tests …
And when the first results came in, they nearly fell over. They noticed that Salivia Hispanica L came in two colors—black and white. The black ones proved unremarkable. But the white ones teslted off the charts!
So the bred a strain of purely white grains, tested them again—and the results clearly showed they had found a nutritional goldmine. They renamed this super-grain Salba.
A rich, dense SUPER SOURCE OF Omega-3s…
Plus, each tiny granule, gram for gram, contains more fiber than flaxseed, more protein than soy, more calcium than whole milk, 15 times more magnesium than broccoli and it can be mixed into practically all of your favorite foods! Salba is so nutritionally dense that just two tablespoons a day could help you. The American Heart Association agrees that Omega 3s can help:
Promote healthy heart functions
Balance cholesterol levels
Lower blood pressure
Support a healthy cardiovascular system

Maybe you knew all that, but until recently, nobody knew that Salba is among the richest sources of Omega 3l fatty acids of any whole food in thel history of nutrition! In fact, gram for gram, these little granules contain 8 times more Omega 3 fatty acids that the equivalent weight of fresh Atlantic Salmon.
No one is suggesting that you stop eating salmon. Salmon contains different kinds of Omega-3s, including high amounts of DHA and EPA … while Salba’s Omega 3s are mainly in the form of alpha linolenic acid. And it’s best to have all of these forms. But Salba’s heart health benefits don’t stop there.
Because your heart and arteries also need plenty of magnesium, there’s where Salba comes to the rescue again. Gram for gram, Salba has 15 times more magnesium than broccoli!
Many doctors are recommending more fiber in your diet
. The right kind of fiber can help you solve a huge array of digestive distresses, including:
Diarrhea
Constipation
Bowel Discomfort
Cranky Colon
Bloating
Gas
There’s one major catch. Most fiber supplements taste like sawdust so most people give up on them. Salba is a good source of fiber that goes a long way and can make your morning cereal, shake or smoothie even more delicious!
Those who have tried Salba, claim that before taking Salba, their blood sugar fluctuated up and down. After taking Salba, their blood sugar was more stable, especially during the night. They also claim that their circulation is better and energy level is way up.
Others claimed that before taking Salba, they had indigestion and constipation, cold hand and feet and low energy. Now, they feel so much better and the problems have subsided.
Give your bones a big boost. You’ve heard it a million times: you need calcium to build strong bones. The very best way to get it is in the calcium-rich foods you eat. Yet according to The National Dairy Council, only 25% of us are getting the recommended amount of calcium in our diets. Gram for gram, Salba hall 6 times more calcium than milk.
Muscles appear to deteriorate as we get older, even if you’re exercising. Your aging muscles won’t remain defined unless you power them up with plenty of protein—every day. Because most protein sources harbor health risks of their own and it’s heard to find good quality red meat. The jury is still out on how much soy is too much.
Aging is a battle against the "free radicals"
threatening your cells. These unstable oxygen molecules are created when your cells burn fuel. Your body is swarming with them and they’re one of the biggest culprits in the aging process. The good news is that you can "clean out" these free radicals with compounds called antioxidants. And maybe you’ve heard that blueberries are a rich source of antioxidants and they are. But did you know that gram for gram Salba has almost three times the antioxidant capacity of fresh blueberries! So maybe you’re starting to see that Salba is tops against the "superfoods"!
One reason is that Salba is so nutritionally dense. Unlike fruit, berries and vegetables, which are mostly air and water… each grain of Salba is like a "neutron star" of nutritional goodies, packed with millions of miracle molecules. So many that you need just 2 tablespoons a day.
You can sprinkle Salba on your yogurt or cereal or you can grind it and blend with the flour in you home baked breads. If you hate flaxseed, you’ll love Salba because there is no sawdust waxy cardboard taste and the texture of flaxseed. Salba is totally neutral and will take on the flavor of whatever it’s mixed with and no gritty texture.
Salba, like other foods that are rich in fiber expands in the stomach. Result" It makes you feel fuller longer. That’s fantastic news for dieters. If you’ve been trying to lose weight, Salba could be your new best friend!
Salba can be used in sugar-free yogurt at breakfast, but also put it in soup, cereal and salads.
Some facts about Salba are: It is rich in vitamins A, B3, B6, C and Thiamin. Plus 20 minerals and trace elements, 17 fatty acids and 16 different amino acids. Salba is: 1) All natural 2) Non allergenic 3) Gluten free! 4) Non GMO
Salba is grown under highly controlled conditions in Peru—known for its ideal climate and pristine environment.
The above contains information from The Douglass Report, the folks at NorthStar Nutritionals and Dr. Douglas is an M.D. The report is also supported by Alan Inglis, MD. We continue to search for "whole-food" approaches to fortifying our bodies against the onset of disease.
A great response and well-documented:
Yes, this Salba seed is indeed amazing! It is not only better than flaxseed, no, even better than hemp; Salba contains 5% more fibre and has a 3.6 times higher omega-3 content than omega-6. While hemp has 3 times less omega-3 than omega-6, which is certainly not ideal. Our daily diet should be balanced in omega-3s and omega-6s, but most Canadians eat too many omega-6s, inhibiting proper function of the omega-3s in our body.Furthermore, Salba has undergone intensive clinical testing by Dr. Vuksan from the University of Toronto, at the St Michael's Hospital, in Toronto. Salba was shown to be able to decrease body inflammation (C-reactive protein), to lower blood pressure, and to decrease blood coagulation (blood clotting). These findings can be read in the best scientific magazine for diabetes research: Diabetes Care, issue 11, 2007.
Thanks for the additional information. We bought salba seed at the "Bulk Barn" in Canada in ground form and I add a teaspoon to my oatmeal each morning. It was as if it was destined that I stop in because the sign on the door advertised a special on "salba" and the manager said it is being bought up as fast as they can fill the bins.
Stan Kent, author of Healthy Eating.