Salba or chia seed?

[Deanie]

Anyone ever tried Salba or chia seed? It's very high in fibre, has more Omega 3s than salmon or flax, and has lots of other nutrients like calcium. Plus it's low in carbs.
I bought some yesterday after reading about it in the newspaper. It's expensive, but so far it seems to keep me feeling full.

[Chicklady]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

I've never heard of salba, but chia seeds now sweem to be all the rage. And to think they made cute little chia pets with them Some day, when I have money, I'm gonna try some. How do they taste?

[sadie147]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

I've posted on here twice in Main and Food and cooking chat about it but had very little response as well..so I don't think it's widely known about.

I've been using it for about 3 weeks now. It's pretty much tasteless, i've been adding it to my morning smoothies or yogurt. I've tried both the full seed and the ground... It bakes really well, better than flax IMO (not as slimey)...and is far superior in nutrient values.

Here is the website that I read about it on. This is the Canadian site but seems to have more info than the US one: http://www.sourcesalba.com/ They do a flax vs. Salba comparison as well.

Here is what they say about it:

Salba® is the richest whole food source of Omega 3 fatty acids and fibre found in nature. Every serving (12 grams or approximately 2 flat tablespoons) of Salba® provides over 2,400 mg of Omega 3s, over 4,500 mg of dietary fibre, with less than 0.5 net carbohydrates per serving. Gram for gram, Salba® provides six times more calcium than whole milk, three times more iron than spinach, and fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli. Salba® is all-natural, has no trans-fats, is gluten free, has almost no carbohydrates, and is certified Non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism).

Here is the US site that has a store locator http://www.salbausa.com/sitemap.php

Oh and I have absolutely no idea where this would fall as far as food groups on the WOE since it's new. Since it's comparable to flax, maybe 2 tbsns a day would be ok for supplimentation?

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[biogeek]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

I've never heard of these items. Thanks for the links! I'll be doing some reading on them...too bad they're pricy though.

[sadie147]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

I've never heard of these items. Thanks for the links! I'll be doing some reading on them...too bad they're pricy though.

yes they're quite a bit more pricey than flaxseed. However I guess if you think of them as a suppliment...they're all pretty much pricey . i bought the whole seed this time and it's going much farther. It was 23.99 cdn for a bag. The recommeded doseage is only 2tbsns a day so i'm sticking with that. this bag should last me quite a bit longer than the $15 bag of ground.

and according to the site, you can eat it whole as well as ground unlike flax.

[Chicklady]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

$25 a pound!! Yikes! And I was thinking about sprouting some for my babies. Guess not!!

[sadie147]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

$25 a pound!! Yikes! And I was thinking about sprouting some for my babies. Guess not!!

That's for Salba thought and not for Chia, if you were thinking of sprouting some for your babies (i'm guess your babies aren't human? LOL) maybe you could look into chia, it may be cheaper?

[Chicklady]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

Yeah, they're two legged and feathered I will look into chia.

[sadie147]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

Yeah, they're two legged and feathered I will look into chia.

Yes i realized after i posted you have your babies pictures at the bottom of your signature. they're adorable...well for chickens

here is the comparison between chia and salba from one of the sites:

The differences between Salba® and Chia are significant:

Salba® is nutritionally consistentSalba® is consistently higher in Omega-3 Fatty Acids than common chiaSalba® is consistently higher in Protein than common chiaSalba® is more aesthetically appealing in food preparationSalba® has consistently higher water absorption capacity than common chiaSalba® is white in color / common chia is mostly blackSalba® has white flowers / common chia has blue/purple flowersSalba® is grown under strictly controlled conditionsSalba® is the only registered variety of Salvia hispanica L
Most importantly,

Salba® is the only registered variety of Salvia hispanica that has undergone intensive human clinical examination

Salba® is an evidence based crop and the only type of Salvia hispanica L. for which there are both NUTRIENT and HEALTH CLAIMS. In acute and long-term clinical studies conducted on individuals with Type 2 Diabetes, Salba® reduced after-meal blood glucose and plasma insulin levels, thereby improving insulin sensitivity, reduced blood pressure, and was effective in reducing risk factors of heart disease, such as body inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP) and coagulation factors (aspirin-like effect). Salba® IS THE FIRST AND ONLY GRAIN EVER STUDIED TO HAVE SHOWN THESE RESULTS.

http://www.salba.info/salba_vs_chia.html

from what i can see on the web, the chia is much cheaper to purchase, i saw it on one site for $9 for a bag.
I'd think from the above, unless your chickens are diabetic and fussy on the colour of their flowers the chia would be a good choice too?

[Chicklady]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

LOL. I haven't noticed any preference for flower color, but these guys are so spoiled, you never know i found a place that does $4 per pound if you buy it in 50 pound bags. i E'd them to ask about shipping something that size (I can't imagine it being cheap!!)

[Deanie]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

From what I can tell, Salba is just a brand name. Bulk chia seed is the same thing and much cheaper than Salba.
So far so good after a few weeks with this. Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I think my skin and hair are much smoother after eating a few tbsp of this stuff everyday.
I've been mixing it in with my yogurt. I don't find it has a taste but my husband says it tastes a bit fishy. Then again, he thinks flax tastes fishy too.

[Suechef]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

Amen, Deanie. I have actually developed a chocolate product incorporating chia which, someday, I hope to market.

During the course of becoming a chia fiend I wound up in correspondence with a scientist at the University of Arizona who has been studying it, with a colleague, for 15 years. I was curious about the difference between chia & "salba" since it's the seed of the same plant. Turns out, there is NO nutritional difference at all. The primary difference is the salba folks have some fancy packaging and a much higher price tag. I talked to the manager at my local health food store some months ago about this, and was in the othe day & noticed they had put up a nice little sign talking about that very thing. Chia seeds come in light gray and charcoal gray, and salba is only the light gray.

Chia is a REALLY fascinating plant. There are some good website devoted to spreading the word. I am growing it at our little place in Costa Rica. (by the way, it's very satiating, in additon to being so high in omega 3s; it used to be a very important cornerstone of the native American diet, at least the southwest on down through Mexico). It really is very interesting.
cheers,
Sue

[sadie147]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

so far i've never seen the chia seed, only Salba, i'm not sure if we can get chia here. I"ll have to ask at the health food store.

I've been having 2 tbsn's a day...i really do think it does have benefits..my skin seems nicer..and i find it does keep my appetite controlled after i have it.

[Suechef]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

That's about how much I have, too. It's also of course very high in fiber. Since it accomplishes the same thing as flax, for a few less calories & better omega 3s, I'm going to keep taking it even on induction (since we're allowed flax for, um, medicinal purposes).

One of the few groups of people who have know about chia for a while are some endurance athletes. Way back when, native runners (who took messages from one settlement to another) apparently carried pouches of chia. It is much revered in some indigenous cultures.

If you find the info from the University of Phoenix it will eventually take you to a page where you can order chia in bulk. The scientist I've been talking about is Wayne Coates, and with his partner he has published what is basically a textbook about chia.

cheers,
Sue

[sadie147]

Re: Salba or chia seed?

I think I found the reports you mentioned..if you go under 'nutrition and composition' on this site there are several http://www.eatchia.com/

Just in case anyone is interested in more info. I'm going to keep my eye out for chia here..i've got salba but it's $24 a bag..though that does last me 3 weeks..it's alot of $$ to put out!