Customer Reviews

Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds Aztec Superfood, 16 Ounce Pouch

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought the Navitas Naturals Chia seeds. They are great. I put them in a shaker bottle. I use them on sweet potatoes, in salads and coleslaw and just learned that they can replace half of the fat in baking. At first I didn't know if it was lowering my blood glucose or if it was something else but I confirmed it the other day. I had stopped using the seeds and my morning blood glucose shot up to the 140's. I decided to start using the seeds again and within a few days my blood sugars dropped to the 120's and the only thing I changed in my diet was the addition of chia seeds. I love them. I haven't made the gel yet I have only used them raw and they are like eating poppy seeds which I love. Hope this will help other diabetics. Navitas is a quality product and is very reasonably priced. I will definitely continue to buy them.

For health reasons, I try to eat highly nutritious low carb foods. I love tapioca but it's 100% carbs with no nutritional value. I was introduced to chia seeds and it is a highly nutritious low carb food but it is also a fun food. It absorbs 12x its weight in liquids and puffs up and reminds me of tapioca with a strawberry seed inside (and that's what it tastes/feels like). Another one of my favorites is the Mexican drink called: Chia fresca, which is basically soaked chia seeds in lemonade. You have to experience it yourself to know why it's so popular. One lb. added to liquid will create 10-14# of highly nutritious food.

Chia seeds (best known for the chia pet) are high in protein, 5x the calcium of milk and high in Omega 3 oils. Chia seeds are seeds of an herb and are grown in Mexico, south & central America and were the food of the Aztecs.

I would think you could make faux tapioca pudding with just coconut milk, chia seeds & sweetener, but I don't know how well the chia would absorb the coconut milk since it's so fatty. (Can of coconut milk, 1/4 cup chia seeds & sweetener to taste) I make it with 2 cups of water, 4 scoops of whey protein, then I soak one cup of chia seeds in this and when it has plumped up, I add 2 cans of coconut milk and sweetener. Sometimes I cream a package of cream cheese into a can of pumpkin, cinnamon and add that for more nutrition for a pumpkin pie tapioca pudding.

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I read in a baby magazine about the wonderful health benefits of Chia seeds. They are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, and because healthy brain function is nurtured by Omega-3 fatty acids, I wanted to supplement my diet with something other than fish oil pills that can pack a fairly unpleasant aftertaste.
These seeds are so tiny, and so flavorless, that you can mix them into cereal, or even juice, without ever realizing you have consumed them. I have also found that adding these seeds to my breakfast keeps me fuller longer.
Chia seeds are more convenient than flax seeds, and a pound of them, costing around $12 (depending on the seller), lasts a few months.
If you want to avoid the potential unpleasantness of fish oil supplements, Chia seeds are a great alternative, and for new or expecting mothers, they are a great way to ensure your baby is getting what s/he needs for optimum brain health and development.
Lastly, you do not have to be considering motherhood to consider adding Chia to your diet. It is a wonderful, all-natural supplement that is perfectly painless (in both taste and cost) to undertake.
Who would have thought that the seeds responsible for the (infamous) "Chia Pet" would offer so much more than a gawdy table ornament?
Highly recommended.

Chia seeds are a great, healthy food to add to your diet. I make chia gel by mixing them with water (1/2 C. per tablespoon of seeds), then stir the gel into yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies . . . it's flavorless and the seeds have a pleasant crunch. This brand is high quality and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

These seeds are perfect for tossing into yogurt or smoothie. But you must consume quickly. The seeds draw moisture quickly causing them to swell. You will be picking them from your teeth for days if you do not drink with a staw. I have taken them straight from a spoon and washed them down with a glass of water before my "light" lunch and they really do give a feeling of fullness. Do to a severe sensitivity to caffeine and any sort of stimulus, I wanted to try something natural that would not raise my pulse, quicken my MVP heart and just not make me overall jittery. These do the trick. When I drink a meal replacement drink, I still feel hollow inside and want to snack. By adding a full, rounded table spoon of seeds after a few minutes, I feel nice and full. These can be tossed into a powdered drink, a canned ready to go drink (milkshake type) and even into a vitamin water. But believe me when I say, you must consume quickly or you will need a spoon, they turn into a jello consistency quick....which actually is not bad either. You can bulk up a 100 calorie pudding snack by stirring in a teaspoon or so. Many ways to get creative with the Chia seeds. Enjoy!

I make chia gel with this and add a large spoonful to my yogurt and fruit in the morning. I tried to make cookies with the gel and that was a failure! Great for subbing in sauces to add bulk without fat. Easy to sprinkle on top of any food product too since they have virtually no taste. Very versatile and easy to eat.

Chia seeds are an amazing nutritional powerhouse - and to me, they don't even really taste like anything (which is a positive; no funky taste here)! They are great sprinkled on salads, added to a smoothie, used to make raw vegan pudding, etc. Its uses are many!

Also - I wanted to add that this is a really good price. My co-op charges almost $20/lb. for chia seeds, and Amazon has them for just over $13!

I love chia, but I have gotten two different packages of this brand that were rancid. The expiration dates were over a year away. Amazon doesn't allow food returns, and Navitas said I would have to ship them the seeds for them to check before they would send me new ones. I will still enjoy chia, but I'll avoid this brand from now on.

Nutritional benefits of Chia seeds are incredible. Here are a few to start:

*According to studies, Chia possesses the highest percentage of the polyunsaturated fatty acids(linolenic and linoleic) of all crops. Chia seeds contain 60% omega 3 fatty acids.

*The protein content of Chia is higher that other nutritional grains. Unlike other grains, it is a complete protein, meaning that it has the appropriate balance of all essential amino acids. About 19 to 23% of chia seeds weight is protein.

*Chia seeds are high in fiber, a 15 gm serving of chia seeds will provide 4 to 5 gm of fiber. Our body requires at least 35 gm of fiber a day to stay healthy.

*Chia seeds contain boron which is essential for bone health.

*Chia seeds are rich in calcium, about 2 oz of chia seeds contains 600 mg of Calcium, as compared to 120 mg for a cup of milk.

*Chia seeds have 2 times more potassium than banana.

*Chia seeds have 3 times more antioxidants than blueberries

Regardless of the astonishing nutritional values of Chia seeds, it also tastes very good. My girlfriend and I make a big pot of "steel cut" oatmeal at night (the quick way is throw a cup of oats in 4 cups of boiling water and just let it sit overnight), put in a good helping of Chia seeds, and the next morning you have a wonderful breakfast that could last all week depending on how many people are eating it. Feel free to add a little cinnamon, peanut butter, fruit, or your own oatmeal favorite additions.

There are many other recipes for eating Chia, but oatmeal is my personal favorite. I started eating Chia last year after reading the NY Times Bestseller 'Born to Run' about how a tribe of Mexicans that eat Chia will drink beer, smoke tobacco, and then run up to 500 miles in a footrace the following days. One of the primary contributors to the tribal Mexicans' seemingly supernatural physical ability is that their diet is full of the nutrient-rich Chia seeds. I haven't put in 500 miles. But after previously failing to finish a 26-mile marathon without chia in my diet, I added chia to my diet and my knees allowed me to finish my first 26-mile marathon! Could the chia seeds have helped? I think so. I certainly had more energy and my joints felt better my second attempt at a marathon when "on" the chia.

I started out paying an arm-and-a-leg at Whole Foods for Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds, but have since started buying it on Amazon for a fraction of the price. Buy some Chia seeds and make a delicious bowl of oatmeal for one of the healthiest breakfasts possible.

I don't know if chia seeds are really a "super food," but this brand seems to be very good quality. I've bought other kinds, and these LOOK better. And since I only eat them sprinkled on my morning cereal, it's not that expensive to buy this higher-priced brand.