New to Green Foods?

We received an enthusiastic email from a new fan of Green Foods, Vincenzo, who discovered our products recently.  For a company that has been in business over 30 years, we are fortunate to have loyal, long-time customers as well as new ones who are happy to have discovered us.  We asked him if we could share his email on our blog and he was happy to — thanks, Vincenzo!

And if any of you would like to share your stories like he did, please do!  You will be rewarded with a gift and our sincerest appreciation!  Send them to: tessa@greenfoods.com or post it to our comment section below.

Vincenzo’s letter:

My partner and I started using Green Foods two months ago and we are feeling great!  We started by taking Green Magma every morning, mixed with water and almost immediately our mood and energy was improved.  I no longer find my energy level  “crashing” in mid-morning and I’ve even been able to cut back on my coffee intake, as I no longer need it as much to wake up! Although my partner prefers the original Green Magma, lately I’ve switched to the Magma Plus, which has an extra touch of sweetness from all natural Stevia and so appeals to my sweet tooth while providing all the same benefits and more.  We’ve also started adding Chia seeds to salads and other foods and we really like the taste and texture they provide, not to mention all the added fiber, protein and fatty acids.

I do a lot of weight lifting and cardio daily at the gym and have been using protein shakes for years, but none of the products I’ve used before compare with True Vitality shakes! Not only do they give me an excellent source of protein, but all the additional vitamins, minerals and Omega 3s really contribute to excellent post-workout recovery.  All the protein shakes I’d used before, based on whey powder, always left a bad taste in my mouth and bad breath afterwards – not so with True Vitality!  The plant based protein leaves my mouth feeling and tasting clean and fresh. And that’s how Green Foods leaves you feeling too – healthy and fresh inside and out!  Thanks, Green Foods!

This is a great opportunity for us to express our gratitude to all of you – both new and old fans – who purchase our products online or from a national store like Whole Foods or The Vitamin Shoppe, or your local natural foods store like MOM’s Organic Market in Washington D.C. or Rainbow Grocery Co-op in San Francisco.  Every day we are very grateful you experience wonderful benefits from the work we do to create high-quality products to promote well-being on the planet.

We always look forward to hearing from you.  Keep shining!

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Why You Want to Eat Chia Seeds

It was just two years ago that I heard about chia seeds, and I immediately thought of my old clay Chia Pet rabbit that sprouted grass hair when I was a little kid in the 70s.  Most of us don’t realize that chia seed is incredibly nutritious and has been used for centuries for its healing properties.

Chia is a seed from the salvia plant native to Mexico and was once used as a “running food” for the Aztec warriors, known for its high protein and endurance properties.  The Aztec and Maya cultures all used chia as a staple in their diets.  In fact, “Chia” is the Mayan word for “strength.”

Today, chia seed is being rediscovered as a super food thanks to the help of Dr. Wayne Coates, research professor at the University of Arizona, Tuscon, who states that chia seed is 15% protein.  This is a much higher percentage of protein than found in other grains, such as oats, wheat, corn, and rice.  Not only does chia seed contain a higher percentage of protein than other grains, but they are also gluten free. Most of its fat is made up of essential omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, according to the USDA.

Chia seed (magnified)

Dr. Andrew Weil, well-known health and wellness advisor, considers chia to be an excellent source of omega-3 fattyacids, even better than flax seed.  Chia is rich in soluable and insoulable fiber – a 25-gram portion of chia contains about 7g, as well as other important nutrients, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, niacin, and zinc.

Ground or Whole?

I wondered if it is necessary to grind chia seed (like we need to with flax seed) to make it more bio-available*, and Dr. Coates’ response in an interview was “Not really. With flax you have to grind it, because it has a hard seed coat.  Chia doesn’t, so you don’t need to grind it.”  He goes on to mention that grinding won’t hurt anything because chia has natural anti-oxidants, so it won’t go rancid like flax seed.  You would think grinding the seed should allow the nutrients to be more available for the body to use, but there is no scientific proof that this is the case with chia.

Green Foods Organic Chia is grown in its native lands of Central America, sourced primarily from Mexico and Guatemala.  Green Foods chooses to provide chia in whole seed form which allows Green Foods fans the option to grind them or use them whole.   Some prefer to soak chia in water to form a gel which basically just brings out the soluble fiber.  Clearly, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy chia seed!

Personally, I love to throw mild-tasting chia in salads at night and steel-cut oats or smoothies in the morning.  It is a surprisingly uplifting and healthy addition to my diet.

Keep checking in for more exciting ways to use chia and further discussion about its benefits.

Happy Chia-ing!

* What does bio-available mean? This is a term used to describe availability of nutrients in a food to the body. The more bio–available a food is, the more complete and faster the body can absorb the nutrients.

References:

Anderson, William.  “Chia Seed – The Ancient Food of the Future.” October, 2009.  Living and Raw Foods.

Mendosa, David.  A Blog on the Latest Developments of Diabetes.  December 13, 2007.

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23 (2010).

Weil, Andrew M.D.  “Chia for Health.” May 15, 2006.

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