Once we started to leave our Hunter-Gatherer ways to become Agrarian, we had to find a local staple food that could cheaply feed much larger populations than our small family groups.
In some places it was a grain like wheat, rye or millet, in other places it was a seed like chia or quinoa, and in yet other places it was a tuber like potatoes, cassava or taro root.
Prior to 10,000 years ago these foods were rarely (if ever) eaten. Why?
First, almost all starchy foods like these need a lot of preparation before you can eat them.
- No one eats wheat, rye or millet off the stalk except rodents and birds (which have evolved to be able to deal with the toxins in grains).
- Tiny hard seeds like chia or quinoa can’t be chewed properly and would hardly be something Ancient Man looked forward to. A nice hunk of fresh meat or fish was another story! Sashimi anyone?
- Cassava contains Prussic acid (cyanide) if not treated. ”The indigenous people developed a method of extracting poisonous Prussic acid from the bitter cassava to make the bread. It involves peeling, washing, grating, and pressing using a matapie (hanging sack). The pressing removes the poisonous liquid. Once separated from the juice, the pulp is dried in the sun and then made into bread or wrapped in banana leaves for storage. The process was laborious and whole villages would take part in the preparations. The poisonous liquid was then used to spike their hunting spears and arrows.” (emphasis mine) http://latinfood.about.com/od/plantains-roots-tubers/p/Cassava.htm
And what happens if you rely on one main source of food like this?
- If disease, drought, insects or war wiped out your crops, whole populations could die. “The Irish Famine in the western and southern parts of the British-controlled island of Ireland, 1845–49, was a catastrophic failure in the food supply that led to approximately a million deaths from famine and (especially) diseases that attacked weakened bodies, and to massive emigration to Britain, the U.S. and Canada.” (emphasis mine) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato
- In Hunter-Gatherer times, if the deer all died out, you’d have to hunt other beasts. But back then there were lots of other beasts. Even small mammals, snakes and insects were fine food back then. And fish, too.
- I realize that the Inuit relied heavily on certain animals for food, clothing and fuel, but of all Hunter-Gatherers, the Inuit may be the most extreme. And even they did not rely on only one species. Plus, they could move much more quickly to new hunting grounds than large agrarian populations.
So back to chia seeds…
Yes, chia seeds were the power food of the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs. But blubber was the power food of the Inuit. And if you’re going “yuck” at the thought of whale blubber, I read in Wikipedia that it tastes like arrowroot biscuits, but more likely it’s an acquired taste!
Chia seeds are high in Omega3, blubber is high in Omega3 and Vitamin D (a vitamin the average North American is sadly lacking in and a vitamin that would have been vitally important for the Northern-dwelling Inuit).
Both are gluten-free.
Chia seeds have 6g carbohydrates per tablespoon and are 25% fibre (5.5g per tablespoon). Fibre is NOT necessary to human health. Blubber has no fibre (and no carbs) and is 70% monounsaturated fat and 30% Omega3′s. Fat is very necessary to human health… and is better at moving your bowels than fibre, by the way. I’m not recommending you eat blubber, I’m just saying that one group’s power food may be very different from another group’s power food. And for different reasons: availability and convenience being one of them. Whether chia seeds were a cheap food for the masses in Central America thousands of years ago, or grown as a power food for the elite (like the Mayan runners who delivered messages), I don’t know. But I do know that there’s no single “power food” that is the be-all and end-all for every circumstance, every group or even every person.
So, if you’re a sprinter (like the Mayan messengers), chia seeds might be your choice as their carbs will fuel your muscles instantly. For the rest of us, any carbs we don’t immediately burn are quickly stored as fat. And people on the Standard American Diet (SAD) are always ingesting more carbs than they can use right away unless they are lucky enough to have a very high metabolism (rare!)… or they are actively dieting and/or constantly exercising to burn off the carbs/glycogen/sugar. Here’s a link to a great article by Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple as to why fat is the preferred fuel for human metabolism.
http://www.herbco.com/p-928-chia-seed-whole.aspx (I got the information below from this link.)
Nutrient and Active Compounds in Chia Seeds:
Constituents: linolenic acid, linoleic acid; antioxidants: chlorogenic and caffeic acids, myricetin, quercitin, and kaempferol flavonol. chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and flavonol glycosides; mucin, fibre; 8 essential amino acids (score 115.)
Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B15, B17, C, D, E, K, choline, folic acid, inositol, PABA.
Minerals: boron, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorous, potassium, silicon, sodium, strontium, sulphur, zinc, amylose (a slow-burning starch helpful in treating hypoglycemia), and electrolytes.
Chia has a very good ratio of omega-3 oil to omega-6 oil; with 20-30% protein, 35% oil, 25% fiber. Gluten-free and very low-sodium. Contains the important mineral boron, a catalyst for the absorption of calcium.
And if you do want to eat chia seeds, here’s a little recipe from one of the forum member’s over on Mark’s Daily Apple (not that Mark recommends chia seeds!).
Chia “Tapioca” Pudding
1 can coconut milk (approx. 14 oz.)
4 tablespoons chia seeds
dash cinnamon
3-5 drops vanilla
Mix in a bowl, no cooking, refrigerate overnight. Top with favourite berries. Serves 4. (I might add a little Stevia, if I were making this.)
Calories = 280
Fat = 21 grams
Protein = 5 grams
Carbs = 9.5 grams
Hi Andrea, I am a fan of Chia Seeds. Thanks for ALL the fabulous information.