In a world plagued by ever-increasing chronic disease, it may be time to look to the past for answers and follow the wisdom of ancient healers.
“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine your food” summed up one of the key principles espoused more than 2500 years ago by Hippocrates, the father of medicine. His golden rule highlighted the importance of good nutrition as the foundation for optimal well-being. Instead of the pharmacy shelves, could the elixir of good health actually be found in the wholesome nutrition of nutrient-dense foods?
Unfortunately, such wholesome foods are difficult to find these days. Modern agricultural practices have essentially destroyed the nutritional value of most of our commercially grown and commonly used foods. Senate Document 264 stated that “Laboratory tests prove that the fruits, the vegetables, the grains, the eggs and even the milk and meats of today are not what they were a few generations ago….and the foods no longer contain certain amounts of minerals and are starving us, no matter how much we eat.” (This was published in 1936!)
It’s a national tragedy to discover just how mineral deficient and deprived of nutrients our soils and thus, our foods, have become. When the processing of foods as well as chemical ingredients are added to the mix, real nutrition all but disappears from the American diet. Our plates may be full, but our bodies are literally starving for nutrition.
Our modern world is truly in desperate need of a nutrient dense, super-hero food!
The Return of the Super-Seed
The brilliant and advanced Aztec civilization was renowned for their extraordinary health, amazing stamina, and impressive strength. Ancient manuscripts have revealed that as early as 3500 B.C., a tiny super-seed was the nutritional foundation of this vast and prosperous nation.
The Aztecs consumed these seeds in a variety of ways. They were eaten alone, mixed with other seed crops, made into a beverage, ground into flour, included in medicines, and pressed for oil.
All knowledge of this amazing seed became lost in the midst of time after the Conquistadors destroyed its cultivation. For more than 500 years, knowledge of this nutritional powerhouse was all but forgotten.
Fortunately, in 1991 two Argentinian brothers rediscovered this impressive seed. Through meticulous traditional plant breeding to maximize its nutritional benefits, they developed an extraordinary variety of
Salvia hispanica L. called Salba with an even more superior nutrient composition than the ancient seed.
A World of Nutrition in a Tiny Seed
Modern science has recently discovered what the Aztecs always knew; this humble grayish-white seed contains a treasure trove of phenomenal nutrition. Recent research into Salba’s exceptional nutritional value has hailed it as nature’s most nutrient dense super-seed.
The true miracle of Salba’s exception nutritional profile was discovered from research conducted by Vladimir Vuksan Professor of Endocrinology and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Dr. Vuksan is one of the world’s experts renowned for developing novel alternative therapies for obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Vuksan found that as a functional food, Salba achieved two world firsts.
Its first claim to fame was that it had the highest known whole food source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are crucial for good health; regulating heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, immune support, improving mental health and reducing body inflammation. The National Institute of Health believes that most people need to at least double or triple their daily intake of Omega 3-Fatty Acids.
This is where Salba comes to the rescue. Just two tablespoons (15 grams) offers more than 3000?mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (in an optimal 3 to 1 ratio), supplying more than 100 percent of the recommended daily intake.
If that wasn’t enough to make a superstar out of Salba, Dr. Vuksan also discovered that Salba has the highest dietary fiber content of any food, providing more than 5 grams in just 2 tablespoons (30 percent of your daily requirement). The soluble and insoluble fiber is in perfect balance. It not only increases bulk and transit time and alleviates constipation, but also helps to maintain both healthy blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels.
With such high fiber content, Salba provides superior ammunition in the battle of the bulge! Salba has the ability to absorb 14 times its weight in water. When added to meals it becomes a bulking agent, ensuring slower digestion and a slower rise in blood sugar. Salba’s fiber content, thus, stabilizes blood sugar levels, along with creating a sense of fullness.
Dr. Jack Bukowski, Assistant Professor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School has Salba to thank for his weight loss. “Salba at breakfast smoothes out the sugar peaks and valleys that make us uncontrollably hungry. I have found that 2 tablespoons of Salba at breakfast is effective at controlling hunger all day on a 1500 calorie a day diet.”
When made into a gel by soaking the seeds in water, Salba was also able to increase cellular hydration and electrolyte balance.
Dr. Vuksan had even more good news on the nutritional front. When measuring nutrients gram for gram, Salba has six times more calcium than whole milk, three times more iron than spinach, the potassium content of 1
1/2 large bananas, as much vitamin C as seven oranges, fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli, and three times the antioxidant capacity of blueberries. Adding to this long list, Salba contains naturally occurring folate, B vitamins, zinc, selenium, and vitamin A. Salba also has more bioavailable and complete protein than soy.
What’s amazing is that such a high-powered food has less that
1/2??gm. net carbohydrate per serving.
Salba is also gluten-free making it compatible for celiacs and those with specialty needs.
The Healing Power of Salba
Intrigued by Salba’s superior nutrient composition, Dr Vuksan conducted clinical studies using Type 2 diabetic patients and healthy individuals. He made the following observations:
• Salba reduced after meal blood glucose and plasma insulin levels, thus improving the Glycemic Index of any food consumed with Salba
• C-reactive protein, a marker for low grade body inflammation was significantly lowered (40 percent)
• Salba significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (10 over 5)
• Salba significantly decreased coagulation (blood thinning) by 30%
• No adverse effect was noted on glycemic control or blood lipids as previously seen with high doses of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
“These were huge discoveries rarely seen in medical literature, even with the most powerful and combined pharmacological therapies,” Dr. Vuksan explains. “Reduction of eight units of the systolic blood pressure represents a major health improvement; there aren’t many studies showing this effect. We measured the body inflammation, the so-called C-reactive protein, which has been discovered as a major risk factor for heart disease, which seems to be even more important than cholesterol. A reduction of CRP, of about 32% in patients with Type 2 diabetes who were heavily medicated and well controlled is not commonly seen in medical literature.”
These studies were irrefutable evidence that consumption of Salba results in a simultaneous reduction of blood pressure, body inflammation and blood clotting, while balancing after-meal blood sugar.
As a result of such overwhelming health benefits, Salba is the only seed that is patent-pending (60-274.256). This defines Salba as a functional food with therapeutic benefits for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, especially cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
It’s no wonder why Dr. Vuksan is so excited about the results of his research. “Due to Salba’s extremely high Omega-3 Fatty Acids and its nutrient rich composition and results, Salba creates exceptional possibilities for the improvement of human health and nutrition. To my knowledge, nothing else in the field of nutrition has come close to matching these exceptional results. Salba can be considered an almost perfect functional food.”
A World of Nutrition for Us All
So, who can benefit from eating Salba? With such a complete world of nutrition packed in to every little seed, it is obvious that everyone can benefit! It is an ideal food for weight loss, balancing hormones, and improving sports performance. In addition, Salba provides nutrition for children and the elderly. It is an excellent food for vegetarians and vegans allowing them to attain their protein and essential fatty acid needs. By balancing blood sugar levels as well as reducing inflammation, Salba is ideal for preventing or treating heart disease and diabetes.
With a growing focus on the need to improve children’s health, Salba provides a great nutritional boost. It is already being incorporated as a “stealth health grain” in some school lunch programs.
The recommended daily serving of Salba for an adult is 2 tablespoons and children can take up to one tablespoon daily.
Salba’s super star nutritional status is equally matched by its extraordinary versatility. It can be eaten either in its whole seed form or can be ground into flour using a simple home coffee grinder. Salba can be added to yogurt, cereal, salads, beverages, casseroles, breads, and cakes. It can also be used to thicken soups, stews, or sauces. Salba’s neutral flavor makes it an ideal addition to just about any recipe. Be sure to look for a brand new generation of Salba-fortified healthy snack foods such as tortilla chips, breads, cookies, muffins, beverages and salsa, etc.
Pioneering the distribution efforts for Salba in North America are Core Naturals (U.S.) and Source Salba (Canada). Both organizations plan to showcase the long awaited release of several new products using Salba as a key ingredient including Core Naturals’ ImmuneShield and Protectin, (balanced essential fatty acid formulas using cutting-edge nano-dispersion technology) a Salba greens formula and Source Salba’s gluten-free crispy rice treats, nutrition bars and ethnic breads.
Unlocking the nutritional secrets of Salba has revealed a food so jam-packed with essential nutrients that Dr. Vuksan believes Salba is one of the world’s most nutritious food, providing a remedy for hunger and malnutrition worldwide.
The seeds of the past have returned to the present to provide a promise for a healthier future.
Sherrill Sellman, N.D. is an author, lecturer, and health consultant. For more information, visit
http://www.ssellman.com.
