Nice to meet ‘chia

Breakfast

So, have ya chia’d chia seeds?

I’ve been aware of all these superfoods for quite awhile now, chia seeds, maca root, bee pollen, flaxseeds, goji berries yada yada yada and of the supposed health benefits of these foods, but for never really jumped on that bandwagon probably due to my preference at the time for a bottle of booze to a bottle over an ancient incan/mayan/super powered magical plant root.

But since discovering iherb which stocks all the products unavailable here in South Korea and its astoundingly cheap shipping costs to South Korea (free on orders exceeding $80) and wanting to get into a somewhat regular sleep pattern after removing coffee from my diet, my interest in a holistic lifestyle resurfaced once more.

I am one of those unfortunate people that has a high sensitivity to caffeine, which surprises even myself as my tolerance to other forms of stimulants is rather, unfortunately, expensively high. So, due to the nocturnal timetable of my work which allows me the luxury of being able to stay up to 5am and still get 7 hours of sleep (being able to set an alarm for 12pm is definitely the perk to my job) I found myself getting into some rather unsociable and unproductive sleeping patterns.

I love staying up late. I love being a night owl. However, I feel my body clock is not meant to function on these nocturnal hours and my circadian rhythms and all that were getting out of whack, as even though I was theoretically getting enough hours sleep, my metabolism, thought processes and general feelings of wellness were feeling fuzzy and out of sync. My dependence on caffeine to jolt me awake, even though well rested, was becoming problematic, leaving me in that unrelelnting pattern of ingesting litres of caffeine to keep you awake only to find yourself unable to sleep when the time comes.

So, coffee, my tall (long black), dark and handsome friend, it was time to bid you adieu.

But, like anything in life, it was able to be replaced.

Enter, the superfoods.

Hello friends.
L-R Navitas Nautrals Organic Maca Powder, Navitas Natural Organic raw cacao powder, Nutiva organic White Chia Seeds, Kims Club Fermented probiotic, Frontier organic whole flax seed

After a particularly harrowing experience with Spirulina, (nobody told me that it was best taken with pineapple juice – instead I tried to ingest the powder straight with water) which was quite an effective energy booster yet induced horrendous gagging, I was kind of skeptical to try anything else.

However, what can I say, I’m not sure if it’s one particular supplement, or a combination of them all, but since incorporating this breakfast power smoothie into my diet, I’ve been bouncing out the door, doing some mad lip synching and popping and locking to some old school hip hop playlists as I stalk through the Seoul streets all wired and alive. I find myself powering on through the afternoon/evening shifts with no lunch required, just a mid evening snack at around 5 or 6 of one of my raw balls, some fruit or nuts. (Mind you, I still wake up at the luxurious time of around 10am, having the smoothie around 10:30-11am)

So what exactly are their superpowers? In a nutshell:

Chia Seeds:
High in fibre: 30 grams contains roughly 12grams of fibre, nearly half of your RDI (recommedned daily intake) of fibre.
High in Omega 3’s and 6’s. Gram per gram chia seeds contain more omega 3’s than salmon.
High in calcium. 30 grams of chia seeds contains 20% of your RDI of calcium, 3x more than skim milk.

Maca Powder:
Energy Booster: Believed to reduce effects of anxiety and a general energy booster.
PMS / Male Reproduction: Is also very effective in reducing symptoms of PMS in women and heightening reproductive functions within males.

Raw Cacao Powder:
High in many vitamins and minerals such as:
Magnesium, and other essential minerals including calcium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, and manganese
Polyphenols called flavonoids, with antioxidant properties
Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, E
Essential heart-healthy fat: oleic acid which is a monounsaturated fat and can help reduce cholestrol
Protein
Fibre
Also gives the body a boost of energy; the “bliss” chemicals found in cacao help to increase circulation and availability of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in brain, improving mood and combating depression.

Flaxseeds:
Good source of fibre
Omega 3’s: Flaxseeds contain concentrated amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fat.
Help lower cholestrol
Good source of magnesium
High level of lignans which may protect against estrogen dependent cancers, like breast cancer.

Breakfast power smoothie

Ingredients:
1 small, very ripe, frozen organic banana
1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries (or berries of choice)
1 small probiotic fermented drink (find one low in sugar and cals)
1/2 cup homemade almond milk (or milk of choice) recipe to follow soon
10 dry roasted almonds (home roasted)

2 tbsp organic chia seeds
1 tbsp organic raw cacao powder
2 tsp organic maca powder
1 tbsp organic flax seeds

Method:
Place all ingredients in any order into blender, food processor or moulinex.

frozen banana’s and blueberries…..

…..plus all the superfoods

Whiz/pulse on highest speed.

I find by the time I have put all the ingredients back in their cupboard/fridge/freezer home the smoothie is done. Which, however is not saying much, as I could stand in the same position of my small kitchen and perform some serious Stretch Armstrong manouveres and get everything back in its place.

For the sake of this blog and some pretty pictures I placed it in a cup and garnished. I usually eat it straight from the blender with a spoon (yes it’s that thick and luxurious thanks to the frozen banana’s)  as I am the dishwasher and hate washing up anything more than I have to.