The Aztec Seed of Stamina

Americans now have access to a natural seed so powerful the Conquistadors burned the crops of these ancient seeds in order to complete their domination of the Aztecs. Called the “running food” by the Aztecs, they believed the grain gave them almost supernatural energy and powers supposedly allowing them to run all day on just one handful. Almost 500 years later, Salvia Hispanica in its advanced form Salba is having a similar affect on today’s professional athletes.

“Salba can effectively replenish minerals used in muscle contractions and lost in sweat,” announces bestselling nutrition author and Ironman tri-athlete Brendan Brazier, one of the few professional athletes whose diet is 100% plant based. “It’s also high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps sustain energy and maintain fullness.”

What the Aztecs more than likely did not know were the specifics behind why their cherished super-seed was so good for them. Mitch Propster of Core Naturals, the exclusive distributer of Salba products in the United States, sheds light on just some of the nutritional value, “A serving of this nutrient dense seed has eight times more Omega-3s than salmon, six times more calcium than whole milk and three times more anti-oxidants than blueberries.”

Propster also proudly points out that Salba has been named one of the top three finalists in this year’s competition for the 2008 NutrAward for Best New Product.

When it comes to the science of Salba, Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, one of the pioneering members in the development of the revolutionary Glycemic Index (GI), published a study in the November 2007 issue of “Diabetes Care.” In the study, he and his research team concluded that for those with Type 2 Diabetes, the seed reduced after meal blood glucose and plasma insulin levels improving the GI of any food consumed with Salba. It also significantly lowered systolic blood pressure.

The Associate Professor of Endocrinology and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty Medicine at the University of Toronto adds, “Salba can be considered the perfect functional food. Nothing else in the field of nutrition has come close to matching these exceptional results.” This functionality is the reason it is the one of the only seeds that is the subject of a medical patent-pending.

While the Aztecs knew their primitive version of Salba was practical, it was the seed’s flexibility that made it so useful. They ate it alone, mixed it in drinks and used it in medicines. Brazier, author of “The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress and Stay Healthy for Life,” also enjoys its versatility, “Salba can be used to replace up to 20% of the flour in baking, packing it with nutrition.” Additionally, the tasteless grain can be stirred into all sauces and gravies or sprinkled on cereals, pastas, rice or vegetables. Blending it into smoothies, yogurt or just about any other food is another option.

So how did this ancient seed become readily available to Dr. Vuksan for studying and Brazier and others to consume? In 1991, two Argentinean brothers rediscovered it and painstakingly sorted the nutrient dense white grains from the mostly black ones and replanted them to produce a completely white harvest, condensing and enhancing the overall nutrient density. Today, Salba is grown under ideally controlled conditions in Peru.

“Once we heard about this super-seed, we knew we had to get it to America, where so many could benefit from it,” reveals Propster, Core Naturals CEO. He adds that diabetes, obesity and heart disease are not associated with the Aztecs, who were chronicled as strong, healthy and energetic. Could it have been because of the seed they regarded as “mystical?” Propster answers, “That’s for others to study. But from what I can tell, it seems like two scoops a day had the Conquistadors afraid!”

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About Core Naturals

Core Naturals is a developer and marketer of premium ingredients for the nutrition, natraceuticals and functional food markets. The company specializes in cutting edge nutrition and proprietary formulas that respond to the latest science and trends in the consumer market. Core Naturals is the exclusive distributor for Salba® products in the United States. Mitch Propster is the company’s CEO and their website is www.salba.com.