The chia grain (Salvia Hispanica L.) is the ancient super food consumed by the Aztec warriors for strength, endurance, and vitality. It is the most nutrient dense grain known to man. Chia’s extremely high content of Omega 3’s, fiber and antioxidants create exceptional possibilities for the improvement of health and nutrition. Chia can be considered the perfect functional food.Nutrition Value:Chia seeds contain 21 percent protein which is greater than other nutritional grains such as wheat (14%), corn (14%), rice (8.5%), oats (15.3%), barley (9.2%) and amaranth (14.8%). Unlike most other grains chia seeds are not limited in the amino acids necessary in the human diet. Other grains are limiting in terms of two or more amino acids and must be mixed in order to satisfy human needs. Chia seeds are a rich source of B vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. One serving of chia seeds (2 tablespoons) gives a large amount of the recommended daily allowance of fiber, molybdenum, chromium, selenium and biotin. Chia is gluten free. Due to the highly unsaturated nature of the oil, chia seeds contain natural antioxidants to protect against lipid oxidation, which leads to off-flavors and rancidity. Water and methanol extracts of degreased chia seeds have demonstrated a strong antioxidizing activity, with the most important antioxidants obtained being chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and flavanol glycosides. Since oxidation is delayed, chia shows a great potential within the food industry compared to other a-linolenic acid sources such as flax which exhibit rapid decomposition due to a lack of natural antioxidants. Flavor quality and product stability are issues that greatly influence potential acceptability of products enriched with omega-3 fatty acids making this a key property of chia. Once the oil has been extracted from the seed, the material that remains contains 50 to 60 percent fiber. The seed alone possesses 5 percent soluble fiber, which appears as mucilage when it is wet.Chia as a Survival Food:Chia is the perfect, all-natural survival food. Dry chia can last up to 5 years from the date of harvest without the need for any special storage. It is extremely nutritious. A small amount of chia can sustain most of the body’s daily nutrition requirements. In times when it is necessary a serving of chia gel (2-3 tablespoons of chia mixed in 16 ounces of water or a high nutrient beverage) can keep you satiated enough to skip a meal or more depending on your body’s metabolism rate.