Move over Flax, and meet the new Omega 3 Powerhouse on the block!

Introducing: SALBA, Nature’s Most Powerful SuperGrain

The peoples of the ancient Aztec civilization were renowned for their extraordinary health and their amazing stamina and strength.  Ancient manuscripts have attributed a tiny seed as the core of the nutritional foundation of theses peoples.  The seed was known as Salvia Hispanica L., a member of the mint family. The Aztecs ate the seeds of this semi-tropical plant or ground them as a flour to improve their endurance. They called it their “running food” because messengers could run all day on just a handful of seeds.

The power of this seed has been lost in the midst of time after the conquistadors destroyed all cultivation of Salvia Hispanica.  For the past 500 years, little was known of the nutritional powerhouse hidden within these incredible seeds.  Fortunately, the rediscovery of this amazing food holds the promise for the renewal of health and wellbeing for peoples around the world. 

Salba® is grown and harvested under controlled conditions in Peru because of its ideal climate and pristine environment. Peru is home to the spectacular Amazon Basin and one of the last bastions of unspoiled countries in the world. A unique variety of Salvia which has been meticulously cultivated over the past 15 years using traditional and cutting edge natural selective breeding, is now called Salba.

This tiny whitish-grey seed packs quite a nutritional wallop. Research into Salba’s exceptional nutritional value has hailed it as nature’s most nutrient dense super-grain, thus, the richest whole food source of Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber found in nature.  Every 3 1/2 oz. serving of Salba provides over 3,000 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids (equal to 28 ounces of Atlantic salmon).  When it comes to dietary fiber, it holds the world’s record as the highest fiber content of any food; a single serving has more fiber than 1 1/4 cups of All-Bran cereal.   And the best part is that Salba has less that 0.5 g. net carbohydrate per serving.

There is even more good news on the nutritional front.   Because Salba is grown on nutrient and mineral rich soils of the pristine Amazon basin in Peru, 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 bananas, as much vitamin C as seven oranges, three times the antioxidant capacity of blueberries, and  fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli. Salba also has superior protein quality to wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, amaranth and soy.

Salba also contains a more bioavailable protein content than soy.  To add one further health bonus; Salba is gluten-free making it an ideal food for those people diagnosed with celiac disease and contains No Trans Fats . Not bad for a humble, little white seed!

Salba also has another first going for it.  It is the only grain that holds a medical patent (60-274.256).  This patent defines it as a functional food, which means it can be used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Based on scientific studies, Salba has been shown to assist the reduction of inflammation by reducing C-reactive protein, lowering blood pressure, facilitating blood thinning, and controlling diabetes by balancing blood sugar. 

According to Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, Associate Professor of Endocrinology and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and one of the developers of the revolutionary Glycemic Index at Saint Michael’s Hospital (the same center of medical research that won the Nobel Peace Prize for the discovery of Insulin), recently conducted the first long-term study of Salba. Dr. Vuksan and his colleagues reported that “Due to Salba’s extremely high omega fatty acids and its nutrient rich composition and results, Salba creates exceptional possibilities for the improvement of human health and nutrition.  Nothing else in the field of nutrition has come close to matching these exceptional results. Salba can be considered the perfect functional food.”

These kind of health claims, rarely seen in medical literature, concludes that nothing else in the field of nutrition, even with the most powerful and combined pharmacological therapies, comes close to matching the exceptional health benefits of Salba! “For those of us in the field of Health & Nutrition, this highly credible clinical research now confirms that the nutrient dense composition of Salba makes it a dream food”.

So, who can benefit from eating Salba?  Everyone!   It is especially beneficial to anyone desiring to lose weight, support heart health, manage cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels, and balance hormones. Salba promotes high levels of energy and vitality. Salba even promotes healthier hair and skin! In addition, Salba is an excellent source of soluble fiber absorbing many times its weight in water.  This is really good news for people with digestive problems. 

With a growing focus on the need to improve the health of children, Salba provides a great nutritional boost.  Dr. Jack Bukowski, Harvard Medial School, Associate Professor, says that Salba offers numerous health benefits for children and will soon be a “stealth health grain” in school lunches across America.

The recommended daily serving of Salba for an adult is 2 tablespoons and children can take up to one tablespoon daily. And single serving costs less than $1 per day.

Salba’s super star nutritional status is equally matched by its extraordinary versatility.  It can be eaten either in its whole seed form or ground into flour.  Salba can be added to yogurt, cereal, salads, or casseroles.  It can also be used to thicken soups, stews or sauces or added to beverages.  Perhaps one of Salba’s most significant superiorities to Flax and Soy products is that Salba has no flavor to speak of and, in fact, it will take on the flavors of whatever it is mixed with.  Salba can absorb more than 14 times its weight in water and it has been found to be one of the best weight loss supplements found in nature.  Salba lends itself to limitless applications for recipe development and it has no flavor concerns associated with the “fishy taste” of other omega 3 rich foods. Salba’s neutral flavor makes it an ideal addition to just about any recipe.  In fact, 25 percent of the flour used in any recipe can be replaced with ground Salba.   In addition, Salba gel can be used in place of eggs in recipes.

Salba is also taking the health food industry by storm. It is being discovered as an exciting new nutritious ingredient that can be added to a wide variety of products.   Salba has just been released in the United States, so you will soon be able to buy Salba fortified muffins, tortilla chips, salsa, snack foods, beverages and even Salba Seed Oil…. and that’s just the beginning of this little seed’s amazing contribution to good health. 

Salba, the super food from the past, now holds a key for the health of the future.
Sherrill Sellman, ND., is an author, contributing writer, lecturer and health consultant.

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