Chia seeds may be small but don’t let their size fool you! Widely recognized for their role in “fur” growth for “Chia Pets,” Chia seeds provide numerous nutritional benefits. Chia seeds can help with a diet by reducing food cravings and helping you to feel fuller longer. These remarkable seeds contain 18% of your daily value of calcium per ounce, 3 times more than that of skim milk.

Chia seeds have a subtle nut-like flavor when chewed and take on the taste of the liquid they are put into. They can absorb 9 to 12 times their own weight of the liquid, serving as a good thickener to use in recipes. Their high omega fat content makes them a good substitute for butter or eggs in baking, also serving to cut down on calories. Chia seeds can be used in recipes from Chia Seed Puddings, Chia Almond Butter to Chia Granola.

Over the past year, (June 2011 to June 2012), 36 product variants containing chia seeds have been introduced, mostly in the Snacks, Breakfast Cereals and Bakery categories. This is an increase of 80% from June 2010 to June 2011. New products of note containing chia seeds include 2 new flavors from Mamma Chia, Ginger Grapefruit and Guava Mamma, and Navitas Naturals Citrus Chia Superfood Power Snack. Unlimited opportunities exist for these tiny seeds!