Some of you scientists and dietitians may know more about this sort of thing than most care to know. But for the more “rank and file” type folks like me, you might find this interesting… I did.
I didn’t know it until recently but it seems the
Chia seed
has been around for much longer than the popular Chia Pet of the 1980’s. The ancient Aztecs moved armies with Chia seeds. The Southwestern Native American Indians fueled their bodies with Chia seeds while running from the Colorado River to the California Pacific Ocean. They called Chia the “running food”.
Combining this super food with modern exercise supplements seems like something that is long overdue.
Not long ago I read about an endurance runner that used a concoction of chia seeds mixed and hydrated with endurance drink to complete the
Leadville 100
.
I thought “hum… if he can use that stuff to run a hundred miles through the mountains maybe it could help to get my aging carcass up the mountain”.
So I started experimenting with concocting an endurance chia gel and trying it out on climbs and ski tours. As time went on some of my other exercise, climbing and skiing friends joined in with the experimentation. We encourage others to do the same.
This recipe is our current work-in-progress.
As you experiment and discover tasty and useful hints, tools, shortcuts and alternatives, please share your successes with us.
KEY-LIME CHIA – ENDURANCE GEL
Ingredients:
One Cup - Sports Drink. Preferably citrus flavored. We’ve been using Hammer Nutrition’s Lemon-Lime HEED (High Energy Electrolyte Drink), mainly because it has almost no taste and very healthy ingredients. Premix the sports drink according to directions and then use in the proportions of this recipe.
1/4 Cup - Lime Juice. First choice: fresh squeezed. Second choice: Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice. Third Choice: Any off-the-shelf generic lime juice.
1/3 Cup –Sweetener of Choice. We have tried several including stevia and honey. Right now we are favoring Blue Agave Syrup – Available at most heath food stores. The Wholesome Sweeteners brand at Costco is most reasonably priced we have found so far. We like this sweetener as it tastes “cleaner” than most sweeteners; doesn’t seem to leave its own after taste and does not overpower the lime.
1/3 Cup - Chia Seeds. Available at health food stores and widely available on the ‘net.
Tools:
1 - Measuring cup.
1 - Wire mixing whisk.
1 – Glass mixing bowl (preferably with a cover or some way to cover it).
Directions:
1. Measure out the Chia seeds dry; then set aside in a dry container.
2. Thoroughly mix the sports drink, the lime juice and the sweetener in the mixing bowl.
3. Slowly add the Chia seeds while whisking them in and wetting them thoroughly.
4. Whisk again in about 5 minutes and again in 10 more. Whisk 2 or 3 more times at 10 minute intervals, making sure that none of the seeds are clumping together.
5. After several whiskings cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
6. Whisk thoroughly again the next day and move the gel to training squeeze flasks and/ or refrigerator storage container.
7. Dispense into training squeeze flasks for consumption during exercise.
These proportions make between 13 and 14 fluid ounces of what I consider a quite tasty endurance gel.
Helpful Tips:
• We suggest you start with a small batch in the proportions shown above and then later increase the batch size if desired.
• We would suggest that you make no more than a week’s supply in advance, two weeks at the most (unless you freeze the excess – more on that below).
• Chia seeds gel the best with pure water. But if the gel is first created with water and then you attempt to flavor the gel it is not quite as tasty. And trying to add more flavoring at that point just makes the mixture too watery. In other words, we have found if the gel is first made with water there is no room for the flavoring. And we’ve found if it doesn’t taste yummy you won’t consume it when under major physical exertion.
• The final gel will taste much better if the liquid into which the seeds are introduced is very sweet. If a solid sweetener is used (such as sugar or stevia) it may be difficult to get the required amount of the sweetener into solution.
• If the mixed endurance drink supply was stored in the refrigerator it might be helpful to zap the combined liquids in the microwave before adding the seeds. We like the liquid to be a bit warm (room to body temp); the seeds seem to gel a bit better that way.
• A great refrigerator storage container for your gel is the plastic condiment squeeze container/dispensers that stand on the lid and have a round dispenser hole in the lid that the top of the lid seals off when closed (normally containing catsup, mayo, tartar sauce, honey, etc.). The blue agave syrup containers make perfect refrigerator storage containers.
• For large batches the gel can be frozen in the refrigerator storage containers so the entire batch is used while fresh. I usually freeze that which will not be used in the next week.
• The gel will attain about 90% of its final viscosity (thickness) overnight. It will continue to thicken slightly until consumed or frozen.
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