Early hunter gatherers would have known all the edible seeds within their domain, and learnt fairly quickly the hard way what could nourish, cure or kill. Countless generations of people passed this knowledge down through the ages, until a period around the twentieth century when in western cultures, this ‘knowledge’ gradually became folklore and old wives tales. The doctors and scientists knew best, medicine was the only cure and pharmaceutical companies took over the world.
That battle is still going on, but growing numbers of people are returning to natural remedies and simpler living. Along the way we are rediscovering so-called miracle foods that are not only good for us, they can cure or reduce the symptoms of all kinds of ailments from constipation to catarrh to cancer.
Seeds carry the life of the plant and propagate to create new plants so they are literally full of life. Most edible seeds are high in good fats and omega-3. They offer texture to your meal and are very often delicious. Many seeds can be bought in health food shops and even supermarkets, to be eaten alone as a snack or on / in a meal, but some are more potent as an oil and used topically.
The current star in the miracle seed cosmos is Chia. Originally coming out of Mexico and Guatemala, this little gem can be eaten whole, drunk in water or juice or ground and cooked into porridge or cakes. High in fibre and jam packed full of fatty acids, they provide more protein than kidney beans, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more omega-3 than salmon, more magnesium than broccoli and more antioxidants than blueberries! Any wonder it’s a wonder food.
Chia – like a balanced meal in a seed.
Fancy a seed that helps protect your heart, makes you look younger and improves fertility? Go no further than Egusi seeds from watermelons found widely in Africa. Throw out the melon as it is bitter and inedible, just keep the seeds. Most often they are added to soups, as well as used in making puddings and even pizza.
Toasted egusi seeds make a healthy snack alternative to crisps.
Open sesame. The sesame pod actually bursts open when it reaches maturity, so this Arabian Nights phrase is perhaps truer than we know. These tiny nuggets are chock full of goodness, including an excellent source of copper, manganese and calcium as well as having cholesterol lowering and liver protecting properties. It is really a miracle food as the list of benefits from the above vitamins and minerals include, reducing pain of arthritis, strengthening bones and muscles, lowering blood pressure, restoring sleep patterns for menopausal women and reducing menstrual pain and migraines.
Delicious added to salads and bread or made into tahini.
Lotus seeds stem primarily from China and are used in cooking and in Chinese medicine. The whole plant is harvested and used for various purposes. The seeds are usually roasted and eaten as a snack, or baked into sauces or cake fillings. Not a particularly good source of fibre or vitamins, but they are very beneficial for the spleen, heart and kidneys. According to the Chinese they can relieve constipation, indigestion, calm restlessness and help with insomnia.
Although mostly eaten cooked, lotus seeds are sometimes eaten raw, and sold within the seed head but only in areas where they are produced.
In times of famine, whole populations have survived on hemp – not smoking cannabis or making rope, but eating the seeds. It contains all the essential amino acids and fatty acids we need to live as well as omega-3, omega-6 and vitamins A, K and E. The closest thing to the perfect source of nutrients known to man, it is indeed a super food. It is said to help with heart disease, high blood pressure, eczema, asthma, improve your memory, relieve depression and moisturise your skin.
Life in a nutshell
Quinoa (pronounced keen wa) is another nutritional super seed as a source of complete protein, fibre, phosphorus, iron and magnesium and superb for quick weight loss. The Incas greatly prized this crop although the Spanish ignored it. It is now used more widely in the UK as an alternative to couscous, pasta and rice, particularly by those who are gluten intolerant as it is gluten free.
Hard to pronounce but easy to digest, quinoa.
Science fiction (and Willy Wonka) predicted that in the future we could get all our nutrition from a simple tablet or lozenge. In fact, super foods in seed form have been around probably longer than we have.
Midge can typically be found blogging about alternative diets and how lose weight fast but healthy, with good exercise and good food.