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Salba the most nutrient dense variety of Salvia hispanica

Salba Smart helps Americans meet their New Year health goals, one tablespoon at a time

(Dec. 4, 2008) — A little known, but ancient grain could be the key to better health in 2009.  It’s not flax, and it’s not Chia - it’s Salba. Already extremely popular in Canada, Salba grain is the most nutrient dense variety of Salvia hispanica L., and the richest whole food source of Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber found in nature.  Eaten by the Aztecs for health and endurance, Salba grain is versatile, neutral tasting and easy to add to everyday foods such as oatmeal or cereal.

As levels of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer continue to rise, so too has consumer interest in foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids. The benefits of Omega-3s have been well documented for their role in preventing cardiovascular disease and maintaining good health, but not everyone finds it easy to add foods that contain them - like salmon, legumes and walnuts - to their diet.

Recognizing the need to make Omega-3’s a regular part of everyday nutrition, Salba Smart Natural Products introduced Salba grain - Nature’s Perfect Whole Food – to supermarket shelves in early 2008. Salba provides over 2,700 mg of Omega 3’s and over 4,000 mg of dietary fiber per 12g serving. It is also high in antioxidants, protein, calcium and iron. 

“Salba is really a superfood,” said Rally Ralston, managing partner at Salba Smart. “Gram for gram, it has six times more calcium than whole milk, three times more iron than spinach, and fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli. Most importantly, Salba makes it easy for Americans to make small but very important changes to their everyday nutrition by adding a tablespoon or two to foods they are already eating,” Ralston added.

As part of a daily diet, Salba also offers weight loss potential due to its expansion in water and its high fiber content. Consuming 1 tablespoon of Salba whole grain with any meal of the day promotes the feeling of fullness and helps to reduce snack cravings. Vegans can also use Salba as a vital source of omega-3s and protein.

Eating Salba regularly also has big implications for people with Type 2 Diabetes. Salba has been investigated at the Risk Factor Modification Center, St. Michaels Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada, by Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, Professor, Department of Nutritional Science and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, in double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized acute and long term clinical trials. Clinical results indicate the great health potential of Salba as a functional food, to be used as a novel agent in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.  It has also been found to be effective with respect to reduction in inflammation and coagulation factors.
These findings were published in the Nov. 2007 issue of Diabetes Care (Volume 30, number 11).

Salba Smart’s Whole Grain (12.7oz) and Ground Salba (6.4oz) can be added to everyday foods such as cereal, pancakes and smoothies, and used in cooking and baking. Recipes can be found at www.salbasmart.com.

Other Salba Smart products include All Natural Whole Wheat Tortillas (10.5oz, 12.4oz, 20.8 oz), 100-calorie Bite Size Organic Tortilla Chips (0.7oz), Pretzels made with organic flour in Sticks (7oz) and Thin Twisted (7oz) and USDA Organic Tortilla Chips in White Corn, Blue Corn and Yellow Corn flavors (8oz). Salba Smart also offers Organic Salsa in Mild, Medium and Hot flavors (12oz). All products contain 0g of trans fats, and are gluten free (except tortillas and pretzels) and Certified Non GMO.

Salba Smart can be found at Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats, Vitamin Cottage, Wegman’s and other natural foods stores.

About Salba Smart Natural Products, LLC
Salba Smart's mission is to develop and market innovative food products rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids and nutrients that combine great taste and nutrition clinically proven to improve health. Formed in 2006 by growers and manufacturers, Salba Smart plans to expand the natural and organic foods category to capture a share of the growing $45 billion natural and organic food business. Salba Smart Natural Products, LLC is a privately held company headquartered at P.O. Box 16106, Denver, Colorado 80216.
 

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