Iskiate or Chia Fresca

Chia Fresca

(and the Primal North Version)

I have found this energy drink of the Raramuri (the Tarahumara / the People Who Run) to be superb when keto-adapted, and no surpise, awesome energy for running.

Iskiate is a very refreshing drink and proven runner's fuel.

Recipe

2 cups cold, filtered or spring water

1 heaping tablespoon of ground white or black chia (organic)

Juice of half a lemon or lime or both

Stir or shake, let sit for 10 minutes until the chia gels

Stir again and drink, stir it up as you are drinking it

The Primal North Version

As above, but add a splash of 100% pure, unsweetened organic cranberry juice

Wonderfully tasty, high in lipid energy primarily omega three.  Most of the fibre is soluble.  90% of the carbs are fibre.

Recommended Medicinal Uses

Chia contains a good amount of SOLUBLE fiber as well as a high lipid content and is primarily high Omega 3 vs Omega 6, which is quite the opposite of most plant sources of lipids making it quite acceptable as a medicinal intervention for those on an ancestral, whole food eating plan.

It contains a low amount of protein (sorry I am not going to side with dieticians and say chia is an excellent source of protien.  Steak is an excellent source of protein, not chia), very low carb in general.

Restoration of gut flora after a course of anti-biotics

Combined with sources of healthy bacteria such as from home made cultured yogurt or kefir, lacto-fermented low carb vegetables and other sources of genuine pro-biotics, the soluble fibre in chia provides abundant food to the type of bacteria that we desire in our gut flora, which is sadly the bacteria that tends to die off en masse during  a course of antibiotic treatment that is sometimes unavoidable.  

For this I would recommend a good daily source of probiotics as above, from real food, along with 2 to 3 chia frescas a day.  This extra fibre may have you using the washroom more until you grow used to it.  Excess fibre of the long term is not desirable, so after that the recommended intake is ad librium for lipid energy during endurance training, or as the odd refreshing drink.

As a dietary aid to gently deal with constipation (with caveats)

If you are constipated on a meat based low carb diet you are likely not consuming enough fat.  Consuming whole meat with its fat will literally allow things to move as they should.  Another possibility for stuck pipes is to much cheese, a common mistake for novice low carb inductees.

All fibre solutions used to deal with constipation should be temporary and you should ramp up dosage gently.  The last thing you want is to send a tonne of fibre down a severly stuck pipe.  Go easy not full blast.

Fibre should not be used preventatively to "keep you regular", if you need fibre to keep you regular you are likely going to use it to often and risk increasing damage to your colon or colon cancer.  Eating natural, low carb food along with its fat should keep you regular.

Recommended Use as a Fitness Supplement

If you are a truly fat adapted or duel fueled athlete, try this.  Ingest one hour prior to prolonged endurance work, can be used in conjunction with some coconut oil or bullet proof coffee prior to endurance work.  The lipids work amazingly well for those in nutritional ketosis and within an hour you should feel extra energy.  Your mileage may vary.

Makes for a great drink prior to a fasted workout, I find it really maximizes my bodies ability to work in a fasted state.  The Tarahumara are to be congratulated on this creation.