Thomas Keiser of Panthers downs Chia Pet seeds

[w8lifter]

Thomas Keiser of Panthers downs Chia Pet seeds
​

With access to the finest in nutrition and conditioning, today's NFL players hover at the boundary of human strength and fitness.

Then there's Thomas Keiser.

The Carolina Panthers defensive end, in an effort to stay hydrated during camp, has taken to drinking a gallon of water daily (very good) mixed with Chia Pet seeds (totally strange).

You remember Chia Pets -- the gooey seed mixture you rub on a piece of pottery, wait like two weeks, only to watch a hairless lamb grow a thick mane of green fur? Yup.

"People ask me all the time if it's the same stuff that's in Chia Pets. It is," Keiser told the team's official website, via Will Brinson of CBSSports.com. "I'll have probably two or three tablespoons in somewhere between two-thirds and a full gallon of water every day."

You're asking the same thing Brinson asked -- and we now ask: What is happening inside this man's stomach? We tremble at the thought.

A little research into Chia's website suggests Keiser's not alone in swallowing the seeds. And so far, so good for the Panthers defender: "It helps hydrate you, because it absorbs 10 times its weight in water," Keiser said. "And instead of the water just going in your system and flushing right out, it's going to sit in you longer."

Excuse us while we sit back and ponder this for a while.

• By Marc Sessler
• Writer
• Published: Aug. 10, 2012 at 02:34 p.m.
• Updated: Aug. 10, 2012 at 07:35 p.m.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...wns-chia-pet-seeds?module=HP11_content_stream

 

[koolaid]

So his argument is that the seeds absorb water, thus they help him stay hydrated?

....

I'll just eat a sponge before I run again

 

[Hoofbite]

So his argument is that the seeds absorb water, thus they help him stay hydrated?

....

I'll just eat a sponge before I run again

Why stop there?

Throw a couple of sponges in your gas tank to help it stay full for a little while longer.

 

[dwmyers]

I believe the signature benefit of chia seeds are their omega 3 fatty acid content, higher than that of even flax seeds.

Rather than taking a flax seed extract (you can buy a bottle at Whole Foods for six bucks), he's eating the seeds instead.

Omega-3 fatty acids act on the same biosynthetic pathway that aspirin and other NSAIDs do, and provide much the same benefits as aspirin without any fear of overdosing. The main health benefit is the reduction of inflammation, which can be useful for those of us with things like swollen knees, or the more common diseases of diabetes and gout.

I do a teaspoon or so of of flax seed oil a day, largely as a preventative, to help control omega 3 - omega 6 ratios, along with 2-5 servings of small oily fish a week. It pays over time when you can have a day lost to a gout attack.

D-

Some links:

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/17801/chia-seeds/

http://foodnearsnellville.wordpress.com/tag/omega-3-fatty-acids/

http://foodnearsnellville.wordpress...f-ala-to-epa-and-dha-implications-for-vegans/

http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=682

and a chart, showing the effects of controlling omega 3 to omega 6 ratios

D-

 

[casmith07]

This is pretty interesting. Kind of like putting a natural slow-drip IV bag in your stomach.

He can go longer without needing to rehydrate. If there aren't any bad side effects this is pretty interesting. Would've been nice to know when I was in Iraq, haha.

 

[Hoofbite]

I guess Ray Rice does it too.

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-01-20/sports/30645859_1_chia-seeds-chia-pets-loads

Interesting, not sure I totally buy it but whatever works for you.