On Wednesday 23rd of January we hosted a Back to School Chia Pod® Smooth Brunch at Lucky Penny on Chapel Street, Melbourne.
Attendees included local mammas, kids, and bloggers, who were treated to a delicious brunch featuring our new Chia Pod® Smooth range. The event was hosted by insta-mum and media personality, Renee Enright, and our favourite nutrition and wellness expert Joyce Haddad presented an insightful and passionate discussion around kid’s nutrition, why Chia Pod® Smooth is a great plant-based and allergen-safe snack for school, and gave her advice on how to pack a nutritious and yummy Bento Box that’ll keep little learners energised throughout the school day. Joyce also provided her healthy hacks to get the new school year started right, and her five-day healthy meal planner – which you can view here!
We had an absolute blast at The Colour Run on the Gold Coast in Queensland on Sunday 19th of August 2018. Known as the Happiest 5k on the Planet, it is a unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness, and individuality everything that The Chia Co. are proud to promote. Now the largest running series in the world, The Colour Run has been experienced by over 6 million runners worldwide in 35+ countries.
This year’s Colour Run Tour was a Super Hero themed fun filled series of colour, laughter, good vibes & of course good chia and thanks to our trusty sidekicks, Be Natural, was absolutely MARVELess. The Chia Co. in collaboration with Be Natural provided a SUPER delicious and nutritious fuel of Chia Pod® & Be Natural Choc Chip Chia Granola bars for all who attended the “special mission”. A superfood hit with enough energy sources to “save the day” & help attending HEROES and HEROINES complete the 5k course. Chia was flying out the door & with the help of our trusty sidekicks; @benaturalausnz, the day was truly INCREDIBLE.
If you missed out on all the Colour Run action we have the perfect substitute for you, our Rainbow Chia pudding parfait will have your insides feeling happy and colourful. Check it out here.
In the spirit of Colour Run fun we’ve added some heroic puns to our blogpost, can you spot them all?
We were thrilled to participate in the Wanderlust 108 events in both Sydney and Melbourne this past month.
A feature event in the global Wanderlust program, Wanderlust 108 is the world’s first and only mindful triathlon, bringing three mindful activities — running, yoga, and meditation — into local parks around the world. It’s the ultimate opportunity for wellness seekers to find their own true north, and to come together around shared values and practices.
We were onsite in Sydney at Centennial Park park on Saturday 10 November, sharing our philosophy for essential wholefood nutrition, and introducing wanderlusters to our iconic Chia Pod®. And, on Saturday 17 November, we introduced wanderlusters at Melbourne’s Catani Park to our latest kid-friendly super snack, Chia Pod® Smooth.
We were blown away to meet so many vibrant wanderlusters and to share in this event which truly offered a sense of community, fun, openness and willingness to learn.
Women’s Health Fit Night Out returned to Sydney for its 3rd year in a row on Friday the 31st of August 2018. With over 600 fitness fans packed into Sydney’s International Convention Centre for the ultimate workout party it was bound to be one high energy night especially with Keep it Cleaner girls Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire Smith hosting. We were proud and delighted to be one of the headline sponsors for the event and had an absolute blast meeting so many like-minded fitsters!
We treated the crowd to a ‘Top your pod” activation whereby individuals had the opportunity to sample Chia Pod® and top their favourite flavours with healthy toppings such as; fruit, nuts and goji berries (yum!) This ensured everyone stayed fuelled before breaking a sweat with leading celebrity trainers; Amanda Bisk, Base Body Babes; Felicia Oreb & Diana Johnson, Keep it Cleaner trainers; Steph Claire Smith & Laura Henshaw and Dan Conn whilst also enjoying a live DJ!
Women’s Health Fit Night Out is fast becoming a major fitness event on the Sydney Calendar. This year’s event was no exception and we absolutely loved being a part of it and spreading the chia cheer!
On Sunday 13th May more than 100,000 Australians came together to continue the fight against breast cancer at the 21st Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic breast cancer walk and run. This incredible national fundraising event has raised more than $33.2 million for breast cancer research over the past 21 years, with more than 1 million participants walking or running a combined 6.5 million kilometres.
We were very proud to be onsite at both the Sydney and Brisbane arms of this event to show our support for this hugely important issue. We were also excited to share our latest product collaboration with participants and spectators alike: Be Natural Crunchy Granola Bars featuring our own Aussie-grown chia seeds.
These tasty treats are high in wholegrains and are a source of fibre, making them the perfect snack or treat. Eat them on their own, or dip them into yoghurt, tea or coffee!
We love working with Be Natural because, like us, they’re all about making the quality nutrition from plant-based food ingredients easy to access, every day. They are champions of healthier lifestyles and are determined to make healthier foods the easier choice – and we couldn’t agree with their vision more. You can read more about their philosophy on their website.
Want to try the new Be Natural Crunchy Granola Bar Choc Chip Chia for yourself? Look for them in the muesli bar aisle in your local Woolworths, Coles or IGA stores.
Earlier this month, we celebrated the launch of our newest product collab: Be Natural Chia Exotic Berry Bites, with two fun-filled The Chia Co x Be Natural Pound workout events in Melbourne and Sydney.
At the free events, attendees had a chance to sample the delicious Be Natural Chia Exotic Berry Bites before jumping, grooving and pounding their way through a 45min Rockout Workout with our friends at Pound. They were also given a free yoga mat, t-shirt and drink bottle.
Now available in the muesli aisle of Woolworths, Be Natural Chia Exotic Berry Bites are packed with energy-boosting nutrition, making them a great pre or post-workout snack. Not only is every Chia Bite packed with 25% of our sun-ripened chia seeds, they also boast a veritable ‘who’s who’ of other nutritious ingredients, like Goji berries, rolled oats and tahini sesame seed paste. Every Chia Bite contains over 1000mg of omega 3- ALA and is a source of fibre.
Well, it’s official – summer is over. We sailed though March and most of April with uncommonly warm weather, but the tide is now turning and we’re all shaking out those winter coats in preparation. What’s more, some of us might be already be battling the first of the cool-weather sniffles. Before the flu season gets really underway, now is the perfect time to start arming your body against illness.
We always recommend natural health solutions where possible, and believe that prevention is better than a cure. So, rather than heading to the pharmacy to stock up on flu pills, give your immune system the best fighting chance you can by adding these eight great immunity boosting foods to your diet:
Probiotics:
Probiotics are the live cultures found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, miso, tempeh and sauerkraut. Having a healthy gut is essential for immunity because our gut wall is home to 70 percent of our immune cells. The ‘good’ bacterias present in these live cultures have been shown to reduce the severity and duration of colds, and have also been linked to enhanced T-Cell (immune cell) production.
Citrus fruits:
Vitamin C is one of the most well-known immune system boosters. And, because our bodies cannot create or store it, it’s essential that your daily diet provides adequate amounts of vitamin C. Thankfully, it’s easy (and delicious) to get your daily dose of this powerful immune booster, with vitamin C found in many of your favourite fruits including oranges, strawberries, kiwi and guava.
Chia:
Since the Aztec times, chia has been prized for its medicinal properties. Chia seeds have a very high antioxidant rating which protects our cells from damage. They are also a rich source of soluble fibre, which works to keep your digestive tract healthy and is directly linked to stronger immunity. Chia also provides a long list of nutrients that are known to support a healthy immune system, including vitamin C, flavonols, vitamin E, lignin and phenolic acids.
Garlic:
Garlic isn’t just famous for warding off vampires, it also wards off illness! With a number of nutrients that have been shown to be good for your health – such as arginine, oligosaccharides, flavonoids, and selenium – eating garlic will help boost your t-cells, and help your body fight stress and fatigue. It is also antiseptic, antifungal and provides vitamins B1, B6 and C, iron and phosphorus and alliin
Green tea:
Antioxidant-rich green tea strengthens your immune system by protecting against oxidative stress that can damage cells. These antioxidants have also been shown to prevent autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, protecting your body against damage from free radicals and helping your immune system to operate at its best.
Sweet potatoes:
The Vitamin A in sweet potatoes helps regulate the immune system and protects from infections by keeping skin and tissues in the mouth, stomach, intestines and respiratory system healthy. Sweet potatoes are also rich in beta-carotene, which many scientists believe may help increase T-cell activity in the body.
Mushrooms:
Mushrooms are a great source of B vitamins, trace minerals, fibre and even protein. The high levels of beta-glucans in mushrooms help to keep your immune cells alert, and they also combat disease by providing numerous important vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Mushrooms have a high antioxidant rating and are also anti-inflammatory and anti-viral.
Broccoli:
Broccoli is supercharged with an arsenal of vitamins and minerals that strengthen immunity – specifically vitamins A, C, and E, as well as numerous antioxidants. Broccoli is also anti-inflammatory and is a great source of fibre which promotes healthy digestion and cardiovascular health.
Ballantyne and The Chia Co teamed up to launch the newest and most exciting spread on Australian supermarket shelves, Ballantynes Chia Spreadable Butter with the help of chef to the stars, Kate McAloon.
Two Healthy Baking Master Classes were held at South Melbourne Market. Melbourne’s foodie bloggers, joined Kate and our team to make the most delicious Cacao + Coconut Biscuits and Apple Crumble. Thanks to an amazing group of people for joining us to celebrate this newest product launch and spreading the love!
In 2014 we took Chia Pod to the world. From our Chia Pod Van Tour in the US, where we shared more than 85,000 Chia Pods at more than 190 events, through to street events in the UK and major sporting competitions in Australia.