Super Fuel? Baltimore Running Back Preps for NFL Season by Eating...Chia Pet Seeds?

You may or may not be familiar with Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, but chances are you're definitely familiar with "Chia Pets."

Put the two together and you have one bizarre story to use as a conversation piece this weekend.

Rice, who pumps iron and is not a fan of supplement shakes, works diligently to prepare for his grueling days with the NFL. But, aside from a healthy diet of his preferred proteins, chicken and fish, there is one form of superfuel Rice has quietly begun mixing into his diet: spoonfuls of an obscure Bolivian-grown seed known as Salvia hispanica, or chia seeds/

Rice believes the seeds replenishes his energy and keep his digestive system running smoothly.

Chia seeds, which reportedly date back to the ancient Aztecs, are now best known as the main ingredient that gives Chia Pet models like Chia Pet Elvis, Chia Shrek and Chia Obama their thickets of "lustrous green mossy hair."

WSJ adds:

Rice, who will meet the New England Patriots Sunday in the AFC Championship game, said he was skeptical at first when a friend, Jesse Itzler, an investor in a chia venture, turned him on to the idea. "When you think of seeds, you think of a bird," says the 212-pound two-time Pro Bowl running back. "They looked like bird seeds."

Rice said the reason he finally decided to try chia seeds was their colorful back story.

survey of Baltimore's locker room after a practice this week turned up another chia devotee—star linebacker Ray Lewis. "I put them in my shake every morning," he said.

Experts say chia seeds, which have almost no taste, can absorb 10 times their weight in water—which may help speed digestion. The seeds contain nutrients like Omega 3 fatty acids, anti-oxidants, protein, iron and electrolytes.

To read the full report visit WSJ, but first:

The original. The best:

Later models included the Chia Obama: