# Is Chia the New Superfood? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124 "2013-02-12T21:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/1 "2013-02-12T21:48:00Z")
[Chia Seeds the 'It' Food of 2013 - ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/eating-chia-seeds/story?id=18296119) Well, not so new since the ancient Aztecs ate it, but it is now touted as a superfood. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/2 "2013-02-13T00:49:55Z")
Oh great. Now we’ll have Chia Tongues and Chia Colons, and all point in-between. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/3 "2013-02-13T01:08:16Z")
Define “new”. I have a semi-distant sort-of-relative who’s heavily into all the various magical natural remedies, and she’s been pushing this stuff on us for as long as I’ve known her - the better part of a decade. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/4 "2013-02-13T01:09:01Z")
Well, they couldn’t convince people hemp seed wasn’t marijuana in disguise… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/5 "2013-02-13T01:17:26Z")
i’m grazing on my chia pet as i write this. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/6 "2013-02-13T01:21:08Z")
Why is everyone eating chia seeds? Because people are stupid and will do whatever they’re told to if the source is sufficiently famous. ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/7 "2013-02-13T03:36:54Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Why is everyone eating chia seeds? Because people are stupid and will do whatever they’re told to if the source is sufficiently famous. GENEVIEVE SHAW BROWN (@gsbrownabc): fucking famous as shit. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/8 "2013-02-13T03:37:08Z")
People eat their pets?? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/9 "2013-02-13T04:14:33Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Define “new”. I have a semi-distant sort-of-relative who’s heavily into all the various magical natural remedies, and she’s been pushing this stuff on us for as long as I’ve known her - the better part of a decade. Same here. Maybe there’s been a recent renewal of interest in chia seeds? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/10 "2013-02-13T04:39:42Z")
Renewed interest because they now sell it for a reasonable price in Costco. I’ll step up and admit to a breakfast several days of the week of Greek yogurt mixed up with some chia seeds, some ground flax, some hemp seeds, some All-Bran Buds, some raw ground cocoa, some raw pumpkin seeds, and some dried fruit. Sometimes other stuff added or exchanged. Superfood? Not sure what qualifies as that. But good source of fiber, especially soluble fiber, and healthy fats. And it keeps me from getting hungry for a good long time. If some celebrity endorses it I am ignorant of that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/11 "2013-02-13T13:32:10Z")
If most people just ate less of the crap they eat every day that’d be more super than any “superfood”. But you don’t get invited on the talk shows if that’s the message. ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/12 "2013-02-13T13:40:46Z")
Chia seeds are mentioned in the book ‘Born to run’ as a performance enhancing food used by the Tarahumara Indians during long runs. The book was released in 2009 and I believe it gave a big boost to the idea of chia seeds as a (super) food. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/13 "2013-02-13T14:29:26Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Renewed interest because they now sell it for a reasonable price in Costco. > > I’ll step up and admit to a breakfast several days of the week of Greek yogurt mixed up with some chia seeds, some ground flax, some hemp seeds, some All-Bran Buds, some raw ground cocoa, some raw pumpkin seeds, and some dried fruit. Sometimes other stuff added or exchanged. Superfood? Not sure what qualifies as that. But good source of fiber, especially soluble fiber, and healthy fats. And it keeps me from getting hungry for a good long time. > > If some celebrity endorses it I am ignorant of that fact. This. I’ve been eating chia seed with my yogurt for a few years now. I don’t care for the term “superfood,” but the fact is that chia seed looks to be a pretty healthy item. Three tablespoons mixed into a cup of yogurt gives about half your day’s fiber (a lot of people just don’t get enough fiber!) adds an interesting crunchy texture, and provides a mildly earthy flavor contrast to what is usually an excessive sweetness in the yogurt. I’ve found better prices for chia on Amazon than in Costco. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/14 "2013-02-13T14:43:37Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > This. I’ve been eating chia seed with my yogurt for a few years now. I don’t care for the term “superfood,” but the fact is that chia seed looks to be a pretty healthy item. Three tablespoons mixed into a cup of yogurt gives about half your day’s fiber (a lot of people just don’t get enough fiber!) adds an interesting crunchy texture, and provides a mildly earthy flavor contrast to what is usually an excessive sweetness in the yogurt. > > I’ve found better prices for chia on Amazon than in Costco. Don’t ignore the calories in chia. A tablespoon is about 65 calories. They are fat-laden little suckers. That’s part of their benefit–they are high in omega 3 and 6. But I’ve read that only a small percentage (10-20%?) of those omega fats make it into your system. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/15 "2013-02-13T20:12:15Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Don’t ignore the calories in chia. A tablespoon is about 65 calories. They are fat-laden little suckers. That’s part of their benefit–they are high in omega 3 and 6. But I’ve read that only a small percentage (10-20%?) of those omega fats make it into your system. Not only that, the form of omega-3 is (mostly?) ineffective for the purposes of cardiovascular disease prevention; most plant-based omega-3 is ALA while fish oil and marine algae (from which fish get their omega-3 from) has EPA and DHA: > [@](#): > > n-3 Fatty acids from fish or fish-oil supplements, but not alpha-linolenic acid, benefit cardiovascular disease outcomes in primary- and secondary-prevention studies: a systematic review". [The American journal of clinical nutrition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#cite_note-fishflax-20) 84 (1): 5–17. Not that there aren’t any benefits at all; it is [recommended](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Daily_values) to consume 1.1-1.6 grams a day of combined omega-3s, of which 10% is EPA and DHA (which is to say, 110-160 mg per day; over 3 grams a day can increase stroke risk). Your body can also convert some ALA to EPA/DHA but is very inefficient at doing so, a few percent at the most. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/16 "2013-02-13T21:13:55Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Renewed interest because they now sell it for a reasonable price in Costco. > > I’ll step up and admit to a breakfast several days of the week of Greek yogurt mixed up with some chia seeds, some ground flax, some hemp seeds, some All-Bran Buds, some raw ground cocoa, some raw pumpkin seeds, and some dried fruit. Sometimes other stuff added or exchanged. Superfood? Not sure what qualifies as that. But good source of fiber, especially soluble fiber, and healthy fats. And it keeps me from getting hungry for a good long time. > > If some celebrity endorses it I am ignorant of that fact. I noticed in a prior thread that you put chia seeds in your Greek yogurt. I like my Greek yogurt with a few walnuts and a sliced banana. However, I enhance my oatmeal (or other cereal) with some frozen berries (Three Berries from Costco), ground flax, some hemp seeds, wheat germ, sliced bananas, some Craisins, and various dried fruits. If I put that in my cereal bowl before the oatmeal, I sometimes forget to put in the oatmeal. 🙂 I think I’ll start adding chia seeds. (Moderation is not my middle name.) The Three Berries works very well with pancakes. Add a sliced banana, Greek yogurt, some walnuts and/or pecans and no need for any syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chia-the-new-superfood/650124/17 "2013-02-13T21:16:16Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Not only that, the form of omega-3 is (mostly?) ineffective for the purposes of cardiovascular disease prevention; most plant-based omega-3 is ALA while fish oil and marine algae (from which fish get their omega-3 from) has EPA and DHA: Would this be why a dietician recommended taking fish oil instead of flax seed oil?