Plant-based foods › Chia seeds
Chia seeds on a plant-based diet
Chia seeds are a small, easy way to add plant omega-3 (ALA) and calcium to your day. Just remember that ALA converts only poorly into the active omega-3s, so pair a daily chia habit with an algae supplement for EPA and DHA.
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Chia delivers the plant omega-3 ALA plus a useful hit of calcium, and it forms a gel that thickens puddings and overnight oats. A spoonful a day is an effortless nutrition upgrade.
How to get the most from it
Stir chia into oats, yoghurt or smoothies, or soak it into a pudding overnight. For the active omega-3s EPA and DHA, an algae-oil supplement is the direct route; chia covers the ALA side.
Chia seeds nutrition
Per-serving figures from the Plentish dataset (source: USDA FoodData Central). % of RNI uses the adult UK reference intake.
Note: ALA only, not equivalent to the EPA/DHA in an algae supplement.
What it covers on your watch-list
Recipes with Chia seeds
- Overnight chia pudding (Plus)
- Seedy banana porridge
Common questions
Do chia seeds give you enough omega-3?
They provide ALA, the plant omega-3, but the body converts little of it to EPA and DHA. Use chia daily and add an algae supplement for the active forms.
Do you need to grind chia seeds?
No. Unlike flax, chia is well digested whole, especially once soaked, so grinding is not necessary.