Chia Seeds/Upset Stomach

ashleyShades
ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello. I've added chia seeds to my water before but this was a while ago and it didn't last long. They became a gelatinous blob that I did not want in my water. This morning I made a smoothie for breakfast and put 2 tsp of chia seeds in it. The recipe is as follows...

1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup dry old fashioned oats
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup greek vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 cup frozen fruit (I alternate between different kinds and if it is sweeter I usually only use 1/2 cup)

Well I drank this for breakfast this morning and I had a salad at lunch. My stomach is killing me. I've been to the bathroom twice and seriously want to crawl under my desk in the fetal position. Is this normal to be experiencing stomach pain from introducing chia seeds into my diet?

Replies

  • ashleyShades
    ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
    Someone? Anyone?
  • flexdirectcpr
    flexdirectcpr Posts: 103 Member
    Chia seeds did not bother me when I started adding them to my smoothies.
  • krystonite
    krystonite Posts: 553 Member
    I'm loving my chia seeds. I put 8 ounces of water in a mason jar and add 3 tablespoons of the seeds to them. Stir, let them sit over night, and they become gelatinous. I drink a 1/3 of it every morning for an energy boost. I have found as well that it helps my digestive system immensely.

    Play around with them a little more. There are many things you can do with chia seeds. I suggest growing chia sprouts and putting them on a salad.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Why 2 teaspoons? That's a lot of fibre in one shot...
  • LisaLamb1
    LisaLamb1 Posts: 149 Member
    I put 1/2 TBSP in my oatmeal - no issues. Perhaps it is too much fiber for you (plus the fruit). If you have just started on a healthy eating program, you might want to ease into it a little - maybe 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp at a time.
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
    I have them about 4 times a week, but only in my morning oatmeal and have never had a problem. I only use 1 Tablespoon each time.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    It is most likely just due to the increase of fiber so quickly.

    WHen you do something like trying to increase your fiber start off slow and add more every few days until you get to the amount you want to use. Too much added fiber at one time will cause issues. Make sure you drink extra water when you increase fiber too.
  • ashleyShades
    ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
    Thank you all!
  • pienthesky32
    pienthesky32 Posts: 142 Member
    Also, small seedy type foods (nuts, whole grains, etc) can really aggravate diverticulitis. If you don't have that diagnosis, I would agree with others...ramp up slowly.
  • jennyk3298
    jennyk3298 Posts: 22
    Make sure to drink plenty of water anytime you consume chia seeds. I didn't at first and I had the same problem. Chia seeds absorb nine times their weight in water so they can soak up the water from your system and cause you to dehydrate.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Are you certain it was the chia seeds? My daughter noticed that dry oats in smoothies does not agree with her at all. She experiences serious discomfort.

    Either way, drink plenty of water. I hope you feel better soon.
  • Eve23
    Eve23 Posts: 2,352 Member
    I am wondering if you had drank enough water after having them. It is absolutely necesarry to drink after having them. That is the only reason I can think of that may be a cause. Other than maybe something else caused it.

    Feel better.
  • ashleyShades
    ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
    Thanks guys! I finally feel better so I think it was something besides the chia seeds
  • marysanders33449
    marysanders33449 Posts: 1
    Ashley, I also had problems with the chia seads. When I had an endoscopy done the inside of my stomach was shredded like someone took a razer blade to it. My sugestion to you is to use a mortor and pestle and grind the chia seeds into a powder then use them. Only grind as many as you will use in one day total. A coffee grinder will work too
    I am working on getting my stomach back to normal before using the seeds again.
    G_ma Mary
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    Chia seeds kinda hurt me when I eat more than two tsp at once. You might want to cut back on how many you eat in one go.
  • nsparks5256
    nsparks5256 Posts: 1 Member
    I sprinkled dry chia seed on my salad a few days ago. I did not drink warer. Could that be causing my stomach issues?
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    ashleyShades wrote: »
    Someone? Anyone?

    Yes, chia seeds should be introduced slowly into your diet.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    nsparks5256 wrote: »
    I sprinkled dry chia seed on my salad a few days ago. I did not drink warer. Could that be causing my stomach issues?

    That depends. How often do you eat the seeds? See the above comments if you don't usually eat them. How much water do you usually drink? If you are slightly dehydrated, introducing additional fiber can cause digestive issues. If you usually eat the seeds, do you also usually drink water with them? If you usually drink water when eating the seeds, and experienced symptoms when you skipped the water, then I would think not drinking the water would be the problem.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    nsparks5256 wrote: »
    I sprinkled dry chia seed on my salad a few days ago. I did not drink warer. Could that be causing my stomach issues?

    I don't think dry seeds would be still causing you issues days later, but in general too many dry chia seeds plus not enough fluid can indeed cause issues.

    This article may be somewhat over the top when discussing the benefits of chia seeds, but still has value in the discussion of the different ways to eat them. I soak chia seeds.

    https://draxe.com/how-to-eat-chia-seeds/

    ...It’s also important to note that if you do choose to eat chia seeds whole, they can absorb water from your body during digestion, so be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated.
  • badreed
    badreed Posts: 1 Member
    I also have intense stomach pain and bloating every once in a while after eating Chia seeds. I also have acid reflux, Gerd and narrowing of the esophagus already, so anything that expands my stomach is probably not a good idea regardless of the health benefits. I haven’t figured out why chia seeds bother me only a fraction of the time, but when the stomach pain hits after eating them, it is really intense and I’m not functional at all. And frankly, I don’t feel like experimenting anymore with Pre-soaking because the pain isn’t worth it! You are not alone!

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