Chia seeds
Checked by us One serving: 15 g · 74 kcal
Lots of omega-3: ALA.
Nothing to watch for most people so far.
Worth knowing for some people: choking risk under age 4; nickel for people who are sensitised.
Good for
How we counted this
What one serving (15 g) gives you.
Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.
The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share. ?
A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.
- A lot
Omega-3: ALA
The one omega-3 your body can’t make: it must come from food. Your cells build it into their membranes and burn it for energy.
Learn more
2,675 mg in one serving: 167% of the 1,600 mg a day men need, 243% of the 1,100 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
18 more nutrients below “a lot”
- Some
Fibre
Keeps your gut moving.
Learn more
5.16 g in one serving: 14% of the 38 g a day men need, 21% of the 25 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- Some
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)
More than 400 of your enzymes need it to work.
Learn more
2.41 mg in one serving: 15% of the 16 mg a day men need, 17% of the 14 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, niacin fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Selenium
Your thyroid uses it to make its hormones.
Learn more
8.28 µg in one serving: 15% of the 55 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Magnesium
Your muscles and nerves need it to work.
Learn more
48.9 mg in one serving: 12% of the 400 mg a day men need, 16% of the 310 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, magnesium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Calcium
Builds your bones and teeth.
Learn more
89.3 mg in one serving: 9% of the 1,000 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, calcium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Zinc
Your immune system and healing wounds depend on it.
Learn more
0.83 mg in one serving: 8% of the 11 mg a day men need, 10% of the 8 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, zinc fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Thiamin (B1)
Your cells use it to get energy from food, and so to grow and work.
Learn more
0.08 mg in one serving: 7% of the 1.2 mg a day men need, 7% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, thiamin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Iron
Carries oxygen in your blood.
Learn more
0.91 mg in one serving: 11% of the 8 mg a day men need, 5% of the 18 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, iron fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Protein
Your muscles, and every other tissue, are built and repaired from it.
Learn more
2.55 g in one serving: 5% of the 56 g a day men need, 6% of the 46 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- A little
Potassium
Your nerves, muscles and kidneys need it to work.
Learn more
96.3 mg in one serving: 3% of the 3,400 mg a day men need, 4% of the 2,600 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, potassium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Vitamin B6
Helps you use protein, and your brain needs it to make its chemical messengers.
Learn more
0.03 mg in one serving: 2% of the 1.3 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B6 fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Riboflavin (B2)
Your cells use it to make energy and handle fats. It also helps turn tryptophan into niacin and activate vitamin B6.
Learn more
0.03 mg in one serving: 2% of the 1.3 mg a day men need, 3% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, riboflavin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Folate
Your body needs it to make DNA and to divide new cells.
Learn more
7.35 µg in one serving: 2% of the 400 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, folate fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin E
Shields the fats in your cells from damage; your immune system uses it too.
Learn more
0.08 mg in one serving: 1% of the 15 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin E fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin C
Your body makes collagen with it, which wounds need to heal. It also helps you absorb iron from plants.
Learn more
0.24 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 90 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 75 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: EPA + DHA
Long-chain omega-3s, built into your cell membranes. DHA is concentrated in your brain and retinas.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 250 mg a day.
Health Canada sets no daily amount for these fats, so the daily figure here is the European Food Safety Authority’s.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin B12
Your body needs it to make red blood cells and keep nerves working.
Learn more
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 2.4 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B12 fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin D
Your body needs it to absorb calcium and keep your bones hard.
Learn more
Your skin also makes it in sunlight, so food is only one of its sources.
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 15 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals
Missing from our databases for this food, so left out, not counted as zero: vitamin A, vitamin K1 and choline.
Watch out
How we counted this
Nickel
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 22 servings in a day of this food alone to use up what the highest average adult intake we found leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 30.8 µg
How we got this
The highest average adult intake we found already takes up about 26% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 440 g a day would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 15 g a day, which stays within the 330 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's 2020 tolerable daily intake for nickel is 13 µg/kg body weight/day, 910 µg a day at 70 kg. Eaten alone, about 444 g of chia a day would reach it. A 15.0 g serving is 31 µg, 3.4% of the limit, and adds 14% to the adult background median of 3.16 µg/kg body weight/day (221 µg/day), 11-22% across the survey range.
Checked for aluminum, cadmium, glyphosate residues, lead and ochratoxin A: fine at normal amounts.
Aluminum
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 14 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 683 µg (at 45.5 ppm)
How we got this
1,500 g a week reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's tolerable weekly intake for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight/week, 70,000 µg a week for 70 kg. Eaten alone, about 1,540 g of chia a week would reach it at the highest CFIA annual mean of 45.5 ppm (23,400 g at the lowest, 2.99). A 15.0 g serving every day is 105 g a week: 4,780 µg, 6.8% of the limit at 45.5 ppm and 41% at the single highest sample (273 ppm, 28.7 mg). Chia carries 37 to 78 times the aluminium of the three nuts in this family.
Cadmium
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 53 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to use up what an average adult’s intake leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 0.14 µg (at 9.1 µg/kg)
How we got this
A serving a day adds 0.8% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit. With that serving every day, an average adult would be at about 71% of the limit.
An average adult already takes in about 71% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 19,000 g a week would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 105 g a week, which stays within the 5,600 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
A daily serving adds 0.77% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap.
Glyphosate residues
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings in a day of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 3.72 µg (glyphosate, at 0.248 ppm)
How we got this
140,000 g a day reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's 2023 acceptable daily intake for glyphosate is 0.5 mg/kg body weight/day, 35,000 µg a day at 70 kg. The mean of 0.248 ppm covers positives only (2 of 9 samples), so the grams are a floor: about 141,000 g of chia a day would reach the limit. A 15.0 g serving at the highest positive mean is 3.7 µg, 0.01% of it. The two violations were of Canada's maximum residue limit, not of a health-based limit.
Lead
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 84 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the lead an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 1.2% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 0.41 µg (at 27.3 µg/kg)
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: no safe limit is set for lead; EFSA's 2010 reference point is a benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL01) of 0.5 µg/kg body weight/day. Judged by what a serving adds to the average adult's intake of about 35 µg/day (EFSA 2012): 15 g at 27.3 µg/kg adds 0.41 µg, about 1.2%. The single highest sample (145 µg/kg) would give 2.2 µg in a serving, 6%.
Ochratoxin A
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the ochratoxin A an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 0.3–1% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 1.15 ng (OTA, lower bound)
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: no safe limit is set for ochratoxin A; EFSA's 2020 reference point is a benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL10) of 14.5 µg/kg body weight/day (14,500 ng/kg body weight/day). A 15.0 g serving at the lower-bound mean of 0.07684 ng/g carries 1.15 ng, 0.0165 ng/kg body weight/day at 70 kg; the maximum sample (1.14 ng/g) would give 17 ng, 0.24 ng/kg body weight/day. The margin to the BMDL10 is about 880,000 at the mean. Chia is the one food in this family with a real ochratoxin signal in the CFIA survey (18 of 44 samples detected).
For some people
Health Canada: seeds are not safe for children younger than four years. Dry chia swells in liquid, which makes it a swallowing and obstruction concern for adults who take it dry; no agency statement on that was found.
Flagged for people with nickel contact allergy: EFSA's 2020 lowest-observed-adverse-effect level is 4.3 µg Ni/kg body weight (301 µg at 70 kg). A 15.0 g serving carries 31 µg, 0.44 µg/kg body weight, a margin of 9.8 to that level; EFSA treats a margin of 30 or more as low concern. About 147 g would reach the level, and 4.9 g would give a margin of 30.
Measured, not rated: 70.5 mg oxalate
Learn more
We haven’t rated this food for oxalate. We count only a figure that comes from a grade A or B source and says it was measured per 100 g of the food as eaten, and none of the figures here does both.
How we got this
Not rated for calcium-oxalate stone formers: the only source is a patient-foundation list (one brand, no stated method). A 15.0 g serving carries 70.5 mg oxalate, a moderate portion by the list's bands (25-99 mg); 100 g would be in its very-high band.
Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation. Oxalate list (022724), 2024 · grade B
Also measured in it
Figures from the dataset. None has a limit to be rated against, so none is a verdict.
Phytate, as the source gives it: Ins P6 1.5-2.6 g/100 g dry matter across 8 commercial chia samples from 7 Latin American countries (mean of the 8: 2.19) g phytate (InsP6)/100 g dry matter (dry matter) · Vera 2023 · grade A
Phytate (also written InsP6, IP6 or phytic acid), the form in which plants store phosphorus, is found in whole grains, beans and nuts. It binds zinc in the gut and lowers how much zinc and plant (non-heme) iron you absorb. No limit applies.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Zinc fact sheet · NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Iron fact sheet
Also checked (nothing to act on) · 4
Noted for context, or not measured in this food yet.
Not measured in this food yet. Not rated: no chia-specific aflatoxin figure exists in EFSA's 2020 occurrence tables, and CFIA has no chia aflatoxin survey. EFSA's unspecified 'other seeds' line (n 71, aflatoxin B1 mean 4.069 µg/kg at the lower bound, 4.621 at the upper bound, 72% left-censored) is not chia and is not used; linseed (n 175) is a different seed.
Context only (pesticide residues are not scored): 4 positives in 146 screens, none flagged as violations except the two glyphosate results above.
Context only, and about a different product: sprouted chia seed powder (dried, ground, sprouted seeds), not whole dry chia seed. No survey of Salmonella in whole chia was found; the 2012 Irish nut-and-seed survey (FSAI 10NS1) listed no chia sample among its top varieties.
Shown as context, not rated: a single recall event on whole dry chia seed, not an occurrence rate. The CFIA recall notice of 2026-01-20 covered one lot of Left Coast Organics Organic Chia Seeds (900 g, best-before 26 NO 13 and 26 NO 14, sold in ON, AB, BC, MB, SK), Class 2, triggered by a recall in another country; no illnesses were reported. The CFIA said its food safety investigation may lead to other recalls. A US recall (Navitas Organics, January 2026) was seen in press snippets only.
Better options
How we counted this
“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.
Every amount below is for the same weight, 15 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.
A food is listed only if it gives clearly more: at least a fifth more than this food, and at least 10% of the daily amount more.
More of what it’s good for
For omega-3: ALA: Flaxseed, ground would lead, in the same 15 g, but is left out (Cyanogenic glycosides: go easy).
None of the 5 other toppings we could compare gives clearly more nutrients per serving.
Your goal
Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.
None of the 5 other toppings we could compare gives clearly more nutrients, protein and fibre per calorie.
Building muscle: more protein and more calories, per 100 g.
Pumpkin seeds29.9 g protein · 515 kcal per 100 g
1 food out of the 5 other toppings we’ve checked and could compare gives clearly more protein, and more calories, per 100 g.
Why some foods aren’t suggested
Left out: Flaxseed, ground (Cyanogenic glycosides: go easy).
Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.
The numbers
Open every value
Name in the database: Chia seeds, dried, whole
How the serving was set: 15 g (Health Canada TRA item C.5, 'Bran and wheat germ, pearl tapioca, milled flax, hemp and chia seeds', reference amount 15 g; the nuts-and-seeds item O.1 is 30 g shelled)
Listed nutrients, per 100 g
For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3: ALA | 17.83 g | 2.67 g | 3.64 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Calcium | 595.4 mg | 89.31 mg | 121.49 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| 631 mg | 94.65 mg | 128.75 mg | copy of USDA · not used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2511 | C | |
| Carbohydrate | 38.273 g | 5.74 g | 7.81 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Energy | 490.096 kcal | 73.51 kcal | – | FDC Energy (Atwater Specific Factors) used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) | – |
| 486 kcal | 72.9 kcal | – | from SR Legacy · not used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C | |
| Omega-3: EPA + DHA | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2511 | C |
| Fat | 32.89 g | 4.93 g | 6.71 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 3.33 g | 0.5 g | 0.68 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Fibre | 34.4 g | 5.16 g | 7.02 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Folate | 49 µg | 7.35 µg | 10 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Iron | 6.043 mg | 0.91 mg | 1.23 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Magnesium | 326.3 mg | 48.95 mg | 66.58 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents) | 16.097 mg | 2.41 mg | 3.28 mg | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2511 | C |
| Phosphorus | 691.3 mg | 103.7 mg | 141.05 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Potassium | 642.1 mg | 96.32 mg | 131.02 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Protein | 17.013 g | 2.55 g | 3.47 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.17 mg | 0.03 mg | 0.03 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Selenium | 55.2 µg | 8.28 µg | 11.26 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Sodium | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.1 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.202 mg | 0.03 mg | 0.04 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Vitamin C | 1.6 mg | 0.24 mg | 0.33 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2511 | C |
| Vitamin E | 0.5 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.1 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Water | 7.451 g | 1.12 g | 1.52 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Zinc | 5.556 mg | 0.83 mg | 1.13 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 1.566 mg | 0.23 mg | 0.32 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Energy (Atwater general) | 517.154 kcal | 77.57 kcal | 105.52 kcal | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Energy (Atwater specific) | 490.096 kcal | 73.51 kcal | 100 kcal | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Nitrogen | 3.21 g | 0.48 g | 0.65 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Ash | 4.373 g | 0.66 g | 0.89 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Starch | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Energy | 2,034 kj | 305.1 kj | 415.02 kj | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Vitamin A, IU | 54 iu | 8.1 iu | 11.02 iu | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Biotin | 14.51 µg | 2.18 µg | 2.96 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Folate, food | 49 µg | 7.35 µg | 10 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Tryptophan | 0.436 g | 0.07 g | 0.09 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Threonine | 0.709 g | 0.11 g | 0.14 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Isoleucine | 0.801 g | 0.12 g | 0.16 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Leucine | 1.371 g | 0.21 g | 0.28 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Lysine | 0.97 g | 0.15 g | 0.2 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Methionine | 0.588 g | 0.09 g | 0.12 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Cystine | 0.407 g | 0.06 g | 0.08 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Phenylalanine | 1.016 g | 0.15 g | 0.21 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Tyrosine | 0.563 g | 0.08 g | 0.11 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Valine | 0.95 g | 0.14 g | 0.19 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Arginine | 2.143 g | 0.32 g | 0.44 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Histidine | 0.531 g | 0.08 g | 0.11 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Alanine | 1.044 g | 0.16 g | 0.21 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Aspartic acid | 1.689 g | 0.25 g | 0.34 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Glutamic acid | 3.5 g | 0.53 g | 0.71 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Glycine | 0.943 g | 0.14 g | 0.19 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Proline | 0.776 g | 0.12 g | 0.16 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Serine | 1.049 g | 0.16 g | 0.21 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0.14 g | 0.02 g | 0.03 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.03 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| SFA 16:0 | 2.17 g | 0.33 g | 0.44 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| SFA 18:0 | 0.912 g | 0.14 g | 0.19 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| SFA 20:0 | 0.093 g | 0.01 g | 0.02 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| MUFA 18:1 | 2.203 g | 0.33 g | 0.45 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 | 5.835 g | 0.88 g | 1.19 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 | 17.83 g | 2.67 g | 3.64 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2511 | C |
| SFA 22:0 | 0.032 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| MUFA 14:1 | 0.03 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.029 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0.046 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2511 | C |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 2.309 g | 0.35 g | 0.47 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 23.665 g | 3.55 g | 4.83 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| SFA 15:0 | 0.03 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| SFA 17:0 | 0.063 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 n-6 c,c | 5.835 g | 0.88 g | 1.19 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| MUFA 17:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 n-3 c,c,c (ALA) | 17.83 g | 2.67 g | 3.64 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #170554 | C |
| Manganese | 7.558 mg | 1.13 mg | 1.54 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
| Niacin (B3, preformed) | 8.678 mg | 1.3 mg | 1.77 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA Foundation Foods) #2710819 | C |
Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.
Hazard rows as the dataset rates them
- Aflatoxins · Not rated yet · Not rated: no chia-specific aflatoxin figure exists in EFSA's 2020 occurrence tables, and CFIA has no chia aflatoxin survey. EFSA's unspecified 'other seeds' line (n 71, aflatoxin B1 mean 4.069 µg/kg at the lower bound, 4.621 at the upper bound, 72% left-censored) is not chia and is not used; linseed (n 175) is a different seed. · EFSA 2020 · C
- Aluminum · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's tolerable weekly intake for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight/week, 70,000 µg a week for 70 kg. Eaten alone, about 1,540 g of chia a week would reach it at the highest CFIA annual mean of 45.5 ppm (23,400 g at the lowest, 2.99). A 15.0 g serving every day is 105 g a week: 4,780 µg, 6.8% of the limit at 45.5 ppm and 41% at the single highest sample (273 ppm, 28.7 mg). Chia carries 37 to 78 times the aluminium of the three nuts in this family. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · A
- Cadmium · Nothing to watch: under the limit · A daily serving adds 0.77% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · A
- Choking risk under age 4 · Worth knowing · Health Canada: seeds are not safe for children younger than four years. Dry chia swells in liquid, which makes it a swallowing and obstruction concern for adults who take it dry; no agency statement on that was found. · Health Canada, Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants: Recommendations… · A
- Glyphosate residues · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's 2023 acceptable daily intake for glyphosate is 0.5 mg/kg body weight/day, 35,000 µg a day at 70 kg. The mean of 0.248 ppm covers positives only (2 of 9 samples), so the grams are a floor: about 141,000 g of chia a day would reach the limit. A 15.0 g serving at the highest positive mean is 3.7 µg, 0.01% of it. The two violations were of Canada's maximum residue limit, not of a health-based limit. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · A
- Lead · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: no safe limit is set for lead; EFSA's 2010 reference point is a benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL01) of 0.5 µg/kg body weight/day. Judged by what a serving adds to the average adult's intake of about 35 µg/day (EFSA 2012): 15 g at 27.3 µg/kg adds 0.41 µg, about 1.2%. The single highest sample (145 µg/kg) would give 2.2 µg in a serving, 6%. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · A
- Nickel · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's 2020 tolerable daily intake for nickel is 13 µg/kg body weight/day, 910 µg a day at 70 kg. Eaten alone, about 444 g of chia a day would reach it. A 15.0 g serving is 31 µg, 3.4% of the limit, and adds 14% to the adult background median of 3.16 µg/kg body weight/day (221 µg/day), 11-22% across the survey range. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · A
- Nickel for people who are sensitised · Worth knowing · Flagged for people with nickel contact allergy: EFSA's 2020 lowest-observed-adverse-effect level is 4.3 µg Ni/kg body weight (301 µg at 70 kg). A 15.0 g serving carries 31 µg, 0.44 µg/kg body weight, a margin of 9.8 to that level; EFSA treats a margin of 30 or more as low concern. About 147 g would reach the level, and 4.9 g would give a margin of 30. · EFSA 2020 · A
- Ochratoxin A · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: no safe limit is set for ochratoxin A; EFSA's 2020 reference point is a benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL10) of 14.5 µg/kg body weight/day (14,500 ng/kg body weight/day). A 15.0 g serving at the lower-bound mean of 0.07684 ng/g carries 1.15 ng, 0.0165 ng/kg body weight/day at 70 kg; the maximum sample (1.14 ng/g) would give 17 ng, 0.24 ng/kg body weight/day. The margin to the BMDL10 is about 880,000 at the mean. Chia is the one food in this family with a real ochratoxin signal in the CFIA survey (18 of 44 samples detected). · CFIA ochratoxin A survey (2012–2022) · A
- Oxalate for kidney-stone formers · Not rated yet · Not rated for calcium-oxalate stone formers: the only source is a patient-foundation list (one brand, no stated method). A 15.0 g serving carries 70.5 mg oxalate, a moderate portion by the list's bands (25-99 mg); 100 g would be in its very-high band. · Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation 2024 · B
- Pesticide residues · Context · Context only (pesticide residues are not scored): 4 positives in 146 screens, none flagged as violations except the two glyphosate results above. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · A
- Salmonella · Context · Context only, and about a different product: sprouted chia seed powder (dried, ground, sprouted seeds), not whole dry chia seed. No survey of Salmonella in whole chia was found; the 2012 Irish nut-and-seed survey (FSAI 10NS1) listed no chia sample among its top varieties. · PHAC 2014 · A
- Salmonella · Context · Shown as context, not rated: a single recall event on whole dry chia seed, not an occurrence rate. The CFIA recall notice of 2026-01-20 covered one lot of Left Coast Organics Organic Chia Seeds (900 g, best-before 26 NO 13 and 26 NO 14, sold in ON, AB, BC, MB, SK), Class 2, triggered by a recall in another country; no illnesses were reported. The CFIA said its food safety investigation may lead to other recalls. A US recall (Navitas Organics, January 2026) was seen in press snippets only. · CFIA 2026 · A
Oxalate, phytate and gut-tolerance measurements
- fodmap fructan: fructan plus galacto-oligosaccharides combined 0.36 ± 0.00 g/100 g dry matter (n 2) g/100 g dry matter (fructan + GOS) · dry matter · chia seeds as a raw material for crackers (the paper grinds chia in a coffee grinder below 500 µm before dough use; whether the assayed sample was ground is not stated) · grade A · Rados 2022
- oxalate total: 470 mg/100 g · not stated (list gives 'avg oxalate per 100 g') · chia seeds, one brand · grade B · Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation 2024
- phytate: Ins P6 1.5-2.6 g/100 g dry matter across 8 commercial chia samples from 7 Latin American countries (mean of the 8: 2.19) g phytate (InsP6)/100 g dry matter · dry matter · commercial chia seeds (sample preparation for assay not re-read) · grade A · Vera 2023
Sources
- CFIA, National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program, Annex B results summaries 2016-17 to 2022-23, Table B-1 domestic and B-2 imported (open.canada.ca datasets 95a14ca0, c87af563, a2ea8989, 9e5211c8, a5cb7c3c, 6567ac46, cf149850); positives-only means, no detection limits stated; pooled by us
cfia-ncrmp-annex-b-2016-2023· dataset · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright) - CFIA, Food Safety Action Plan Targeted Survey - Ochratoxin A in Selected Foods, 2012-2018 and 2019-2022
cfia-ota-2012-2022· dataset · Open Government Licence - Canada 2.0 (as for the other CFIA datasets; not checked on this page) - Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Left Coast Organics brand Organic Chia Seeds recalled due to Salmonella (recall notice, 2026-01-20)
cfia-recall-left-coast-chia-2026· secondary source · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright) - Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File 2026 (14th edition)
cnf-2026· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - EFSA (2020) Annexes to the risk assessment of aflatoxins in food, Annex B (occurrence tables), Zenodo · doi:10.5281/zenodo.3607186
efsa-2020-aflatoxins-annex· dataset · CC BY 4.0 - EFSA CONTAM Panel (2020). Update of the risk assessment of nickel in food and drinking water. EFSA Journal 18(11):6268 (PMC7643711) · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6268 · doi.org
efsa-2020-nickel· full text read · CC BY (EFSA Journal) - USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30
fdc-foundation-2026-04-30· dataset · CC0 1.0 (public domain) - USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2018-04
fdc-sr-legacy-2018-04· dataset · CC0 1.0 (public domain) - Health Canada, Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants: Recommendations from Six to 24 Months
hc-infant-nutrition-6-24-months· page · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright; not OGL) - Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation. Oxalate list (022724), 2024
ohf-oxalate-list-2024· full text read · copyright OHF - Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Health Notice: Outbreak of Salmonella infections related to sprouted chia seed powder (2014; investigation closed August 2014)
phac-2014-chia-salmonella· secondary source · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright) - Rados K, et al. High-fibre, low-FODMAP crackers (gluten-free formulations with chia, flax and pumpkin seed meal). Foods 2022;11(17):2577 · doi:10.3390/foods11172577
rados-2022-crackers· secondary source · CC BY 4.0 - Vera-Cespedes N, Munoz LA, Rincon MA, et al. Physico-Chemical and Nutritional Properties of Chia Seeds from Latin American Countries. Foods 2023;12(16):3013 · doi:10.3390/foods12163013 · PMID 37628012
vera-cespedes-2023-chia· secondary source · CC BY 4.0
Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.
The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.
The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.
Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.