Chia Vs Flax – Chia Bia

One question we are often asked is ‘what is the difference between chia and flax?’

Although both are high in OMEGA 3, chia has a number of unique properties that we think makes it the best all-rounder seed of choice:

Here’s why:

Chia has a soft shell, flax has a hard shell meaning that you need to grind flax down for your body to absorb its nutrients, whereas there’s no need to grind chia, your body can easily absorb its nutrients.
Chia is hydrophilic, meaning it absorbs liquid helping you to feel fuller for longer, aiding you to loose weight.
Chia prolongs hydration and helps give you more sustained energy thanks to its hydrophilic qualities.
Chia is full of natural antioxidants whereas flax has very little.
The delicate fatty acids in flax deteriorate quickly once ground so you need to keep it refrigerated and even still, it only lasts a short while. Chia has a shelf life in excess of 3 years as the hard shell and antioxidants protect the fatty acids.
You can bake with chia at temperatures up to 180°C, you can’t bake with flax as it destroys the nutrients.
Chia has a slow carbohydrate-to-blood-sugar conversion rate. This helps to control blood sugar levels, diminishing sugar peaks and troughs and helping to manage type 2 diabetes.
Chia has a slow carbohydrate-to-blood-sugar conversion rate. This helps to control blood sugar levels, diminishing sugar peaks and troughs and helping to manage type 2 diabetes.
Chia has little or no taste whereas flax has a very distinct taste that some people do not like.

So which would you choose??