Chia Seeds vs Quinoa: Which Is Less Inflammatory?
Chia Seeds
Quinoa
Neither chia seeds nor quinoa is less inflammatory than the other, and their scores are identical. That is less of a surprise than it looks, since you eat both of them whole, coat included.
Chia is a third fibre by weight and holds the richest plant supply of omega-3 there is, although your body converts only a small share of it into the form oily fish delivers directly. Quinoa gives you the protein and the magnesium, in a portion big enough to build a meal around. On the plate they are not rivals at all: quinoa is the side dish, chia is the spoonful you stir into yoghurt or a glass. Always put chia into liquid first, because it swells on the way down and can lodge in your throat.
Side by side
| Chia Seeds | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation Score | Low · 2/10 | Low · 2/10 |
| Category | Nuts & Seeds | Grains |
| Serving size | 2 tbsp dry (28 g) | 1 cup cooked (185 g) |
| Key nutrients | Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Soluble fibre (mucilage), Chlorogenic acid, Calcium | Complete protein (lysine), Magnesium, Quercetin, Insoluble fibre |
| How often | Daily, one to two tablespoons soaked in liquid | Most days, a cup cooked, in place of a refined grain |
On the AIP diet
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are not allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol. The elimination phase takes out every nut and seed. That stings if you bake, because chia is the standard stand-in for eggs outside the protocol, and on AIP the eggs are gone too. The job falls to gelatin, mashed banana or pureed pumpkin instead. Seeds are not a long wait: they come back early in the reintroduction, and chia is a reasonable one to test first.
Quinoa
Quinoa is not allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol. Being a seed rather than a cereal sounds like it should get through a protocol built around grains, and it does not: AIP takes out seeds as well, and the saponins in quinoa's coat are exactly the plant defence the elimination phase clears out. The wait is shorter than for bread, because seeds come back early. Meanwhile cauliflower rice is the usual stand-in.
What each one brings
Chia Seeds
- The richest plant source of omega-3 by weight, though in a form the body only partly converts
- A third of the seed is fibre, and most of it sets into a gel that slows a meal down
- Whole seeds work: unlike flaxseed, chia does not need grinding
- Two tablespoons carry about as much calcium as half a glass of milk
Quinoa
- A seed rather than a cereal, so it brings protein and minerals, not mostly starch
- Carries a full set of the amino acids the body cannot build, which few plants manage
- Gluten free in the seed itself, not because of anything done to it afterwards
- You eat the whole seed, so the magnesium, fibre and antioxidants in the coat stay
Watch out for
Chia Seeds
- The omega-3 is the plant form, and little of it becomes what oily fish gives
- Swallowed dry it swells and can lodge in the throat, so put it in liquid first
- A big jump in fibre brings bloating and cramps for a week or two
- Around 140 calories in two tablespoons, easy to miss by the spoonful
Quinoa
- The coat carries bitter saponins, so an unrinsed bag tastes faintly of soap
- Still a starchy side, and it is easy to serve a bowlful as though it were salad
- About 220 calories in a cooked cup, more than the same volume of vegetables
- Carries phytic acid, which holds on to part of the iron and zinc in the meal
Get the inflammation score of any meal
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