Monday, October 10, 2011

Not so almighty chia seed

Hey everybody. I discovered a little something and thought I should share with the group. You all know I have been fighting a tummy bug for the past week or two. (TMI warning) It began with a severe stomach ache...it felt like I drank battery acid....it burned horribly bad and caused extreme lower back spasms. Then came the vomiting followed by severe diarreah. This went on for a few days every time I ate anything at all. Between meals, I was fine. After few days of that, I was able to keep some foods down but not always. I figured I needed to get back on my regular diet as soon as possible to combat the diarreah. I kept trying different foods until gradually the diarreah stopped and I was tolerating more foods. I was concerned about going the other way and getting constipated so I figured chia pudding is really bland and should be fine on my tummy as well as prevent constipation. I began eating my normal dose of chia seed pudding as a snack. Everytime I ate them my severe tummy ache would come back a few hours later. So I tried eating them with other food....some pulled pork, cheese etc. It didn't work and I still got so ill that I was back to vomiting. Then today I tried just doing a half dose 2T of chia seeds in my pudding. No dice. I got violently ill again. After that, I googled chia seeds and stomach pain. I found dozens of articles where people complain of severe stomach pain after eating chia seeds. It can occur spontaneously after having been fine with them for some time. Usually the pain occurs 2 to3 hours after eating them.

For now, I am going to pass on the chia seeds and get my fiber from other sources while my digestive sytstem heals, I suspect that it has more to do with the tummy bug making my system tender rather than the chia but I will be super careful if and when I try to take them again. This experience has been pretty awful and I will be glad when my tummy is better for good. Has anyone else had a problem??

FYI...the only thing that never makes my belly hurt is the frosty berry smoothie. It makes my burning belly feel better and is my goto for when I am sick.

26 comments:

  1. crazy about the chia seeds, I hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Hmmm that's great that you figured that out. My chia seeds say to refrigerate after opening. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Try the coconut bread. Feel better. :-)

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  3. Oh bummer! That is super crazy about the chia seeds. Get better soon!

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  4. Sorry to hear the Chia seeds but glad you found out what might be causing you the problems. Hope you are on the mend.

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  5. I hope your tummy is better. I'm glad you figured out the chia was bothering you.

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  6. Just wanted to let you know that I had the same experience. I caught a tummy bug that was going around, and then had horrid pain for about 3 weeks. I had already been eating 2T of chia seeds every morning before I got the flu, but for some reason after that I couldn't handle them any more. The pain for debilitating at times! And it always seemed to happen at the same time (probably about when it would hit my small intestine). I am really bummed, because before that happened I felt they really had tons of health benefits. But I had no life with all that pain.

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  7. Just found your blogg. I have also been eating chia seeds for a week or two in my morning shake and greek yogurt. For the last 24hrs I have had incredible belly pain to the point I stayed home sick today...I can't help but think that the chia seeds maybe the reason!! My digestive tract feels tender to the point it's uncomfortable to walk around. I wish I knew for sure the cause?

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  8. I have been having the same shake for years for breakfast every day. But if I toss in any small amount of chia seeds, I get nauseated and have stomach pain almost immediately after the first sip. I'm trying to google why that happens and if there's anything I can do to alleviate. Maybe refrigeration, been keeping them in the cupboard with the rest of my supplements. Tried again today and exact same thing. I'll have to stick to just spinach, carrots and blueberries on top of my protein powder. Oh, and try moringa leaves if you haven't. Great energy boost and medicinal properties.

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  9. I'm actually suffering severe stomach pain from chia seeds as I type this. It's my second bout of this pain in the last 5 days, it's a sensation I haven't experienced in MANY YEARS, and the previous bout, just like this one, set in a few hours after I had chia seeds on my morning cereal. I had never tried chia seeds before so pretty obvious this is the problem. WebMD mentions few known side effects, but that's because this product hasn't been thoroughly tested. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It has not been sufficiently tested and is therefore not safe. Woe is me. If you are going to try it in spite of all the people who are reporting stomach pain, I suggest starting with a much smaller dose than whatever your product recommends. Mine recommended 3 tablespoons and did not suggest starting with a lower dose. FAR too much and poor labeling.

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    1. Amen. Wish I knew this before my first attack last week. Done with chia seeds. But how long will the pain last???

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    2. I'm having abdominal pain. I had some chia seeds with granola and yogurt. It was the bottom of the bag,so a lot of seeds. Had abdominal pain soon after. Now almost 24 hours later, still suffering and feel nauseous. How long will this stay in my system?

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  10. Amendment to my post above...
    According to a chia website, stomach pain is most likely cause by not consuming enough water with chia seeds. The seeds soak up a large amount of fluid once in the stomach, so if you don't drink a glass of water along with the seeds, there is a good chance the seeds will suck your stomach dry and cause painful digestive issues. Makes sense.

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  11. Glad you posted this! I have been using chia seeds for a few weeks now and the last 3 days I have been in so much pain. I have been making green juices and adding just 1 tlbs to the drink. I think I will give it a rest.

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  12. I also tried Chia seeds recently. I was not sick prior, and it was only a teaspoon. I drank plenty of water. Two hours later I had severe stomach pain and was rocking back and forth sweating and talking myself through it. I thought maybe it was a flu or something I ate. I tried it again a couple days later, and once again, I feel it coming on. It starts with a bubbling feeling in my stomach and then progresses to the severe pain. I am actually pretty pissed off that companies selling this product don't put some type of warning about the hell one might encounter when consuming chia. I have definitely narrowed it down to that being the cause. No more for me! I hope you find something with more benefits and less side effects, I know I'll be searching.

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  13. Wow after reading this I am going to dump my chia seeds. I have IBS which is painful enough as it is. I had made my own muesli with quinoa flakes a small amount of chia and gojii berries. I also added some raisins, cranberries and some whole almonds. Good healthy breakfast you'd think. Three tablespoons of this with soya milk and I can't bend down because the pain is so bad in my intestine. I can't do any yoga poses which require doubling up because my intestine is in the way. Chis seeds are obviously not for people with sensitive stomachs or intestines

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  14. WHOA!! hold on everybody! 2table spoons is WAY too much at once!! it expands when it gets wet aswell so like someone said you need alot of water with it! ive read many other site posts and ONLY ones with takeing 2t at once are complaining of pain!! your stomach cant handle all the protien and nutrients at once!(chias has a mas load GREAT of stuff in it!) most ppl only take 12t to 1t AT MOST! its seriously good stuff and veryone should try to get some in their diet a little at a time!

    i researched it ALOT(as anything EVER taken should be researched FIRST BEFORE INGESTION!! COULD BE EATING POISON CASUE ONE PERSON TOLD YOU TO) and have been using actually FOR stomach pains when i get diahria and vomiting. at the correct measurment it works really well. native americans have been using for hundreds of years.

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    1. I have been using 1 tbs with no problems until recently. Maybe I will cut down to 1 tsp and see if I still get pains. Will let ya know.

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  15. I was occasionally putting chia seeds (~ teaspoon) in fruit juice to then add to my yogurt. Even though I drink plenty of water and the seeds are hydrated by the time I eat them, they make me very nauseated. I guess some people are just sensitive them for some reason.

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  16. Found this when I googled "nauseous from chia?"...guess no more for me! only put 1 tsp in my smoothie..bummed!

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  17. THANK YOU!! Have been violently ill twice now and finally figured out this is the problem. I totally overdosed on them and learned the hard way. :(

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  18. I have been eating Chia seeds for a couple of months and didn't have any problems until last week when I added them into my morning smoothie (1 TBS). My stomach hurt within 15 minutes and lasted several hours. The pain almost doubled me over. No diarrhea, only belching and nausea. This morning I added them to my lunch and the same thing! Horrible pain almost immediately. I drink tons of water! I am afraid to try them again to see if they are the actual cause after reading all the post.

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  19. Had a protein shake with a teaspoon of chia seeds one hour ago. Almost immediately, I started having severe abdominal pain and nausea. It's starting to subside..I was lying on the floor sweating from the pain. Still so nauseous as I write this! ..

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  20. Had a stomach ache in the night that woke me up and it still hurts now at noon the next day. I put 2 tsp. of soaked chia seeds in my oatmeal about noon yesterday (having temporarily forgotten the stomach ache that I suspected they gave me months ago, when I last ingested them). I won't forget this time, the chia seeds are going out in the trash! I am happy for those people who can tolerate them well and enjoy the health benefits, but I am apparently not one of those people.

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  21. I'm so glad I found this post, I had 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a yogurt 3 nights ago and I'm still suffering from stomach cramps, they were the only change in my diet for a week, so I know it's the seeds, no more seeds for me

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  22. Glad there’s others out there to commiserate about chia seeds causing stomach pain and nausea. I ate chia seed pudding this week and my stomach is irritated as heck! I love chia seed pudding, but it doesn’t love me back.

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  23. I was relieved to find your post on this (and a few others online) to help explain my severe reaction to chia seeds. It began for me in 2014 and it took me weeks to figure out what it was. I first thought stomach flu but quickly ruled that out with the odd reoccurrences. My chia seed reaction is severe and it can be the smallest amount... from one sip of a smoothie or the dressing on a salad to one chip or slice of bread. If there are chia seeds in anything, I am toast about 2-3 hours after consumption.

    Sadly, it still happens every once in awhile after nearly 10 years because I get complacent and miss checking the back of the package or I forget to ask at a restaurant. I developed the violent reaction at the age of 42 and have never had any other allergies of any kind.

    The nausea is my first clear sign which is quickly followed by severe vomiting, stomach pain, the chills, and finally major diarrhea. It lasts for two to four hours and sleeping it off is the only solution, as I become very shaky and weak. It's like clockwork and no matter how many times it happens, there is no reprieve once those damn seeds are in my system.

    I hope my experience helps someone else out there who may have the same reaction to chia seeds. (p.s. I can eat mint no problem, I grew up on Mum's fresh mint sauce... so it's a mystery...but chia seeds are no bueno for me.)

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