Categories: Camp Tips

Why Chia Seeds Make the Ultimate Backpacking Superfood

formulatehealth, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Chia seeds offer extensive value for the lightweight backpacker. Here’s why:

Tiny and lightweight with a storage life of up to 5 years.
Require no cooking. Chia seeds are great for making cold-soaked pudding, cereal, or smoothies.
Chia Seed High Energy Content: 140 Calories per 1.0 oz (28.35 g) or 2 TB.
Have a good nutrient profile with omega-3 fat, dietary fiber, phosphorus, and calcium.
Maintain hydration: their ability to absorb water helps maintain hydration during intense physical activities.

Photo credit: formulatehealth, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

How to Eat Chia

You can eat chia seeds by cold soaking them in water, sprinkling them on oats and other meals, or sprouting them. To hydrate the seeds to make a pudding, add 1 part chia to 4 parts water and rest for 10 minutes. The seeds will soften and form a gel-like consistency after soaking in water.

Chia seed pudding with dried cranberries, candied ginger, and shredded coconut

Chia is a Hiking Superfood

flickr.com/gardenbeth

Thanks to the popularity of the sprouted “Chia Pet” clay planter, many of us are familiar with chia. But chia seed deserves a reputation as a superfood rather than a lowly sprouted window ornament.

Chia seeds are tiny (about 1-2 mm) and packed with vital nutrients that offer continuous energy. The seeds are extremely rich in omega-3 fatty acids (approximately 64% of the oil) and have the highest antioxidant activity of any whole food known today. Chia helps to build muscle and tissue, prolong endurance, and provide extensive hydration due to its ability to absorb more than 12 times its weight in water. In fact, chia seeds were among the primary foods the Aztecs used for long-distance hiking.

Chia seeds are gelatinous, forming an easily assimilable saccharide gel when exposed to water. This characteristic benefits hikers by slowing digestion, providing an extended energy release. Some hikers report feeling a gentle “energy rush” from chia, unlike the jittery effect after energy drinks, caffeine, and supplements.

Storing Chia Seeds

Chia seeds can be stored for up to 5 years if kept dry and at room temperature. Due to the high level of antioxidants in chia, the seed will not turn rancid like other fatty seeds (such as flaxseed), lose flavor, or degrade in nutritional content. Clearly, chia seed serves as a powerful raw survival food.

Chia Seed in Trail Meals

Chia has a mild flavor, making it suitable to add to dishes without altering the taste. Sprinkle seeds on breakfast cereals or thicken liquids, shakes, puddings, soups, and sauces. Outdoor Herbivore offers several no-cook chia seed meals.

Pictured: Chia Oat Crunch, a breakfast cereal with soaked oats and chia with chunky flavors of organic banana, walnuts, and sunflower seed.

Chia oatmeal in a meal pouch

Chia Calcium Claims

Many websites claim chia has 3-5 times the calcium of milk, it does not. Nonetheless, chia is a good source of calcium.

Comparison of Chia Seed to Whole Powdered Cow’s Milk (1 Oz)

Source of Data: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
NDB No: 12006

Chia seeds for Backpacking

Few raw foods contain the same amount of energy and nutrient content by weight as the chia seed. Try them for your next backpacking trip. They’ve become one of Outdoor Herbivore’s favorite backpacking food staples.

Outdoor Herbivore

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View Comments

sam anto says:

February 27 at 2:27 AM

Rosemary is the natural superfood that helps to reduce the symptoms of gout.
Misa says:

July 3 at 6:57 AM

Thanks for the article very helpful. I have a question of using green or ripe bananas.
Christine Jacobs says:

July 19 at 12:07 AM

Technically speaking chia seeds is slightly good than milk in some nutritional factors. I love chia seeds and i am using it now.
Kendal wethington says:

October 16 at 3:42 AM

I saw someone put chia seeds in their gallon of milk and would drink it throughout the day. That sounds like too much seeds and dairy to me.