Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up
  1. Home
  2. Foods
  3. Grains
  4. Chia seeds
  5. Compare
  6. Chia seeds vs. Flax seeds

Chia seeds vs. Flax seeds — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

What are the main differences between chia seeds and flax seeds?

  • Chia seeds are richer in selenium, calcium, vitamin B3, phosphorus, fiber, and iron, yet flax seeds are richer in vitamin B1, copper, magnesium, and potassium.
  • Flax seeds' daily need coverage for vitamin B1 is 85% higher.
  • Chia seeds have 3 times more vitamin B3 than flax seeds. Chia seeds have 8.83mg of vitamin B3, while flax seeds have 3.08mg.

We used Seeds, chia seeds, dried and Seeds, flaxseed types in this comparison.

Infographic

Chia seeds vs Flax seeds infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 239% 189% 36% 290% 308% 125% 369% 2.1% 355% 301%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 280% 77% 72% 215% 407% 118% 275% 3.9% 324% 139%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +147.5%
Contains more IronIron +34.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +34%
Contains less SodiumSodium -46.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +117.3%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +17%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +99.8%
Contains more CopperCopper +32%
~equal in Zinc ~4.34mg
~equal in Manganese ~2.482mg

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 5.3% 0% 10% 0% 155% 39% 166% 0% 0% 0% 0% 37% 0%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 2% 0% 6.2% 0% 411% 37% 58% 59% 109% 0% 11% 65% 43%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +166.7%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +61.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +186.7%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +165.2%
Contains more FolateFolate +77.6%
~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.161mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Chia seeds Flax seeds DV% diff.
Vitamin B1 0.62mg 1.644mg 85%
Selenium 55.2µg 25.4µg 54%
Calcium 631mg 255mg 38%
Vitamin B3 8.83mg 3.08mg 36%
Vitamin B6 0.473mg 36%
Polyunsaturated fat 23.665g 28.73g 34%
Copper 0.924mg 1.22mg 33%
Phosphorus 860mg 642mg 31%
Fiber 34.4g 27.3g 28%
Iron 7.72mg 5.73mg 25%
Vitamin B5 0.985mg 20%
Fats 30.74g 42.16g 18%
Choline 78.7mg 14%
Magnesium 335mg 392mg 14%
Monounsaturated fat 2.309g 7.527g 13%
Potassium 407mg 813mg 12%
Folate 49µg 87µg 10%
Manganese 2.723mg 2.482mg 10%
Vitamin K 4.3µg 4%
Carbs 42.12g 28.88g 4%
Protein 16.54g 18.29g 4%
Saturated fat 3.33g 3.663g 2%
Calories 486kcal 534kcal 2%
Zinc 4.58mg 4.34mg 2%
Vitamin B2 0.17mg 0.161mg 1%
Vitamin E 0.5mg 0.31mg 1%
Sodium 16mg 30mg 1%
Vitamin C 1.6mg 0.6mg 1%
Net carbs 7.72g 1.58g N/A
Sugar 1.55g N/A
Trans fat 0.14g N/A
Tryptophan 0.436mg 0.297mg 0%
Threonine 0.709mg 0.766mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.801mg 0.896mg 0%
Leucine 1.371mg 1.235mg 0%
Lysine 0.97mg 0.862mg 0%
Methionine 0.588mg 0.37mg 0%
Phenylalanine 1.016mg 0.957mg 0%
Valine 0.95mg 1.072mg 0%
Histidine 0.531mg 0.472mg 0%
Omega-3 - ALA 17.83g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.007g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 5.835g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
17% 31% 42% 6% 5%
Protein: 16.54 g
Fats: 30.74 g
Carbs: 42.12 g
Water: 5.8 g
Other: 4.8 g
18% 42% 29% 7% 4%
Protein: 18.29 g
Fats: 42.16 g
Carbs: 28.88 g
Water: 6.96 g
Other: 3.71 g
Contains more CarbsCarbs +45.8%
Contains more OtherOther +29.4%
Contains more ProteinProtein +10.6%
Contains more FatsFats +37.2%
Contains more WaterWater +20%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
11% 8% 81%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.33 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 2.309 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 23.665 g
9% 19% 72%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.663 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 7.527 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 28.73 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +226%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +21.4%
~equal in Saturated fat ~3.663g

People also compare

Chia seeds
Chia seeds vs Safflower
Safflower
Chia seeds
Chia seeds vs Sesame
Sesame
Chia seeds
Chia seeds vs Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sesame
Sesame vs Oats
Oats
Flax seeds
Flax seeds vs Sesame
Sesame
Flax seeds
Flax seeds vs Oats
Oats

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Chia seeds - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170554/nutrients
  2. Flax seeds - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169414/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.