How to Use Chia & Flax Seeds for Weight Loss (Ratios & Recipes)

This is exactly when, how, and why to use chia seeds and flax seeds for weight loss. Plus 5 simple and delicious recipes to get you started.

How Chia and Flax Seeds Help You Lose Weight

Chia seeds and flax seeds can both help you lose weight because they make you feel full. This naturally lowers your intake of sugary food items that work against your goals. Certain fibers in chia and flax seeds can also be uniquely beneficial for decreasing visceral fat (the dangerous fat stored around the organs in your belly). Here’s how it works.

Soluble Fiber and Satiety

Chia and flax seeds are both high in soluble fiber. This is the type of fiber that absorbs water and swells up. When chia and flax seeds enter your GI tract, it takes up a lot of space and stretches out the stomach. This stretching sends a rapid signal to the brain that you’re full and you don’t need to keep eating.

Soluble fiber also has a unique perk of helping to reduce visceral fat by slowing down carbohydrate absorption and decreasing insulin spikes. This is why people like Pat, pictured below, found that adding high fiber foods like chia seeds helped to accelerate his fat loss (and specifically visceral fat loss) journey.

Get the full list of 22 high protein and high fiber foods for fat loss here.

Chia vs. Flax: Key Nutritional Differences

Although they are both seeds, chia and flax are slightly different.

• Chia seeds have more total fiber.
• Flax seeds have more soluble fiber.
• Flax seeds are slightly higher in omega-3 fats.

Regardless, both chia seeds and flax seeds are a great source of soluble fiber, so it comes down to personal preference. Flax seeds tend to have a bit more of a “fishy” smell and taste whereas chia seeds are neutral, but slightly more expensive. Both are great choices for getting more soluble fiber and supporting a sustainable fat loss goal.

Whole vs. Ground: How to Prepare Your Seeds

How you prepare your flax or chia seeds matters to prevent GI issues and allow full absorption of nutrients.

Why You Should Always Grind Your Flax Seeds

Flax seeds have a tough outer shell which makes accessing the nutrients nearly impossible unless it’s ground first. Soaking flax seeds can make it easier to digest, but it doesn’t break down the shell.

Here’s how to properly prepare flax seeds:

• Start with whole (not pre-ground) flax seeds. Pre-ground seeds easily oxidize and go rancid.
• When ready to use, throw the flax seeds into an herb grinder and pulse for a few seconds until a powder forms.
• Optional additional step: soak it in warm water for 30 seconds (1:3 ratio of flax seeds to warm water).

Soaked vs. Raw Chia Seeds

Chia seeds have a softer outer shell, so you can get by soaking or grinding (or both!). Just never use completely raw chia seeds (meaning no soaking or grinding), as this will pass through your GI tract without actually being used.

Here’s how to properly prepare chia seeds (just choose 1 method):

• soak it in warm water for 30 seconds (1:3 ratio of chia seeds to warm water)
• grind it in a coffee grinder
• blend it in a high powered blender (such as in a protein smoothie)

Just like with flax seeds, it’s important to only buy whole chia seeds and not ground. This protects the omega-3 fats from becoming rancid over time.

Best Time to Eat Chia and Flax Seeds for Weight Loss

The best time to eat chia seeds or flax seeds for weight loss is with a high protein meal, never as a snack. Adding chia or flax to a meal helps you feel fuller longer and prevent snacking better than if you just had it on its own.

Morning vs. Evening: Optimizing Satiety and Blood Sugar Control

Ideally, chia seeds and flax seeds should be used in breakfast or lunch meals. This helps to prevent hunger and stabilize blood sugar levels early in the day, which can lead to much less snacking and cravings in the afternoon.

Should You Drink or Eat Your Seeds Pre-Workout?

Typically it’s better to not have chia seeds or flax seeds (or any other high fiber or high fat food) before a workout. This will slow digestion which can lead to stomach upset or nausea while training. Aim to have chia or flax seeds in a post-workout meal instead.

5 Ways to Eat Chia and Flax Seeds Daily

Here are 5 easy and delicious ways to add chia seeds or flax seeds to your daily routine.

High Protein Chia Pudding

Chia seeds don’t have much protein on their own. By mixing it with greek yogurt and whey isolate protein powder, you can easily load up with 35-50 grams of protein to help reduce hunger and prioritize fat burning while losing weight.

Try this delicious Tropical Lemon Protein Chia Pudding recipe.

Fiber-Boosted Smoothies & Protein Shakes

This is the easiest way to sneak in chia seeds and flax seeds. Just pour two tablespoons of either into your favorite protein shake and blend it up! If you don’t have a high powered blender (like a Vitamix) then you’ll probably want to grind the seeds (especially flax seeds) in an herb grinder first.

Try this Blueberry Pie Protein Smoothie recipe.

High Protein Overnight Oats

You can cut down on the carbs of regular overnight oats by subbing out some of the oatmeal with chia seeds or flax seeds. The final result is much higher in fiber and more filling. Just make sure it has protein, too!

Try my viral High Protein Overnight Oats recipe.

Flax Bread

You can quickly whip up a low carb, healthy bread by using ground flax seeds as the base. It’s surprisingly easy and great for sandwiches.

Try my Homemade Flaxseed Bread recipe.

Low Carb Oatmeal

Swapping out oats for a mixture of chia seeds and flax seeds in a low carb oatmeal is a great option if you’re insulin resistant or carb sensitive. This provides a similar warm oatmeal experience but with much more fiber and way less carbs.

Try this Warm Blueberry Low Carb “Oatmeal” recipe.

Daily Serving Sizes and Potential Side Effects

When using chia seeds or flax seeds, it’s best to stick to 1-3 tablespoons per serving with a meal. This amount will give you a great boost of healthy fats and fiber to help reduce hunger.

How to Avoid Bloating and Digestive Upset

Eating more fiber in general can increase the risk of bloating. If you’re not used to eating very much fiber, slowly increase your intake over the course of a few weeks.

Here’s how you can slowly increase chia or flax seeds:

• Start with one tablespoon in your breakfast.
• After 3 days, increase it to two tablespoons at breakfast.
• After 3 more days, feel free to increase it to three tablespoons, or keep it at two.

Why Fluid Intake Is Critical When Increasing Fiber

The type of fiber in chia and flax seeds absorbs a lot of water. Not drinking enough fluids can lead to severe constipation. Make sure to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily to help prevent this issue.

For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 75 ounces of water per day.

FAQ’s

Final Thoughts

Both chia seeds and flax seeds are excellent low carb high fiber foods to help reduce hunger and support a sustainable fat loss goal. Just make sure to properly prepare them (grind and/or soak) and always eat with enough protein for the best weight loss perks.

If you’re looking for an easy to follow meal plan that puts everything together for you, check out our bestselling Body Recomposition Program. It has over 50 protein and fiber-packed recipes, plus 6 weeks of meal planning to help support natural and sustainable weight loss progress. It’s science-backed and loved used by thousands of men and women around the world.

Studies

Chia Seeds Reduce Waist Circumference, But Not Weight