Chia seeds - where to find in Toronto?

[Samsara]

I'm trying to buy chia seeds and have looked in a Noah's, The Big Carrot, Whole Foods already but none seemed to carry it. If anybody knows a source in Toronto, preferably organic, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

[PookyP]

Bulk Barn in Mississauga (Argentia Rd) has chia seeds in bulk.

[gelaviola]

The Bulk Barn sells them.

[albanis]

They have organic seeds at Karma Co-op: www.karmacoop.org which is at Barton & Palmerston.

They also have them at Essence of Life in Kensington market and Strickly Bulk on Bloor but I am not sure if they're organic.

[tochipotle]

Also available in the basement of the SLM - the North side stall that sells rice/lentils etc.

[bonel]

i'm in toronto and i just order mine online because i can't find them in any of the shops. best deal i can find thus far is at www.thechiaseed.com/chia-seeds-in-can... because they don't charge any shipping rates and i can get a pound and a half at a time which lasts me basically through the month.

in response to the question about salba, i've done a ton of research and salba has just done some very clever marketing. there is no difference whatsoever between black chia seeds and white chia seeds...it is all aesthetic. hopefully this helps!

[Alacrity59]

Sprout Master in Elmvale Ontario is where I buy my organic seeds for sprouting. (Mostly red clover and alphalfa) www.sproutmaster.com

[troyellis]

Thanks for the info - since the company you order from is based in the US, do you pay any customs (or can you tell from package if it is mailed from Canada?)

[troyellis]

I was addressing this query to Bonel who had talked about thechiaseed company.

[mosport]

Baldwin Naturals - Organic Food Market (Baldwin @ McCaul) sells 341g tubs for $3.99. Grabbed a few during lunch today and they'll be re-stocking more later this week.

[troyellis]

Hey Mosport: Are the ones you get from Baldwin white or black chia?

[mosport]

Down to my last tub of chia so I went back for more. Baldwin used to sell white chia tubs for $3.99 but must've changed suppliers because it now costs $6.99 for black (organic) seeds. HTH

[Flexitarian]

White chia, called Salba, has been reported recently to be is the best choice, but I just don't know whether to believe it since it's only one study and funded by a company that markets the white chia (not to mention that other studies I found on the Internet show no difference between white and dark chia seed). In an article in The Globe & Mail called "There's more to chia than just growing pets" on Friday Nov 16, 2007, it is reported that Dr. Vladimir Vukasan, Associate Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto (and lead researcher on a University of Toronto study on Salba and published in the U.S. journal Diabetes Care) found that an analysis of common chia grains show that their nutrional profiles are inconsistent. One could be loaded with vitamins, minerals and omega-3 and the next could show virtually none. He found that Salba, a white chia grown in Peru by a Canadian company called Salba Nutrional Solutions, was more consistently nutrient-rich. (However Salba Nutrional Solutions sponsored the study, but I would hope that his post at St Michael's would cause him to be unbiased).

Does anyone have anything to add to this? Is Salba the only white chia available in Toronto? I don't think it's cheap, but I'd hate to eat the multicoloured chia if only the white has the best nutrional profile.

[torontogal]

You can get packages of organic Black Chia seeds at Ambrosia foods. This month the 500 gram packages are on sale for $8.22 (so about $8 a pound). This is about a quarter of the price of Salba, and in my opinion there is no difference that I've noticed, and I've tried white chia seeds, Salba brand and these black chia seeds. They are all the seed of Salvia Hispanica and nutritionally very similar.

[snoobie]

Costco now carries Chia Seeds under the name ChiaNutura by Webber Naturals. The container is 12.6 ounces and sells for $13. We found it as the Costco on Billy Bishop Way.... near the Allen Expressway. The seeds are black and white.... Hope this helps

[Flexitarian]

Yikes, I have a Costco account but didn't think they carried it and just bought a jar of 14 oz (400g) of 100% pure Chia seeds made by El Peto Products (packaged by www.elpeto.com out of Cambridge, Ontario) for $19!

[jeffs101]

Big Carrot sells chia seeds in their bulk food section.

[foodyDudey]

And the price for bulk chia seeds there is quite good, I think it was around $6/ lb

[jay9]

Salvia hispanica L. Seeds - may I suggest the difference between Chia and Salba to be like black and white sesame seeds .... I much prefer Chia after getting into them at the live juice bar in Lileo in the distillery district. These tiny seeds absorb 20 times their weight in water, and seem to live with many raw foodies. I read that they are more digestible when ground.
Recently the boys at the CHOCO STALL at the DUFFERIN GROVE FARMERS MARKET were selling big bags - likely from a certified source.

Also available at whole foods of course, and sold at Live resto on dupont in the Nijima brand.

I LOVE CHIA!

[troyellis]

Okay, so where is Dufferin Grove Market and Live resto exactly? And is the price better there than the Salba brand? Thanks a lot for your help!

[jayt90]

Thurs, 2-6PM

-----
Dufferin Grove Park
900 Dufferin St, Toronto, ON M6H, CA

[Helen]

I got them at Ambrosia, Doncaster Road. They've got black/white/ground and not ground.

I have them with yogurt.

[rogerjamescarney]

I know a place that will ship to Toronto called www.TheChiaSeed.com and they sell 1.5 pound bags of organically grown premium Chia Seeds for $20. So far they are the best overall company that I've bought chia from and I've tried a few. For any of you who are still wondering if Chia Seeds are worth trying, they definitely are. Besides all the stuff about them having tons of omega-3, calcium, antioxidants, protein, etc., you can pretty much feel the positive effects right away. They'll give you an energy boost, stave off cravings, and get you "going" in more ways than one and you can eat them in a variety of ways. On cereal, in salads, plain, mixed with water, baked into just about anything, and it's great because they don't really have a distinct flavor, so it's not intrusive in recipes. Anyway, hope this was helpful!

[troyellis]

To get it shipped to Toronto, how much duty did you have to pay? Isnt there a place in downtown TO where I can find Chia seeds? It seems everyone is selling only salba.

[wontonfm]

i'm pretty sure that i saw them in bukk at noahs on yonge south of bloor yesterday.

[troyellis]

Oh, I thought that was something else....Quinoa?? I will check again tomorrow. Thanks!

[chocabot]

Salba is also at Fiesta Farms and Superstore at Steeles and Dufferin

[chocabot]

i bought mine from whole foods on avenue rd but they are also at essence of life in kensington market.

[GFMom]

I found a difference in the chia vs. salba in my regularity and they say it depends on the soil its grown in and what they do with the plant part, not if they're black or white. I found good sales at Whole Foods when its in stock.

[DishyDiva]

Indeed, Chia seeds are Salba grains. Bulk Barn (at Leslie and Eastern Ave.) carries them -- but not in bulk. They're sold in pre-packaged bags for $20-something.

[cchrish]

Head back to the Big Carrot - I saw them today, middle aisle, about two thirds of the way up from the freezers on the right (if you are facing south...), near the canned beans and soups. They are sold out of Salba, but there were some plastic tubs of chia on the shelves. You might want to call them and have them put some aside for you - very popular these days...

[pancake]

what are they? I too am only familiar with chia from the infamous pets....

[cchrish]

They are, well, seeds... But they are supposed to be the best thing since water for your health (gobs and gobs of calcium and omega fatty acids etc...) I am eating two tablespoons of salba (somehow related to chia but I don't remember how - so much for helping with memory...) each morning with my breakfast (I mix it in peanut butter and spread it on toast) but I'm only doing it because it's got tons of fibre and fills me up until lunch thereby helping to stave off diet-unfriendly cravings for donuts.

[linus0880]

If you search on internet, you will find a lot of information. A lot of research done on Chia seed by U of T and St.Michael hosipital, also Arizona university. Salba is Canadian company, they select the white chia seed and commercially grow them and market it with high cost. Years ago, I bought Salba, it cost $25 to $30 for just 340gm. now I only use Chia seeds, nutrition is almost the same, not much diffrent to me from my experience. Now you can buy Chia seeds in some local health food store, it is not economical. I bought them in bulk 25 pounds at $12. per pound, it last me 6 months as I used them a lot for my entire family of 3, plus I make desert with chia. South America native people have been using Chia seed as stable food for over 5000 years.

[mgs]

You can find chia seeds at the Dufferin Grove organic market on Thursdays, I believe the brand is Nujima or something like that. They also sell whole cocao beans and other yummies...

mgs

[Samsara]

Great, thanks for the info. I actually do go to the Dufferin Grove market quite often. I didn't see chia seeds listed on Nujima's web site but today is Thursday anyway so I'll just check it out in person.

[remiteas]

i sell chia seeds here in the states and have sold to a company named el peto products in canada. check with them.

[laur76]

hey, you stole my reply ;)))

[Samsara]

haha, I knew somebody would say something like this. heard this comment already from family when I placed my order from an US online shop. but just FYI, chia seeds are supposed to be a very nutritious food, too. Google for more info if you are interested.

[TwinklyTerrapin]

...I always thought that chia seeds grew on pets...

[oohlala]

can't you buy chia pets and eat the seeds in there?