I think the benefits of chia seeds are pretty well documented, especially in the running community.

Read: Why Consume Chia? on The RUNiverse

I was given the opportunity to try Drink Chia! and was very excited to do so. While some people may cringe at the idea of drinking something with little seeds floating around in it… it is actually really good. (Fan of boba? Just think of them as tiny boba!)

The company prides itself on both what is in the drink and what isn’t.

What’s inside:

• Omega-3’s
• Antioxidants
• B-Complex vitamins
• 40 calories
• Natural and organic ingredients

What’s not inside:

• Caffeine
• Sodium
• Cholesterol
• Gluten
• Fish oil

The bottles are shelf-stable for 6 months, but I’d definitely prefer drinking it cold as it is more refreshing that way. Before drinking the only instruction is to “Shake it, Baby!”, just to make sure you have the seeds all evenly distributed throughout.

I like to have a little bit of fuel in me if I’m running first thing in the morning, but nothing too heavy… especially if I’m only running 2-3 miles. My dietitian has encouraged me to drink a half cup of juice or something like that, but lately I’ve been trying a bottle of Drink Chia! before runs and that has worked well to give me that little boost to keep my blood sugar from crashing without requiring long digestion time.

The gel action the chia seed does when in liquid helps to slow down digestion and ease the digestion process, as well as helps prevent blood sugar spikes and retain hydration… all things that come in handy on a run!

Currently there are 4 flavors:

• Mango-Tangerine
• Honeysuckle Pear
• Strawberry Citrus
• “B” Meyer Lemon

I like all of them, but if I had to pick a favorite it would probably be the Mango Tangerine. But choosing is honestly kind of hard, they’re all excellent. Lightly sweet, not cloying at all.

You can order it via their website or from other online retailers. It looks like there are a lot of stores in Florida that are stocking it on the shelves. And as of this blog post, they have a sample pack you can order – get all 4 flavors for only $2.95 + shipping.

I looked on Amazon and put my name on the list to be notified when they have it in stock… I’d love to be able to order this via Subscribe and Save! I look forward to being able to test using this as part of my pre-run fueling when I’m no longer slow and pregnant!