Chia Pudding seems to be up for debate

[MrsNuggs]

I've read through many of the answers here and they range from a hard "no" to "eh, it's okay I guess". Can I can an official determination on this please? Thanks.

[ShannonM816]

Whenever something seems to be a gray area, it's really easiest just to avoid it for 30 days. You will not die due to lack of chia pudding.

Chia seeds -- and all nuts and seeds -- are a fat source. They are compliant, but should be limited to a small closed handful at a time, and preferably not eaten every day.  They are hard on the digestive system, causing issues for many people, plus they don't have a great omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.

Pudding is a dessert for most people, and dessert is not a thing you should really be having on Whole30. Chia pudding also seems to be a thing that people want  to eat for breakfast when they're tired of eggs, but we'd really recommend getting used to eating protein, vegetables, and fat at each meal, although nowhere does anything say breakfast needs to be eggs. Try salmon cakes or meatballs or leftovers or soup or stew or anything else you'd eat at any other time of day.

In short, it might be technically compliant, but it's really better to avoid it. Use your Whole30 to explore new and different recipes. Change your habits. See what happens.

[laura_juggles]

Cakes, cookies, and pastries are not allowed even when they're made with all compliant ingredients because they're still treats. Stands to reason that puddings, ice creams, or anything else that would be a sweet treat would also not be allowed. 

To follow the template and still have chia pudding, you would have, like, one spoonful of pudding alongside protein and veg. But even then, it's still recreating a pudding, which is a dessert, which is a no-go.