Shocking case of young man left with blocked food pipe after eating common superfood

Whether it's dark leafy greens, kefir yogurt or quinoa, we're all aware of the different types of superfoods that we're now being told to add to our diets.

However, anyone who's planning on swapping out their sugary snacks for these organic alternatives may want to check the label before shoving them down their gullet - or risk facing unpleasant alternatives.

This exact scenario happened to one man who heard that adding chia seeds to his diet provided extra benefits and decided to swallow a tablespoon of the tiny seeds before knocking back a glass of water.

Seems pretty healthy, right? After all, how much damage can a bunch of tiny seeds which are high in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, do to the body?

Chia seeds: pretty small and harmless, right? (Getty Stock Image)

Well, it turns out they can have some pretty unfortunate side effects.

Shortly after adopting this new this new diet, the unnamed man was left with the inability to swallow anything - including his own saliva - and headed to the hospital to seek emergency treatment.

What doctors found in his oesophagus was a monstrous, gel-like mass lodged in there.

The blockage was caused by the chia seeds, which had absorbed the water. Chia seeds are able to absorb 'up to 12 times their weight' when exposed to a liquid (via Healthline). This meant the water the man drank immediately after had reacted with the seeds to cause this thick paste.

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"It got to be this sort of almost Play-Doh-like consistency, very hard in terms of a liquid but also sort of soft," Dr Rebecca Rawl, the doctor who helped treat the patient, told Time.

In order to remove the seeds, Dr Rawl and her team had to use a tiny endoscope to break apart the blockage.

The case was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology in 2014.

Not for one man, who was left with a block age after consuming the seeds dry (American College of Gastroenterology)

But don't rush to bin off all of your chia seeds all at once, as the superfood is perfectly safe to eat if consumed correctly.

What is the best way to consume chia seeds?

Given that chia seeds rapidly expand after being exposed to a liquid, the best way to consume them is to first allow for this reaction to be completed.

Popular ways to enjoy chia seeds include adding them to meals such as yogurts, porridge and smoothies, which allows the seeds to expand in the liquid in the bowl - and not your stomach.

Chia seed pudding is another popular method, which sees people combine the seeds with milk and a variety of toppings before refrigerating.

You don't even need to leave your chia in the fridge overnight either, with the seeds needing as little as 10 to 20 minutes to soak.