Vegan Omega 3 DHA/EPA

[miniboes]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I went to see a dietitian at the request of my parents to see if my diet gets me all the nutrients I need. She concluded the diet is very healthy, but omega 3 fatty acids might be a problem. She said although ALA can be found in seeds like flax, EPA and DHA cannot. The conversion from ALA to EPA and DHA in our bodies does not seem to be sufficient. I saw some algae derived supplements, but those are very expensive. How do you guys deal with the omega 3 problem?

[TheVeganAtheist]

to be safe I supplement with: Nuique Omega 3 EPA/DHA.
There are also oils in health food stores that contain both, however I found that the oils spoil faster then I can consume it.

[PrincessPeach]

Flax seed milk all the way!! It takes 15minutes to make & tastes great..
Seeds contain the most omega's
I start my day with a glass of flax seed milk and I always add 3 tablespoons of my signature chia/hemp/buckwheat blend to my oatmeal every day!
I used to eat 3 tablespoons of hempseeds a day but I found that was getting to be to much $$$ so I now buy a bag of organic hempseeds a bag of chia seeds (black or white) and buckwheat (grains?) .... You must soak the seeds for about 10 minutes in water for optimal nutrient absorption.. Also you must soak the flax seeds as well for at least 15mins the longer the better they will absorb all the water... Trust me

Flax seed has more omega 3 than anything else period.
Hemp seed contains the perfect balance of omega 3 6 7 & 9 ...
Chia seeds expand in your stomach about 12x so they are great for people who are trying to lose weight + a power house full of antioxidants and minerals...

And you can also purchase this!!
http://www.iherb.com/Garden-of-Life-Kin ... 0-ml/58127

[brimstoneSalad]

Conversion of ALA to DHA and EPA is good as long as you don't eat much Omega 6.

If your overall dietary omega 3:6 ratio is high, you don't need to supplement DHA and EPA. 1:1 is considered great. 3:1 is also good. 4:1 is acceptable. Past that, I'd say supplement DHA/EPA.

Yes, they're expensive. Best cost savings: Cut back on Omega 6 fats and eat more Omega 3 to get your ratio in-line for decent conversion efficiency.

[miniboes]

If your overall dietary omega 3:6 ratio is high, you don't need to supplement DHA and EPA. 1:1 is considered great. 3:1 is also good. 4:1 is acceptable. Past that, I'd say supplement DHA/EPA.

Thanks, I can get my ratio measured with a blood test right?

[EquALLity]

Do you need DHA and EPA? I didn't know type mattered.

[miniboes]

Do you need DHA and EPA?

Yep.

[EquALLity]

Yep.

Everywhere I look says you can only get them from fish (or for one seaweed or something).

One place says that bodies can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, but that for DHA, you need to have a lot of ALA to do so, and that too much ALA is bad for the eyes.

Is there anything I could do other than supplement?

[PrincessPeach]

Everywhere I look says you can only get them from fish (or for one seaweed or something).

One place says that bodies can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, but that for DHA, you need to have a lot of ALA to do so, and that too much ALA is bad for the eyes.

Is there anything I could do other than supplement?

Yes there is it's called drinking flax seed milk !!

Let's understand what ALA, EPA and DHA really are...

There are two diiferent types of polyunsaturated fats Omega 3 and Omega 6
Polyunsaturated fats are called EFA's (essentail fatty acids) because our bodies can not create them on our own.
ALA is Alpha linolenic acid or otherwise know as OMEGA 3.
Linoleic Acid is OMEGA 6.

Omega 3 play's the role of anti-inflammatory and omega 6 inflammatory...

Clearly we want to have more anti-inflammatory cells than inflammatory cells to maintain balance.

Our bodies convert ALA into EPA and DHA in small amounts .
Studies will say that fish eaters have higher rates of DHA and EPA in there blood but if you look
the conversion rate of vegan's and veggie's from ala to epa and dha is higher than the conversion rate of fish eaters even though
it may show that they have higher amounts of dha/epa in there blood does not mean that their bodies convereted the ALA properly.
MIND BLOWING.

Now there is,

Omega 9 monounsaturated fat OLEIC ACID

Omega 9 is not an EFA because our bodies do make omega 9 but in small amounts.

Omega 9 helps us absorb omega 3 and omega 6, with out enough omega 9 you will not absorb all of the omega 3 or omega 6's!

Now here is the tricky part ever seen on cooking oil labels
"HIGH OLELIC"
or
"HIGH HEAT"

that means that these oils are high in :drum roll:

Omega 9 or monounsaturated fats

the higher the amount of omega 9 an oil has the higher the "SMOKE POINT" AKA the temp. at which the oil will "HYDROGENATE"

when an oil "HYDROGENATES" it turns into a TRANS FATTY ACID

which should be avoided at all times!

Don't get confused olive oil is not as high in omega 9 as one would think olive oil's smoking point is 350 degrees ...
I use safflower oil it has a smoke point of 490 degrees..

There is different smoke points for different degrees of refinement of oils ... It's actually not a pretty process.. There are a lot of chemicals that go into it..

I would recommend buying an unrefined expeller pressed oil for cooking ...


Also I'd like to note that the garden of life kind organic vegan d3 plus omega's I suggested is ORGANIC NON GMO and only $15 and lasts about 3months I know I posted a link but you can buy that at any health food store

[brimstoneSalad]

Thanks, I can get my ratio measured with a blood test right?

Maybe, but you don't need to. Just keep a food journal, and check the ratios in your food and add them up. Or have a general idea of what you normally eat.

As PrincessPeach said, Flax is good for Omega 3. Canola oil is also high in Omega 3. Vegetables have a good ratio in them, but they don't have much fat in them, so it's quickly overcome by the oil you eat.

Avoid high Omega 6 oils. Choose those high in Omega 3 (for baking, or using in thing), or high in Omega 9 (monounsaturated fat) for frying if you do that.