Do You Need Fish For Omega 3?

Omega 3 has been praised for a long time now. It is well known for the beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.  There are more studies suggesting that omega 3 can help improve many more disorders, including  cancer, depression and Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes, autoimmune disorders etc.

Having enough omega 3 is important but having a good ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 is equally essential for your health. They are both needed and the ideal ratio is 1:1. Unfortunately an average westerners consume the ratio of omega6 : omega 3 of  up to 20:1 to 50:1. This unbalance can create an unhealthy environment in the body, possibly causing many disorders. We have been seen this trend because of the raise of commercially processed foods. Because omega 6 is found in most of vegetable oil, such as corn, soy, sunflower, safflower, sesame oil and most baked, fried products contain these oils it is quite a challenge to keep these oils low if you are consuming these products. On top of this, omega 3 is not as readily available compared to omega 6.

Before we start on where we can get omega 3, you will need to know the types of omega 3.

Basically

animal based omega 3 can provide

DHA and EPA. These fatty acids have a beneficial properties which could help preventing and improving many major diseases as well as they are essential nutrients for the brain function.

Plant based omega can mainly provide ALA. The body still needs to convert this ALA to more useable source of omega 3, which are DHA and EPA. The Conversion does not happen as easily as many people think. Only 0-4 percent of ALA can be converted to EPA and about 0.5 percent to much needed DHA. If you do not eat animal source of omega 3 you will need to know that eating a little amount of flax may not be enough. I did find a study done by European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) has found that vegans and vegetarians who do not consume DHA and EPA from the food may increase the ability to convert ALA to more usable form in the body.

animal based omega 3 can be found in fish, shellfish, krill and small amounts in grass fed animals. Plant based omega 3 can be found in leafy green vegetables, flax, chia, hemp seed as well as walnuts and some algae.

In the ideal world fish could provide all the omega 3 you need. Unfortunately they often live in polluted environment. Mercury, heavy metal and other toxin levels are quite high in marine creatures. It is safer to choose smaller fish, like sardines and krill (Krill can be more absorbable, sustainable and better quality than fish or fish oil).  When choosing fish oil, you will need to make sure it comes from a reputable company with higher quality and sustainability in mind.

If you feel eating plant based omega 3 is not enough we carry 100 percent vegetarian / vegan omega 3 EPA &DHA supplement. It is based on micro algae, which can provide minimum 250mg EPA and 500mg DHA.