OMEGA - 3

What is Omega -3?

             Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids: They are necessary for human health but the body can' t make them -- you have to get them through food. Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development. They have also become popular because they may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function. In fact, infants who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems. 

Symptoms of Omega-3 deficiency: 

1.      Fatigue

2.      Poor memory

3.      Dry skin,

4.      Heart problems,

5.      Mood swings

6.      Depression 

How to get it?

        It's difficult for vegans (vegetarians who eat no foods derived from animals, including eggs and milk) to get adequate omega-3 fatty acids from their diets, since the two essential omega-3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are most available in fish oil. Vegetarian sources of omega-3s provide only ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), a precursor form that the body cannot convert efficiently to the DHA and EPA it needs. Other essential nutrients in short supply in a vegan or vegetarian diet are vitamin B12 and zinc. Eliminating meat from your diet also means that you're lacking the food source of the most readily absorbed heme iron (vegans and vegetarians need twice the intake of iron as non-vegetarians).

Vegans and others whose diets don't include fish can substitute Neuromins DHA, a product which is extracted from carefully grown microalgae (vegans can break the gelatin capsule to get the oil). Taking 400 to 600 mg a day of Neuromins DHA and relying on dietary sources of ALA is probably the best vegan strategy for getting omega-3s. A daily handful of walnuts or one to two tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseed per day provide ALA. I hope we will soon see products made from algae that provide both EPA and DHA. Also vegans and vegetarians can supplement with at least 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B-12 daily or take 1,000 mcg once a week.

To get enough iron without eating meat, cook in iron pots and eat such iron- rich foods as blackstrap molasses, cocoa, and leafy greens. You can boost your absorption of iron-rich foods by eating foods high in vitamin C at the same meal. And since many animal-based foods that provide zinc are shunned, vegans and vegetarians should take 8 to 15 mg of supplemental zinc per day.

 

Flax Seeds

 

Walnuts

Other vegetarian food sources provide ALA, the indirect form of Omega 3 fatty acids are... 

1.      One tablespoon of flax oil per day seems to provide enough ALA for conversion to daily therapeutic amounts of EPA and DHA.

2.      Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are also good sources of ALA.

3.      Brazil nuts, wheat germ, wheat germ oil, soybean oil and canola oil also contain significant amounts.