omega 3 & 6

I just watched a tv programme (about how crappy the cereal industry is!) and an 'expert' (doctor? scientist? can't remember) said that there is no evidence that plant based omega fatty acids are beneficial to humans at all. he advocates consuming fish for that.

admittedly, i don't know what omega 3 & 6 are meant to do so well, but i've been vegetarian for 10 years and never felt like i was missing something. i've always thought that flax is good for omega fatty acids and now i'm questioning how much i really know about anything involving nutrition. for example, the whole b-12 debate about whether non-animal b-12 can actually be absorbed and now this omega fatty acid slur.

anyone know anything about omega fatty acids?

Comments

  • i have the 400 page book on it called, FATS THAT HEAL, FATS THAT KILL i have read it 3 times. IT IS A MARKETING SCAM. First of all, FISH DON'T MAKE, FISH OIL. It if from what the fish eat. You can eat it too. A few years ago, the fish industry tried to say the metabolic path was blocked in some people. That is also not true. Men do process it a little slower, but it is not blocked. The fish oil people are back to try to get a bigger foot hold and sale more stuff. It is working in sales to home weight lifters.

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    from what i have heard, raw fooders don't have to worry much about omegas. often with nutrients,t he ratio that they are consumed in is most important. the ratio of omega3:6 is supposed to be something like 2:1. But processed foods has the ratio 20:1 or so. you just don't want tobe too out of balance. perhaps you could research ratios, before you come to a conclusion.

    about b12, i was feeling very lethargic and eating all the time with the hopes it would give me energy. turns out, b12 gives me the energy i need and i feel great taking it once a day sublingually. i think taking a b12 vitamin and seeing if it gives you energy is enough for me to know i need to take it.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I take b-12 sublingually as well.

    Avocados, olive oil, flax seed and several other foods have omega-3 and 6 so don't believe the crap they're talking about with fish

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    My bad! I thought that olive oil and avocado's had it to!

  • Chef ShuannaChef Shuanna Raw Newbie

    troubles - you are partially correct!

    Four major food oils (palm, soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower) provide more than 100 million metric tons annually, providing more than 32 million metric tons of n-6 linoleic acid and 4 million metric tons of n-3 alpha-linolenic acid [18]

    avocado

    cereals

    whole-grain breads

    nuts

    most vegetable oils

    evening primrose oil

    borage oil

    blackcurrant seed oil

    flax/linseed oil

    hemp oil

    soybean oil

    cottonseed oil

    sunflower seed oil

    corn oil

    safflower oil

    pumpkin seeds

    acai berry

    Cheers!

    streem26
  • hmmm. . . but is the omega 3 & 6 in these foods accessible to us? this guy said there were no studies that showed they were. i've no intention of eating fish or taking supplements made from fish based on this guy's statement, but it does make me wonder. . .

    left site's comment about a marketing scam is interesting. i'd be pretty pissed off it is a marketing scam only because this show was all about how the breakfast cereal industry is one giant marketing scam and how difficult they make it for the general public to see through the marketing crap and recognise just how unhealthy they ALL are.

    to then include 'expert' opinions that discredit these fortified cereals (i'm not up for fortified foods with chemical variations of vitamins either, but i didn't make the programme either!) with false information just makes it even more difficult to understand which sources of information are trustworthy/accurate and which are just complete crap!!!

  • Ohhh, I can't believe I missed this thread when it started! I few days ago I stumbled across an article from prevention magazine about just this! I was thinking of sharing it here if anyone was interested. Now I see there is already a thread on it:-)

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32957460/ns/health-heart_health/

    I found this very interesting, and there are studies named you should be able to follow up on if you want to. I was thinking of checking out her book. For those that are vegetarian or vegan (probably many since this is a vegan raw site) she does list vegetarian sources (flax, canola and walnuts) as good sources. So, if you don't eat fish (I don't, I'm lacto-vegetarian) you have options besides the fish oil.

    For fish eaters, definately check out her suggestions on which to avoid.

  • A few months ago the Omega-3 had me wondering so I bought some capsules called "VEGAN Omega-3 DHA" derived from Algae. The brand name is DEVA.

    I take one a few times a week. The 90 capsules cost about 45 dollars. As with most supplements that I've tried, I haven't really noticed anything.

    Best wishes, Gil

  • sisterbecky, that article is really intereting! thanks for sharing it!!!

  • DeborahBeeDeborahBee Raw Newbie

    From my own experience from introducing flaxseeds into my diet, my brain became much sharper and switched on.

     

    lucky3782
  • TammiTrueTammiTrue Raw Master

    There seems to be enough Omega 3 in the foods I regularly eat. I worry more about Omega 6 which seems less abundant. I do know that it can be found in pistachios, olive oil, chestnut oil and olives so I do my best to at least include raw olives and cold pressed olive oil in my diet. 

Sign In or Register to comment.