Omega 3 Greens – Are Vegetables an Alternative Source For Getting Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids
Millions of consumers have started using fish oil supplements the past few years with great success. There are thousands of studies that declare that these essential fatty acids are necessary for every organ in the body.
A question that arises is: can adding more omega 3 greens to the diet be used to replace fish oil supplements?
There are three types of omega 3s that relate to what the body needs – DHA, EPA and ALA. DHA and EPA are the two found in fish oil. ALA comes from vegetarian sources.
Let’s go over a little background.
ALA is the mother of all omega 3s. It is found in the green vegetation that plant eating animals like cows thrive on. The next step is that the animal converts it to DHA and EPA.
There are not many fats of any kind in grass, but a cow will eat tons of it. This means that even at a very low conversion ratio, the cow will convert a lot of ALA into enough DHA and EPA. An important point here. Most of our meat comes from animals raised on grains, not grass. In other words, there is no conversion at all.
For consumers wishing to cut out the middleman – in this case, the cow – the foods that are richest in omega 3 greens are spinach, broccoli and even kale. Cabbage and most dark salad leaves would qualify also. Just remember, the omega 3 content is there but not in large amounts.
Some consumers are aware of these problems and try to get ALA directly from flax seeds. There is still an issue. Our conversion ratio is at best 20 % and gets lower as we age.
Between the low content in our greens and the low conversion ratios in our bodies, it is no wonder that 90% of us are deficient in these essential fats.
The food industry has responded by putting DHA or EPA additives into baby formula, bread, dairy products, cereal and even candy. Since the food industry is partly responsible for the deficiencies in the first place, I say: too little, too late.
The FDA and other experts recommend getting 1-to-2 grams of DHA and EPA per day. The odds are stacked against anyone trying to get these amounts in today’s world. This is why people are using fish oil supplements in addition to eating omega 3 greens.
One does not exclude the other. I do both. Knowledge is power. For more information, please visit my website.
