OMEGAS! GWilkerson11/01/2014 Plant Based Nutrition
How much omega fatty acids to we need? Yes, both of them are required by our body for health. Only most of us get far too much Omega6 in our diets, through vegetable oils mostly. Flaxseeds are a major source of Omega-3 which supports brain function, cardiac function and immune function. Omega-3 is also found in sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and chia seeds. Omega-6 is necessary but not in such unbalanced amounts as most of us eat. Flaxseeds have a 2:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 which is best for us to consume. Some experts now suggest that the ratio is less important – what we should be more concerned with is the absolute levels of intake. A nearby friend in dietitian school tells me this: “Best 6:3 ratio is 2:1 or even 1:1 but average Americans are closer to like 12:1, which is way too much pro-inflamatory omega 6.” Thank you Gabriel. I read some place we generally consume more like 16:1. What about fish oil capsules?
Fish oil, in my opinion is a lousy source of Omega-3. Fish have PCBs, mercury, other pollutants and feces if they were farm raised. Well, in the 80s I bought a bottle once and tried a couple of them. They were nasty going down and even worse trying to come back up later! Most of them are already rancid when you buy them. Here is what Dustin Rudolph, The Plant-Based Pharmacist has to say in one of his blog posts: An in depth look at the evidence makes one thing clear: Fish oil pills and other omega-3 fatty acid supplements DO NOT work. Omega-3 supplements don’t work because cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and many other chronic illnesses are
largely, if not completely, due to our rich, Western diets. They exist because of multiple daily servings of meat, dairy, eggs, and junk foods. Not only do omega-3 supplements not work, but recent data from an article published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute last week shows that supplementing with omega-3 fish oil pills actually increases the risk of prostate cancer in men. Read it here: Fish Oil Reviews – The Evidence Behind Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements. Julieanna Hever, The Plant-Based Dietitian does What would Julieanna Say videos… Here is her short Omega-3 Fats
A PubMed article states: Several sources of information suggest that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1-16.7/1. Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids compared with the diet on which human beings evolved and their genetic patterns were established. The importance of the ratio of omega6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Well, my diet is not Omega-3 deficient. It can easily be found in plant sources. just ask Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM who states: “While many people believe that eating fish is necessary to get omega-3 fatty acids and maintain heart and brain health, there is absolutely nothing healthful about fish. his blog post Get Omega-3s with Ease
Conclusion
Omega-6s are pro-inflammatory, while Omega-3s have an anti-inflammatory effect. I suggest putting a spoonfull of flaxseeds, chia or hemp hearts in your morning smoothie or sprinkle it on your hot cereal daily. I also eat a few raw walnuts each day. I conclude that Omega Fatty Acids are best gotten from plant sources. Sure, fish have plenty Omega fatty acids. Fish also have industrial pollutants and many more undesirables in them. For me, fish oil capsules are out. Fish oil? Nasty. The Western Diet is not what’s deficient, it is our food choices!!! http://www.plant-strong-health-blog-by-gary.com/omegas