omegas and fat

[flea]

hey everyone,

im a bit confused about the omegas deal, so am seeking some clarification:

exactly how much do you need each day?

several different naturopaths have told me to have at least 1 tablespoon of flaxseed or hemp seed oil everday, some say more.

but thats about 14grams of fat!

on top of that, were told to take coconut oil everyday as its amazing for everything, but has about the same amount of fat.

on top of that, i eat nuts and seeds probably daily which have omegas in them.

ive noticed if i cut out hemp and coconut oil, i immediately lose weight and keep the weight off.

if im eating soaked nuts and seeds which have omegas in them, and seeds like chia, everyday, do i really need to be getting other omegas from other oils? is it too much fat, or is it really imperative for brain function?

has anyone actually noticed any symptoms from not taking hemp/flaxseed oil for periods of time?

thanks kids!

[klomasius]

If you are worried about oil. Don't use the hemp or flax oil, just use chia seeds regularly in your smoothies and desserts. It's a more whole food in comparison to flax/hemp oil. And remember, the omega 3 is only some of the fat you consume from these oils, the rest is usually other, polyunsaturated fats you can get anywhere else.

I honestly just don't worry about proportions etc, I just keep checking my key health indicators and making sure I feel fine!

[Dimond]

Hemp seeds are great too. You really don't need to be concerned with the fat grams like you would with SAD. Just don't overdo it and you should be fine.

[MelanieBear]

Personally, I've gotten away from flax oil and am using more freshly ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Flax oil goes rancid VERY easily and quickly. I think that the nutrient profile is much more balanced when we eat these as whole foods rather than as extracted oils.

If you are supplementing omega 3s for therapeutic reasons you may need a higher dose than you'd need if you're just taking them for maintenance. Talk with your naturopath about *why* they're suggesting that dose, and how to get the omega 3s in without overloading yourself on fat.

Good luck!

[sport]

Today I have had
3.6 G of Omega 3 which is 181% of my requirements
2.9 G of Omega 6 which is 145% of my requirements.
Like others I avoid oil and just use crushed seeds. The above was 15 grams of flax seeds and 5 grams of pumpkin seeds. I probably picked up a few omegas from other sources but mainly from the seeds.

[sport]

Redid that using tomorrows page with nothing on it but the seeds and the readings are as follows.
3.4 Omega 3 being 171%
1.9 Omega 6 being 96%.

Obviously I am picking up omega 6 elsewhere but not 3.

[Tenuviel]

hmmm... i've been wondering, how does one go about getting omega 3's if they can't convert plant based sources? I just got my my fatty acid test results back, and all my omega 3's are extremely low... I was using flax and chia like you guys :confused:. My doctor said that only around 8% of the population is able to convert flax etc. into usable forms... so what's a vegan to do? Especially if you have a consistently high CRP level

[RawKnitster]

Hempseeds provide a good balance of all the omegas. Like with B vitamins, balance may be key. Hempseeds also provide an excellent balance of fat, fiber, and protein. Sure can't say that about oils.

[sport]

My doctor said that only around 8% of the population is able to convert flax etc. into usable forms... so what's a vegan to do? Especially if you have a consistently high CRP level

Is he talking about converting whole seeds or ground seeds.

[Tenuviel]

Is he talking about converting whole seeds or ground seeds.

he said is was from any type, ground seeds, whole seeds, oils. My doc eats raw by the way, awesome huh?! I eat hemp seeds too, sesame. occasionally flax oil or raw hemp oil.

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

hmmm... i've been wondering, how does one go about getting omega 3's if they can't convert plant based sources?

I'd recommend trying an algae based DHA supplement. I've heard lots of people having success with those. I don't have any specific one to recommend though since I don't use them myself.

[Tenuviel]

I'd recommend trying an algae based DHA supplement. I've heard lots of people having success with those. I don't have any specific one to recommend though since I don't use them myself.

interesting.... I never would have thought of something like this.... thanks!

[klomasius]

I think what your doctor is talking about is that some people are unable to (or do it extremely inefficiently) convert the plant based ALA omega 3 into DHA and EPA omega 3s which are what the body uses.

In that case, as sevencookies has mentioned, I'd get a DHA containing algae supplement. Algae is where most of the DHA in fish comes from.

Talk to your doctor about which kinds of algae supplements that are available to you contain DHA.

[Dubravac]

How about this stuff ...

http://www.ascentahealth.com/products/human/nutravege-200-ml

It's made from Echium Oil, which apparently contains SDA that easily converts to EPA.

[maria84]

I'd recommend trying an algae based DHA supplement. I've heard lots of people having success with those. I don't have any specific one to recommend though since I don't use them myself.

i would have never thought of this either! thanks! this reminds me of the whole protein-amino acid debate. why eat protein when you can eat an amino acid type thing

is dha more useful to the human body than epa? i could do the research if you like..just if you know already

[Non]

Uhm, I recommend HEMP over Chia seeds.

EPA is necessary for health as much as DHA is. EPA doesn't get converted well from regular ALA, or whatever that omega fat is. It's better converted from SDA (stearidonic acid), and hemp has a lot of that. In fact there are very few sources of SDA. They're only found in hemp, blackcurrant and echium, and the cyanobacterium spirulina.

Since hemp is kinda expensive I just buy the oil at a cheap price over the net.

As for DHA I think Deva's DHA w Lycopene liquid is good.

[maria84]

non, this is very useful info! i like that the deva stuff is rather cheap too!
i'm curious, do you take non-cyanobacterium spirulina also? i'd like to take it for it's other health benefits but i don't want to overload on nutrients if it's going to affect me in a negative way
ps i already have hemp oil and hemp hearts so :D

[Non]

non-cyanobacterium spirulina? never heard of that, I just have ordinary spirulina.

[maria84]

you said cyanobacterium spirulina is a source of SDA

[Non]

well spirulina is a cyanobacteria.