The Essential Omega’s

I started this series of posts as I got into researching the vegan diet in more depth. The information below comes from a range of websites including: vegansociety.com, vegan.com, veganhealth.org, the UK NHS website, US NIH website, healthline.com, and a number of other seemingly credible looking websites. Please note however that I am neither a doctor, a dietician, nor a nutritionist so if you are experiencing any health issues, it is always best to seek proper advice from a qualified professional.

So what are these omega-fatty acids, what’s the difference between them and why should we be paying attention to them? We have all heard of cod liver oil, and how oily fish is good for you, and you may know fatty fish is high in omega 3. Vegetarians and vegans are not going to be eating fish or fish oil anytime soon, so how important are these omega’s, and how to we get them into a plant-based diet?

What are Omega-fatty acids?

As it turns out the omega-fat’s are complicated and not completely understood as yet. There are two main essential omega-fatty acid types: 3 and 6. “Essential” fatty acids means we cannot produce them in the body and have to intake them directly from our diets. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats. These fatty acids are different from most other fats, because as well as being an energy source they are biologically active and have important roles in processes like blood clotting, heart health, brain function and inflammation.

However omega-6 and omega-3 are quite different in terms their affect on the body. Omega-3 is believed to be anti-inflammatory and good for your health. However, all those warnings you have heard about not eating too much polyunsaturated fat are specifically referring to omega-6, which is now believed to actually cause inflammation. Some inflammation is essential for survival, for instance helping protect your body from infection and injury, but it can also cause severe damage and contribute to disease when it’s chronic or excessive.

How are you following so far? Omega-3 is good, Omega-6 is not so good (but you do need some of it). But wait it gets more complicated…

There are eleven types of omega-3’s with the three most important being ALA, EPA, and DHA. ALA is mostly found in plant foods including kale, spinach, soy beans, walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds, while EPA and DHA are mostly found in animal foods particularly in fatty fish. EPA plays numerous roles in physiological processes and reducing inflammation. DHA is important for the skin and eyes, for brain function, and may have positive effects on arthritis, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cancers.

The body can convert ALA into EPA or DHA, but not very efficiently. On average, only 1–10% of ALA is converted into EPA, and 0.5–5% into DHA. To make things worse, some omega-6 fatty acids compete for the same enzymes needed for this process. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in your diet is therefore important as high amounts of omega-6 may reduce the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA. It is believed that people eating a Western diet (i.e. high in processed fatty foods) are typically eating way too much omega-6s relative to omega-3s, and that this is a serious health problem.

And having said that omega-3 is good for you, actually just like most things, too much can also be bad for you, as it is still a polyunsaturated fat, which can react to produce free radicals which cause ageing and may have some links to cancer.

Omega-6 in plant based food

Omega-6 is found in common cooking oils such as sunflower and safflower oils, and also in most nuts, tofu and avocado. There are many plant-based sources of omega-6 and so you should easily be getting plenty of it. If anything, most people including vegans should be trying to limit their omega-6 intake, not increase it.

Recommendations for Omega-3 intake

The recommendations for omega-3 are most commonly given in terms of ALA amounts. For instance, the Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) in the USA for Omega 3 ALA for adults is 1,100 mg for women, and 1,600 mg for men, and most other organisations have similar recommendations. Recommendations for EPA and DHA are not often given alongside the ALA recommendation, however when it is given most organisations seem to say that around 250-500 mg is appropriate. Given the uncertainties about how much ALA can be converted in DHA and EPA, and the theories around omega-6 consumption blocking omega-3 production VeganHealth.com recommends to either to consume an additional 2,000 mg of ALA per day on top of the DRI from foods, or to directly take a supplement of 200-300 mg of DHA per day. DHA is thought to mainly come from algae, and hence the high concentration of it in oily fish. Vegan DHA supplements made from algae are therefore available.

It is important to note that too much omega-3 (greater than 3,000mg per day) can result in bleeding and bruising. If you bleed or bruise easily, consult a health professional before significantly increasing your omega-3 intake.

Omega-3 in plant-based food

Flaxseeds are by far the richest whole-food source of ALA with 2,350 mg per tablespoon. Flaxseed oil is also often used as a vegan omega-3 supplement. Flaxseeds are also a good source of fibre, magnesium, and other nutrients. They have a great omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. The best way to maximise your absorbed ALA intake from flaxseed is to grind it before adding it to food.

Chia seeds are another great Omega-3 source with 5,060 mg ALA per 28 grams. They are also rich in manganese, selenium, magnesium, and contain 5 grams of protein, including all eight essential amino acids. 

Walnuts are another good source with 14 walnut halves containing 2,570mg of omega 3. They also contain high amounts of copper, manganese, vitamin E, and are loaded with fibre.

Seaweed and edamame (soy beans) are also good omega-3 sources.

From the above you can see that having a tablespoon of flaxseed or chia seed per day, on top of the omega-3 contained in other foods, should give you sufficient ALA to generate your EPA and DHA needs, without having to supplement.

If you are not able to include these in your diet, or get enough ALA from other plant-based foods, then you may want to consider a EPA/DHA supplement.

OMG so what to do?

After all that complicated explanation, the recommendation is relatively simple. For omega-6 the best advice for everyone, meat-eaters and vegan’s alike is to limit your intake of fatty/oily foods.

For omega-3, as a vegan you should try and eat a tablespoon of ground flaxseed or a tablespoon of chia seed every day. This may sound hard, but try adding these seeds to breakfast cereal or a smoothie, or add them into baking (they make good egg-substitutes), salads or stews and this is quite easy.

If you can manage to eat these seeds, your omega-3 intake will likely be OK. If you can’t do this, take a look at your diet to see what other omega-3 sources you have, and if necessary consider an algal EPA/DHA supplement.

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

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