You say you’re vegan, right?
Mm hmm…okay…yeah…well...
Omega-3's and stuff so…you should really get on some fish oil supplements.
For your Omega-3's
No I don’t need to do your blood work, just take'em.
Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome to another vegan nugget. Today is the second
installation of my interview with the nutrition powerhouse and the mastermind of nutritionfacts.org...Dr. Michael Greger
This series is about addressing the nutrients of greatest concern for those switching to
a vegan diet. Last session we took on the monolith of protein and found out that it's…
...really not an issue. And today we’re moving on to another common concern. Omega 3 fatty
acids. Let’s hear what Dr. Greger has to say and then I’ll share with you my own
personal omega panel blood results, fish and supplement free.
So, another concern that people have going vegan, and...they usually get this concern
because...well, we’re talking about Omega-3 fatty acids. People think, okay when they
hear Omega fatty acids, they think fish supplements and fish oil and those kind of things. So,
there’s always this concern, where am I going to get my Omega-3’s? So, would you
mind telling us a little bit about Omega-3 sources on a plant based diet?
Sure, so Omega-3 fats are essential fats, I mean we have to them into our diet
as opposed to other fats that our bodies can make on their own. And essential fats, these
essential fats are found in...concentrated in...flax seeds, and walnuts, and chia seeds,
and hemp seeds, and get some in dark green leafy vegetables. These are the short chain
Omega-3 fatty acids called Alpha-Linolenic acid and our bodies can actually elongate
these short chain Omega-3’s into the long chain called the Marine Omega-3’s; DHA and
EPA. And so...these long chain Omega-3’s aren’t found naturally, in kind of a terrestrial
plant based diets but actually are made by little algae out in the ocean. And so, that’s
where the fish get it from, the fish don’t make it either. The fish get it from the algae.
And so, if we wanted to get a long chain source of Omega-3’s DHA...EPA directly in our diet,
we’d cut out the middle fish and take algae based supplements, so then you get the Omega-3’s
without the industrial pollutants that have so contaminated the aquatic food chain, even
distilled fish oil capsules. But this would be predominantly for brain health, not heart
health as...disappointedly the fish oil supplements and these long chain Omega-3’s have not...reduced
risk for cardiovascular disease as well as....advice to increase your meals of fatty fish...does
not seem to be as cardioprotective or cardioprotective at all compared to early studies that point
in that direction. But for brain health, you know, when people call us a ‘fathead’’
and maybe kind of true, but a third of our brain by weight...is DHA, this long chain
Omega-3, and so the question is, yes we can make it...but can we make enough for optimal
health? That’s still a question that’s up in the air. Maybe not enough for two brains,
so women before conception may want to...get a direct source of DHA in their diet which
will be from algae based, um...regardless of what they think about animals, algae based
is the only way you’re gonna get a contaminant free source of long chained Omega-3’s. So,
start taking a DHA supplement and particularly as we get older, it might be a good idea to
get a long chain of Omega-3 like DHA in our diet..so, I recommend 250 mg of algae based
DHA everyday. But if you do...actually measure these long chain Omega-3 levels in the general
US population, vegans have the same level that omnivores, and the rest of the population
does. But that’s because no one really eats fish here in the US. And then for optimal
levels we probably need to do better, so the only contaminant free source are the algae based sources.
With Omega-3’s, I think sometimes people get a little confused with the, is
it the quantity of Omega-3 vs. Omega-6 or is it the ratio that’s the most important?
So, well, you need to get enough but the ratio matters in that conversion process
if you’re getting a direct source of, DHA for example, then you don’t really have
to worry about your ratio. But the ratio does affect, because they compete with each other...for
the same enzymes that elongate these Omega-3 fatty, these fatty acids. So, if you have
a lot of Omega-6 in your system then the little Omega-3 you got in flax seeds or walnuts is kind
of pushed to the back of the line, you make more of long chain of Omega-6’s.
And so, if you’re relying on strictly, on this terrestrial plant based sources, then yeah, it’s a good
idea to not consume Omega-6’s rich oils and junk food. This is really where you get the major
sources of Omega-6’s; cottonseed oil, corn oil, sapphire oil, sunflower oil. You know,
these aren’t healthy foods for anybody but particularly in people that want to optimize
that...elongation process, you want to stay away from those foods.
I hope you enjoyed hearing from Dr. Greger about Omega 3 Fatty acids. You certainly
don’t have to eat fish to get your Omega 3s. As Dr. Greger so aptly pointed out, the
reason that animals products have the nutrients that we desire is because those animals get them from eating
plants. So cut out the middle animal, the middle fish, and go to the source. Then you
get all the pure nutrients without all the extra crap like cholesterol that comes packaged
in animal products. The omegas in fish come from their consumption of algae, so why not
start there? Otherwise it’s like saying, “Hey I really like your hair color” and
then scalping you so I can wear your hair rather than asking you what kind of dye you use.
You’re welcome for that visual.
So, in an older video of mine with some…awesome editing, I went trough the results of my own
Omega profile. This was when I've been eating raw vegan for about 8 months with lot's of
greens and no omega supplement. You can find out my results in this video and I show you
the day’s nutritional breakdown as well- but suffice to say, my doctor told me that he’d never had
anyone’s numbers come back so good and to be sure to stay on my Omega supplement,
because he assumed I was on one.
But this is a daily thing for me.
Just here you can see my omega 3 intake for yesterday.
I've had a lot of inquires about the software that I used on that in some of my other videos. And it's a free service called Cron-O-Meter.
If you want to see how you measure up or whether you need to grab an algae supplement or just pack in some greens. Check out 'Cronometer.com/#' to track your
nutrition. It’s totally free and pretty freakin’ awesome- so awesome that they’re
sponsoring this video to help get this vital information out to you. Be sure to click the
link in the description below to make your profile so they know that Bite Size vegan sent you.
I don’t get any money when you click on it, but it does let’s Cronometer know that good things
come to those who support my nuggets. My videos. That’s what they’re called.
Nuggets
Nevermind
If you enjoyed this look into the non-fishiness of Omega 3s give the video a big thumbs up
and share it around to spread the nutritional truth. If you’re new here, be sure to hit that
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Now go live vegan, cut out the middle fish, and I’ll see you soon.
You know, Vegan and Omega-3's with the vegan.
I don’t know if you’re in the screen, you might be in the screen.
Subtitles by the Amara.org community