I am a vegetarian (i.e. don't eat fish!) and I would like to make sure that my family get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in their diet. I have some linseeds which contain 23g of alpha linolenic acid per 100g. I have soaked some in water and mixed the resulting rather slimy liquid with fruit juice, and my children have drunk it quite happily. I also add some linseeds to the dough when baking bread.
How much ALA should our diet include? How much is extracted from the seeds by soaking?
I am a vegetarian (i.e. don't eat fish!) and I would like to make sure that my family get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in their diet. I have some linseeds which contain 23g of alpha linolenic acid per 100g.
Ick .. when there is so much more to choose from ...
http://freedomyou.com/nutrition_book/d/omega3_and_omega6/ "Alpha-Linolenic acid (LNA) or Omega 3 is found in abundance in hemp seed, flax seed, pumpkin seed, walnuts, dark green leaves, canola, soybean and cold water fish. Linoleic acid (LA) or Omega 6 is found in abundance in safflower, hemp, soybean, walnut, pumpkin, sesame, corn, sunflower and flax."
Guy Snape wrote: :: I am a vegetarian (i.e. don't eat fish!) and I would like to make :: sure that my family get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in their diet. I :: have some linseeds which contain 23g of alpha linolenic acid per :: 100g. I have soaked some in water and mixed the resulting rather :: slimy liquid with fruit juice, and my children have drunk it quite :: happily. I also add some linseeds to the dough when baking bread. :: :: How much ALA should our diet include? How much is extracted from the :: seeds by soaking?
Especially children should not use too much of linseed as they can produce some toxic substances. "Toxicity: Possible. Linamarin, as a result of the action of linase enzyme, produces cyanogenetic glycosides. To avoid them it is advised to eat the seeds whole or to carry out cold infusions or to boil them at least during 10 minutes. Big quantities of this plant should not be ingested. Many investigators consider that the quantity of glycosides that can be liberated is not big enough as to be toxic."
It might be a good idea to include some other omega-3 fatty acid sources to the diet also and not to rely solely on linseed.
It is not likely that your body will produce enough/ideal amount of long chain omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA) from (alpha)linolenic acid as the elongation is inefficient. Consider supplementing with direct sources of EPA and/or DHA. There are also algae derived DHA capsules available but they are more expensive than fish oil capsules.
It is not likely that your body will produce enough/ideal amount of long chain omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA) from (alpha)linolenic acid as the elongation is inefficient. Consider supplementing with direct sources of EPA and/or DHA. There are also algae derived DHA capsules available but they are more expensive than fish oil capsules.
Often the inefficient elongation is the result of too much omega-6, oleic acid and Mead acid in diet. All these competes for elongases and omega-6 competes for the desaturases too.
Often the inefficient elongation is the result of too much omega-6, oleic acid and Mead acid in diet. All these competes for elongases and omega-6 competes for the desaturases too.
Isn't mead acid a marker for this as well? I remember something about it being a product of oleic acid by use of the elongase/desaturase systems instead of the w3/w6 FA.
Often the inefficient elongation is the result of too much omega-6, oleic acid and Mead acid in diet. All these competes for elongases and omega-6 competes for the desaturases too.
Isn't mead acid a marker for this as well? I remember something about it being a product of oleic acid by use of the elongase/desaturase systems instead of the w3/w6 FA.
Yes. When EFA is not ingested, Mead acid (C20:3 omega-9) is formed. It is because we don't have the desaturases that could have formed the omega-6 and omega-3 double bounds. C18:1 -> C18:2(omega-9)->C20:2(omega-9)->C20:3(omega-9)
