Consumology

Although scientists and researchers have known for decades about the nature and importance of essential fatty acids, a recent health kick has brought the omega-3 fatty acid into the spotlight. This new buzz about omega-3 fats may have you wondering about what is it and why is it important. For vegans and vegetarians, this can be especially true since many people believe it is more difficult to obtain essential nutrients on a plant-based diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to health; while these fats are found in every living cell in the human body, they cannot be produced by the body and can only be obtained from food sources. Essential fatty acids are critical to the performance of numerous tasks which our bodies perform.

You may have noticed recently that many products are being labeled as high in ‘healthful’ omega-3 fatty acids. And as Omega-3’s are being incorporated into food and health products, you are starting to see heavy marketing and advertising. You may also hear about omega-3’s from various media sources on television, in print and online.

Currently, there is a great deal of confusion regarding the best food and supplement sources from where to obtain these healthful fats. To a vegan, it may often seem that the sources of omega-3 are limited to seafood, fish oil or eggs, as most mainstream advertising would suggest. However, there are a number of excellent vegan sources of omega-3 fats such as flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, hempseeds and hempseed oil, as well as olive oil, avocado, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and even marine green algae. Leafy greens also have small quantities of omega-3’s. Nut and seed oils are truly easy, rich and excellent sources of vegan omega-3, but because of their unstable elemental structure, these oils should not be heated. Vegan omega-3 supplements are also available in health stores and online, however, it is recommended that the vast majority of all nutrition -including omega-3’s- should be obtained by eating whole foods.