so, i spoke about purslane in the purslane thread

and it looks like it has a really cool omega 3 profile

but still wondering if the body can convert the ALA to DHA EPA adequately without all the other things necessary to convert it

like magnesum certain b vitamins zinc etc.
can it just convert easily on its own accord?

curious

i think its a really important topic
and would appreciate any feedback

please also provide other sources of omega 3 and favorite products etc.
and ease of conversion to DHA EPA
opinions discussion etc.

we should discuss this topic more often

as i feel it is quite important

My understanding is this: that vegans convert omega 3 into DHA and EPA, but not a huge amount, and we may have less in our systems than meat-eaters have.

On the other hand, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information out there to confirm that this is necessarily a bad thing for vegans.

For converting fatty acids into EPA and DHA, it helps to include a good source of omega-3 in the diet - like chia or flax seeds.

This is from a chart found in Becoming Raw, by Davis and Melina:

Omega-3 family:

Alphalinolenic acid (ALA) from chia seeds, flaxseeds, echium oil, hempseeds, walnuts, greens ->

->ALA converts to Stearidonic acid (SDA), which can also be accessed directly from eschium oil, hempseeds, blue-green algae ->

->SDA converts to Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which can also be accessed directly from microalgae, fish, sea vegetables, breast milk ->

->EPA converts to Docosahexatenoic acid (DHA), which can also be accessed directly from microalgae, fish, eggs, breast milk.

My personal favorite direct source of DHA + EPA is a microalgae solution from Dr. Fuhrman. It has an OK taste, and no aftereffects (fish burps) like the fish oils reportedly have. You can read about it here:

[www.drfuhrman.com]

Unfortunately it's a little too expensive for me right now at $40.00 for a 40-day supply, but I don't know of a better product.

hi suncloud
thanks for info
will be reading the fuhrman article

also appreciate providing a product info.
good to explore...