I'm sorry if this question was already asked. But my mother asked me what she could use instead of fish oil that would have the same or more vitimans in it. And the reason why it is better.

I wasn't sure if it was flaxseed oil and how much Omega-3 is in it or more.

Thanks in advance.

I have a vegetarian daughter and I want to give her Omega 3, but she doesn't eat fish. I've given her flaxseed oil and krill oil. But I think I have found a better option and I ordered some V-Pure from [www.water4.net].

They say:

Omega-3, EPA & DHA doesn't come from fish, it comes from algae, the food they eat. V-Pure is a highly concentrated and 100% toxic free, organic source Omega-3 from a sustainable resource. It's also the only vegetarian omega-3 in the world with both EPA & DHA.

Wow! I'm impressed. Finally a vegan source of epa and dha! The cost seems a bit high, but I am sure it will come down once the word gets out, and more is produced.

udo's makes a plant based version. [www.udoerasmus.com]

I don't think that one has EPA. It is a good product though.

Thankyou karrened, I have been looking for a vegan supplement for fish oil with both DHA and EPA for a while, and the closest I've been to finding one is Udo's.
I have been having eye and memory problems for a while now, nothing serious, I just cannot focus and I have trouble remembering things I recently learned. This seems to go hand in hand with a sort of stare offishness I've been having,my eyes just won't focus. My body has been telling me to eat fish for about 3-4 months now, but because I am a vegan, and because it makes me smell horrible and sweat after I eat it, I wouldn't have any. Now I am having these problems. I am going to purchase the oil as soon as I can. I wish I listened to my body sooner :[

I'm sorry to hear you've been having these problems. Keep us posted on how this oil works for you!

deegarry,

There are more vitamins per calorie in romaine lettuce or watermelon than there are in fish oil.

Here are some comparison (units are IU/cal - International Units per calorie, ug/cal - micro grams per calorie, or ng/cal - nanograms per calorie)

Fish Oil
========
A: 110 IU/cal
D 11 IU/cal

Romaine:
==========
A: 342 IU/cal
Retinol Activity Equivalent: 17 ug/cal
Beta Carotene: 205 ug/cal
Lutein+Zeaxanthin: 136 ug/cal
C: 1415 ug/cal
E: 7.5 ug/cal
K: 7 ug/cal
Thiamin: 5 ng/cal
Riboflavin: 4 ng/cal
Niacin: 19 ng/cal
B6: 5 ng/cal
Folate: 8 ug/cal
Pantothenic Acid: 8ng/cal
Choline: 0.6 ug/cal
Betaine: 6 ng/cal

Watermelon
==========
A: 5 IU/cal
Retinol Activity Equivalent: 279 ng/cal
Beta Carotene: 3 ug/cal
Beta Cryptoxanthin: 0.8 ug/cal
Lycopene: 45 ug/cal
Lutein+Zeaxanthin: 80 ng/cal
C: 81 ug/cal
E: 0.6 ug/cal
K: 1.2 ng/cal
Thiamin: 0.6 ug/cal
Niacin: 2 ug/cal
B6: 0.6 ug/cal
Folate: 30 ng/cal
Pantothenic Acid: 2 ug/cal
Choline: 41 ug/cal
Betaine: 3.2 ug/cal

You don't need to kill fish to be healthy.

You can optimize your omega6:3 ratio by eating raw, it should be 4:1 or less and you can track this ratio with many nutrient calculators online. If you are not sure about this you can take algae-based DHA/EPA.

Bryan, I love the information you give, I have to always print it out! I look forward to your replies!

Is anyone here familiar with UMAC Core [www.umac-core.com] (as compared to V-Pure or Udo's Oil ) above?

I've seen this at the health food store, and there are some news articles about a guy who cured a rare, advanced form of cancer by taking this stuff, but who knows. I've thought about trying it, but it's kind of expensive, and I just don't know if it would be worth the cost.

Sapphire

That does look interesting! I will have to see if my local Vitamin Shoppe has it and ask them about it.

i started using hemp oil - a great source of omega-3 ;-)

another perspective...

"Grains, legumes, supplements, superfoods, dehydrates, juices, stimulating condiments, and refined oils play no part in the 80/10/10 program, and the healthful fats in nuts, seeds, avocados, and coconuts are invited for rare guest appearances only."

"Are refined oils, like olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, coconut, etc., OK to use in dressing?
Because they are refined from their original state, oils are no longer safe to ingest into the body. In their concentrated forms, they are pure fat and large amounts of that fat will be directly absorbed into the bloodstream, adversely affecting the blood viscosity (thickness) and the blood chemistry. However, eating some fresh olives, coconut flesh, or sunflower seeds, in moderation, is not bad for you. These whole foods assuredly contain plenty of fat but it is in a form that is combined with all the essential nutrients designed by nature to accompany that fat."

Bryan, I like your numbers, too, but I notice that the romaine has no vitamin D, while the fish oil does. I know the body produces D in response to ultraviolet rays, but, in addition to mushrooms, which I love, do you know of any plant sources high in D?

shane,

There are no plant (fruits and vegetable) sources of vitamin D. Sunlight is the source for raw vegans. Sciencegal posted an article on Vitamin D in a post called Re: vitamin d deficiency that talks about how to get enough vitamin D during the sunny months to last through the winter months.

Mushrooms are sources of D2. They make more when you shine UV light on them.

bryan (!!!)
"If I did feel the need, I would have no problem doing so"
i'm pretty sure you're an ethical and environmental vegan, are you not?
you wouldn't actually take Fish liver oil? i don't believe it!

arugula, i have a black light, does that count? do they have to still be growing?

"While I agree that the best source of vit D is sunlight, it is not intense enough in many northern winter. You'd have to stand naked outside for many, many hours, which is quite impractical."

not true.
read this excellent post here
[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

and i visit the electric beach during the winter if i feel yucky. 5 minutes naked and sweaty and i'm good for the whole week! it's not enough to hurt my skin but it is enough to cheer me up.

Low Vitamin D Status despite Abundant Sun Exposure

[jcem.endojournals.org]

Conclusions: These data suggest that variable responsiveness to UVB radiation is evident among individuals, causing some to have low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure. In addition, because the maximal 25(OH)D concentration produced by natural UV exposure appears to be approximately 60 ng/ml, it seems prudent to use this value as an upper limit when prescribing vitamin D supplementation.

Vitamin D Level May Be Low Despite Adequate Sun Exposure - same study in a different article I think

[www.medscape.com]

Vitamin D deficiency and causative factors in the population of Tehran

[www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov]

Results
A high percentage of vitamin D deficiency was defined in the study population. Prevalence of severe, moderate and mild Vitamin D deficiency was 9.5%, 57.6% and 14.2% respectively. Vitamin D serum levels had no significant statistical relation with the duration of exposure to sunlight, kind of clothing and BMI. Calcium intake in the normal vitamin D group was significantly higher than the other groups (714.67 ± 330.8 mg/day vs 503.39 ± 303.1, 577.93 ± 304.9,595.84 ± 313.6). Vitamin D serum levels in young and middle aged females were significantly lower than the older group.

Just stirring things up. ;-)

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> arugula, i have a black light, does that count?

No, black lights emit from 320-400 nm.

Vitamin D synthesis is from 290-315 nm.

>do
> they have to still be growing?

They can still be metabolizing after they've been "plucked" from their growth substrate. You can put your package of mushrooms out in the sun for a day before you eat them. I can't tell you how much D2 they will have, only that it will probably be a lot more than what it was before the sun exposure.

I get my D from D2 in a pill, in an amount that is at least in theory supposed to be reliable. It's not animal sourced. But dry forms as is mine are not easy to take up by the body unless you grind them and take them with some fat. So I put mine in the coffee grinder.

You could also try checking the USDA nutrient database for D content of various types of mushrooms. IIRC some of them had a lot more than others.

I just posted this on another thread.

What about quinoa? It's high in omega 3 and 6. Is that any good? Not sure if it's complete..not very familiar with the whole omega thing..