{"id":70817,"date":"2017-01-26T15:06:39","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T14:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/blog\/where-do-vegans-get-their-omega-3\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T16:17:43","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:17:43","slug":"where-do-vegans-get-their-omega-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/en-us\/where-do-vegans-get-their-omega-3\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Omega-3 in a Vegan Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is omega-3 and how can vegans get enough?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Chia
Image Credit: AdobeStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Omega-3 plays an important role in the health and functioning of every cell in your body \u2013 that\u2019s why it has been studied so extensively and features so regularly in the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re keen to improve things like the health of your skin, your energy levels and mood, or just stay healthy for longer, making sure that you\u2019ve got enough omega-3 in your diet is the best place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is omega-3?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of unsaturated fats we must get from our diet as they\u2019re very important for our heart and brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three main omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, DHA and EPA. ALA is a short-chain fatty acid, while DHA and EPA are long-chain fatty acids. The long-chain omega-3s are found in fish (who obtain them from algae) and sea vegetables. The short-chain omega-3s are found in certain nuts and seeds, greens and soybeans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EPA and DHA are the superstars with the health benefits, and ALA can be converted to these long-chain omega-3s in the body. However, this ability reduces with age and varies between individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to note that there is more to getting enough omega-3 than just eating more foods that contain it. Since the Western diet is largely based on products such as bread and pasta, it makes the process of creating enough DHA and EPA much more difficult \u2013 especially if you aren\u2019t eating foods such as oily fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests that the dietary ratio of omega-6<\/a> needs to be kept as low as possible whilst emphasizing foods that are high in omega-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can vegans get enough?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vegans should aim to consume 2-4g of ALA per day through our diets. As the only foods containing both EPA and DHA are sea greens, vegans should take a high-quality microalgae supplement to ensure we get enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A reliable source of omega-3 is an algae supplement with at least 250mg of DHA for adults per day. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, research suggests we should aim to get 500mg of EPA and DHA combined each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be done alongside emphasizing balanced sources of omega-3 and -6, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n