When it comes to compassion- we wanna hold your hand!
Here's the latest gold from Certified Vegan Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Mia DiBartolo so you can rest easy and so can our oceans.
What exactly are omega-3s?
Omega 3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids (a type of fat) that are important for things like brain, heart and eye health. They have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body so they are very important for the maintenance of good health.
The three main types of omega 3s are ALA (alpha-linoleic acid) EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). ALA is found in plant foods and gets converted in the body to form EPA and DHA.
The plant foods containing the highest amount of ALA are flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts. One tablespoon of ground flaxseeds contains approximately 1.6 grams of ALA. That’s around the recommended serving size for healthy adults to consume per day. Just throw a tablespoon or two in your smoothie or on your oatmeal each day and it couldn’t be easier!
When most people think of Omega 3s, they think of fish or fish oil supplements.
Did you know that fish consume algae to get their omega 3s?
Algae are sea vegetables such as kelp, nori, wakame, and dulse. Humans eat them too, in sushi, salads, etc. The type of algae humans eat don’t contain very much omega 3s though, just a small amount of EPA.
The type of algae that does contain high amounts of omega 3s, particularly DHA and EPA are microalgae. This tiny stuff floats on top of the sea water. This is why the DHA and EPA are extracted from them and made into supplements.
A common theme in a lot of these supplement topics are, instead of eating your nutrients through an animal, why not go to the source itself? This is why algae based omega 3 supplements are so amazing. Fish oil supplements can also contain certain levels of pollutants, because they get stored in the fat tissue of the fish where the fish oil comes from. Opting for algae based omega 3 supplements is also an ethical and sustainable way to boost your levels without causing unnecessary harm to our oceans.
Omega 3 supplements can be expensive. That’s why it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider and discuss if it would be beneficial for you to take one before going ahead and doing so. Certain groups of people that could benefit from an omega 3 supplement include pregnant women, older adults, people with cardiovascular disease and people with arthritic conditions.
A much more cost effective way of boosting your omega 3 levels is incorporating more flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts into your daily diet. They also contain lots of fiber and other nutrients which are amazing for the body.
There are other reasons to opt for plant sources of omega 3s:
Environmental Concerns of Fishing
Overfishing: According to the documentary Seaspiracy, “the fishing industry takes 2.7 trillion fish from oceans globally each year” (Earth.org, 2021). This is a huge problem and is putting a strain on many fish species. The more overfishing that occurs, the more biodiversity loss and disruption to the ocean’s ecosystem. The problem with this is when the natural ecosystem and food chain is disrupted, all other species in the ocean will suffer.
By Catch- one of the many issues associated with Bottom Trawling (more information, below).
Plastic Pollution: Contrary to popular belief, plastic straws and human plastic waste only make up a very small portion of the plastic in the ocean. According to Seaspiracy, “46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of fishing nets.” (Earth.org, 2021) Lowering human consumption of fish would help lower this amount of fishing nets in the ocean.
Bottom Trawling: This is a fishing method where huge weighted nets are dragged to the bottom of the ocean floor. There are multiple problems with this - one of them being that it disturbs marine sediments at the bottom of the ocean and these are some of the world’s biggest carbon sinks. Bottom trawling releases a lot of carbon dioxide. It also results in the issue of bycatch, which is where large nets unintentionally catch non-target species of fish and mammals that they didn’t mean to such as sharks and dolphins.
Bottom Trawler: This will pick up almost anyone in its path.
Ethical Concerns
There is this common belief that fish don’t feel pain. This may be because fish look and behave drastically differently than humans, and they live underwater, so it’s harder for humans to relate to them. There have been many studies done to prove that fish do in fact feel pain. Dr Lynne Snedon, director of bio-veterinary science at the University of Liverpool explains, “When subject to a potentially painful event fishes show adverse changes in behaviour such as suspension of feeding and reduced activity, which are prevented when a pain-relieving drug is provided,” “When the fish’s lips are given a painful stimulus they rub the mouth against the side of the tank much like we rub our toe when we stub it.” (Duncan, 2019). Given the information we have now on fish feeling pain and suffering when they’re caught, the moral implications of this should be clear.
For those interested in learning more on the environmental effects of the fishing industry, the documentary Seaspiracy is very informative and eye opening. The CBC program, Outlaw Ocean, is also an excellent source.
If you are determined to live in a way that does not harm our precious marine ecosystems, in as far as is possible, you can also now go forth and live confidently, and healthfully, while doing so!
Sources
Cleveland Clinic. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids.” Cleveland Clinic, 17 Nov. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17290-omega-3-fatty-acids.
Nagra, Dr Matthew. “Naturopathic Dr. Matthew Nagra.” Vancouver’s Plant-Based Naturopathic Doctor, 24 July 2021, drmatthewnagra.com/the-goodness-lover-podcast-are-fats-good-for-you. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
“Naturopathic Dr. Matthew Nagra.” Vancouver’s Plant-Based Naturopathic Doctor, 14 Nov. 2022, drmatthewnagra.com/plant-university-benefits-of-plant-based-fats/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
NIH. “Office of Dietary Supplements - Omega-3 Fatty Acids.” Nih.gov, 15 Feb. 2023, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/.
Reed, Bridget. “Does Seaweed Have Omega-3?: Five Plant-Based Benefits.” Iwi Life, 5 June 2022, iwilife.com/blogs/news/does-seaweed-have-omega-3 . Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
“Should Vegans Take DHA to Preserve Brain Function?” @Nutrition_facts, 30 Sept. 2016, nutritionfacts.org/video/should-vegans-take-dha-to-preserve-brain-function/ . Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
“The Environmental & Climate Impact of Fish Oil: Algae Omegas Can Help.” Freshfield, 30 Oct. 2023, freshfield.life/blogs/fieldnotes/environment-climate-impact-of-fish-oil-algae-based-omegas-can-help.
“13 Facts from “Seaspiracy.”” Earth.org - Past | Present | Future, 12 Apr. 2021, earth.org/facts-from-seaspiracy/.
Hooper, Ellie. “Greenpeace Aotearoa.” Greenpeace Aotearoa, 10 Apr. 2020, www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/story/what-is-bottom-trawling-and-why-is-it-bad-for-the-environment/#BottomTrawlingAndClimateChange. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
Duncan, Conrad. “Fish Can Feel Pain in Similar Way to Humans, Study Concludes.” The Independent, 22 Nov. 2019, www.independent.co.uk/news/science/fish-pain-human-animal-biology-lynne-sneddon-a9123626.html.