Dietry recomendations to eat fish twice a week

It's a type of algae that fish actually get their sources of DHA from but it's a tiny concentrate that won't provide enough unless consuming very large amounts (hence why fish have a lot since they eat large amounts and process DHA/EPA) so supplements are recommended, body wise you need good amounts of EPA, DHA and tiny amounts of ALA since it has been linked to eye problems.

It's highly recommended to take supplements to ensure your levels of EPA and DHA are optimal because the amount received through conversion of ALA(contained in plant oils) is tiny, a good article is at http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3 which explains the differences and includes studies based on the levels of average vegan adults.

Levels of around 200mg-300mg of DHA can produce enough EPA as well as retaining enough DHA such as: DHA by DEVA - http://www.uproar.org.au/uproar-shop/. There are also other vegan supplements with amounts of EPA created from the DHA in algae which might be more ideal since your body will have less conversions - http://www.greenedgeonline.com.au/acatalog/Essential_Fatty_Acids.html.

Cooking with vegetable oils high in OMEGA 3 such as sunflower oil should be avoided due to the large amounts of ALA and less efficient conversion, ones with omega 6 such as canola, olive, peanut and avocado are more beneficial.

Another area of interest is scientist creating modified soybeans to have SDA in large amounts which will produce enough EDA without the need for fish oil, algae or the eye risk of large amounts of vegetable oil - "In summary, leading health authorities have concluded that omega-3 fatty acids are important for human health. Limitations of a sustainable supply of fish coupled with a high cost make fish oil an insufficient source of omega-3 fatty acids to the majority of the world’s population. SDA soybean oil produced through biotechnology offers one potential sustainable solution to providing the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in foods acceptable to consumers with reasonable shelf life. "  http://www.soyconnection.com/newsletters/soy-connection/health-nutrition/article.php/SDA+Soybeans:+A+New+Sustainable+Source+of+Omega-3+Fatty+Acids?id=177

I personally had no idea about the differences and have to thank FancisM for leading me to research the facts about the different OMEGA 3 acids and i will now be purchasing some of the vegan supplements/cutting down on ALA oils. I wish this information was more common knowledge since this is the first time I've ever heard about it.

Just wanted to make a quick public apology to Jack - in the context of the original poster asking about going vegetarian, his comment is actually quite reasonable. I took it in the context of being vegan, in which case it would have a bit 'throwing caution to the wind', and so responded in a bit of a snarky manner.
Sorry about that.


Also, Yvan: cheers for the additional details. I didn't realise that the concentration of omega-3 in algae was so low (hence people using fish oil - fish act as accumulators); and now, using algae extract. Excellent.

Okay so to sum it all up...People who eat eggs or fish will be getting sufficient amounts of DHA and EPA. But people who do not eat fish or eggs (vegans) will only be getting small amounts to none, and should be taking algae supplements.
The supplements are pretty cheap though at $20 for 60 capsules.

Oh so eggs provide it?

They do, but we're talking 2 eggs *each day*. Omega-3 enriched eggs (which are apparently available in free-range, and the source of omega-3 is algae not fish) have just over double the quantity.
(see:
http://www.farmpride.com.au/Our_Egg_Products.asp?_=Omega-3+Eggs
http://www.osumex.com/omega3.php
(both of them are of course trying to sell stuff, but the former is presenting clear and factual information)
Although if you check out:
http://www.supplementquality.com/news/IoM_omega3.html
That source suggests the 'adequate intake' of omega-3 long chain fatty acids is not sufficiently high.


So the short answer is "yes", and the long answer is "I'd still consider supplementation".
Although maybe with the research Yvan was talking about, soybean oils from GM plants could be providing it soon enough anyway. GM ftw!

From all the information I've read even people that eat fish on occasion should still consider taking supplements because most people won't be eating it daily and obtaining the recommended amount. However vegans should definitely take supplements since they don't have any other sources of DHA other than the algae it's extracted from.

Yeah i heard about that research, i hope it comes soon. I dion't really like suplements, but omega-3 is one of those things that even a lot of meat eaters take suplements of.

Oh and i'm not vegan, just vegetarian but i rarely eat eggs and dairy, but i sometimes eat the little ingredients from them like whey.

There is nothing wrong with supplements, when you eat fortified foods they are using the same type of supplements as vitamins i.e. in soy milk/vege-burgers with nutrients such as B12. Omega 3 wise it's the DHA collected from algae concentrated into the tablet and if your rarely eating eggs you should consider some of the supplements to ensure you have less problems later on

i've been vego for 2 years now & haven't supplemented the omega's much.. on the rarest of occasions i've taken flax oil and occasionally i use chia seeds in food.. i was just wondering if there are other food sources i need.. personally i hate taking supplements.. a simple response would be great..

The current non-animal source for omega 3 long chain acids is a type of algae which only has low amounts, which is why you need to take supplements with concentrated amounts of algae. Lacking enough longer chain omega 3 acids won't show until later stages in your life such as your long-term brain development.

Flax seeds contain shorter chain omega 3 acids and in high amounts can cause eye problems, they also aren't sufficient in creating the longer chain acids which are the most important for our development.