Omega-3 questions

[thomer]

Where do you all get your Omega-3s? I'm a vegetarian so I'd rather not take fish oil or cod liver oil. I have taken flax oil capsules in the past, but I stopped and now I think they are expired.

Anyway, my other question is, can I use flax oil or walnut oil in cooking/baking, or will that destroy the fatty acids? I made waffles last night and used walnut oil. It tasted really good, but I'm not going to buy the stuff (so expensive) if it's losing its Omega-3s. Also, what if I used raw walnuts in baking - would those also lose their Omega-3s?

Some websites I've went to have said that fish oil is the only way (flax is actually harmful) and others have said that flax is better and fish oil is bad! :hissyfit I hate having such conflicting information!!

[Gretchen]

Where do you all get your Omega-3s? I'm a vegetarian so I'd rather not take fish oil or cod liver oil. I have taken flax oil capsules in the past, but I stopped and now I think they are expired.

They probably are - flax oil/seed has a very short shelf life. We are Cod Liver Oil fans (specifically, Nordic Naturals Peach flavored).

Anyway, my other question is, can I use flax oil or walnut oil in cooking/baking, or will that destroy the fatty acids? I made waffles last night and used walnut oil. It tasted really good, but I'm not going to buy the stuff (so expensive) if it's losing its Omega-3s. Also, what if I used raw walnuts in baking - would those also lose their Omega-3s?

I don't know anything about walnut oil; sorry. Flax oil should *not* be used for cooking. It loses its Omega-3s when heated and is unstable at high temperatures. I've read something else about cooking with flax (which I can't seem to find today :hissyfit) that indicates that not only does it lose the good stuff, but it's actually harmful to heat it (an issue with something bad that is released when heated - free radicals or something like that, but I can't recall exactly what the specific issue was).

Some websites I've went to have said that fish oil is the only way (flax is actually harmful) and others have said that flax is better and fish oil is bad! :hissyfit I hate having such conflicting information!!

I've never seen anything that says flax is harmful, but a lot of people find it to be less effective than fish oil. Flax oil contains ALA (a form of Omega-3), but no DHA or EPA (which are the ones the body really needs). The body can convert ALA to EPA and maybe to DHA, but it's theorized that some people's bodies don't do the conversion very well/at all. The only criticism I've heard of fish oils is that they can be high in mercury and other toxins. This is a valid concern, but there are several brands that are purified and are totally safe. Nordic Naturals, Carlson's and Garden of Life are very pure - I wouldn't recommend any other brand.

Does that help?

Gretchen

[Mama Calidad]

I love this site for natural sources of nutrients:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84

Other than that, we're CLO fans, too. I've tried other forms of omega-3 supplements, but the other forms don't help my crankiness the way CLO does. My body just doesn't get the same benefits from flax or fish oils. :shrug I can understand why, as a vegetarian, you'd want to avoid it. :hug

[Mothering by Heart]

I take flax oil, not the capsules. I don't think I could stomach the CLO. I have a hard enough time getting the flax down :sick
If you're doing flax, you have to take ahuge amount of the capsules to get same amount of oil.

[cobluegirl]

other good oils are evening primerose, borage oil, black current oil. I don't have any other info right now..but mothering mag this month had a brief article on oils...you might run to the book store and just read the article if you don't want to purchase it..although this month was really good...on pregnancy and breastfeeding...

I too have heard that Flax is inferior to Fish oil but like you said..I have conflicting info. I have used both. Something is better then nothing.