I consume large quantities of fish oil pills, ground flax and fatty fish. However, I understand that the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is the important factor. I also tend to eat a half cup of natural peanut butter (or sometimes homemade walnut or almond butter).
All these nuts contain much more omega 6 than omega 3. In addition to the oil I use (olive oil and canola oil) and all the fat I get from non-swimming dead animals, do these fat sources defeat the omega 3 I am consuming? Ideally, I would be taking in equal quantities of omega 3 and omega 6. However, even though I generally eat a few ounces of flax seed, at least 6 ounces of fatty fish and 10-15 grams of fish oil, I suspect the large quantities of omega 6 in my other fat sources probably outweigh the omega 3 I consume.
Am I over analyzing this? Are the ratios not as important as sheer quantity of omega 3?
[quote]virtualetters wrote:
I consume large quantities of fish oil pills, ground flax and fatty fish. However, I understand that the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is the important factor. I also tend to eat a half cup of natural peanut butter (or sometimes homemade walnut or almond butter).
All these nuts contain much more omega 6 than omega 3. In addition to the oil I use (olive oil and canola oil) and all the fat I get from non-swimming dead animals, do these fat sources defeat the omega 3 I am consuming? Ideally, I would be taking in equal quantities of omega 3 and omega 6. However, even though I generally eat a few ounces of flax seed, at least 6 ounces of fatty fish and 10-15 grams of fish oil, I suspect the large quantities of omega 6 in my other fat sources probably outweigh the omega 3 I consume.
Am I over analyzing this? Are the ratios not as important as sheer quantity of omega 3? [/quote]
You’ve got good thinking, in that the ratio is important. But I personally think you are overestimating the amount of Omega-6 you are getting. Meat has very little polyunsaturated fat in it, in general. Olive oil isn’t very high in polyunsaturates, Canola oil has higher amounts - but if you’re taking the amount of fish oil and flax that you say you are, I think you’re pretty damn close to having a 1:1 or 2:1 Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio.
I know I actually probably take in too little Omega-6 now.
[quote]virtualetters wrote:
I consume large quantities of fish oil pills, ground flax and fatty fish. However, I understand that the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is the important factor. I also tend to eat a half cup of natural peanut butter (or sometimes homemade walnut or almond butter).
All these nuts contain much more omega 6 than omega 3. [/quote]
Omega 3 is predominantly found in Fish, Meat etc. but in nuts and seed its in far smaller quantities. Concentrate on eating Omega 3’s as supposed to Omega 6’s, if your on a diet rich in nuts, seeds and the likes you’ll easily reach your Omega 6 RDA, its Omega 3 that people struggle to meet, so as I said before concentrate on consumning more Omega 3…Omega 6 & 9 levels are met easily by diet!
I make no effort to try to consume omega 6 -it’s simply something that comes with consuming virtually any fat source.
Are there certain oils or nuts that have less omega 6? I’m not aware of any that have more omega 3 than 6, but aside from macadamia nuts (which are considerably out of my budget), all vegetable fats aside from flax seem to be predominantly omega 6.