fish oil. argue for me please?

summerlovin · **Joined:** Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:40 pm **Posts:** 53

so my father in law had a heart attack (he's fine, thank you) and now his doctor is telling him he needs fatty fish in his diet at a minimum of twice a week. my mother in law, who has never been thrilled with my diet but also generally never bothers me about it, is now adamant that i start eating fish and cooking it for my husband. she does have a degree in nutrition or health or something, so she's not completely hopeless to discussion.

you guys are better fighters than me. what can i say besides... "(squirm, uncomfortable face)...there are other sources of omega 3s... erm.. algae. (large gulps of wine.)"?

ijustdiedinside · **Joined:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:43 pm **Posts:** 8684

just tell her you'll start taking vegan omega-3 supplements. there's an active thread on these supplements in the spa. they are pretty easy to find. more expensive than eating fish or fish oil, but still a better option for a vegan than eating fish. Tell her you're ethically opposed to eating animals, so you're not going to do it.

or, you could just ignore her because you're an adult and you shouldn't really have to argue with someone about what you eat. that's what i'd do.

popomatic · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:45 am

Okay... your husband can take fish oil supplements (unless he's veg), and you can take vegan omega 3 supplements. Cooking and eating the "heart healthy" fish brings a risk of mercury overload. Cruelty argument aside (which never works on folks who "don't get it"), there's still a ton of mercury in salmon, and the farm raised isn't much better (Dog only knows what those fish are fed).

I remember seeing some actor on tv not too long ago who admitted that a diet with "too much sushi" ended up with him needing chelation therapy to draw the excess mercury from his system.

Gulliver · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 12:09 pm

Fish get their omega oils from their food. Taking a spirulina supplement or something like that is a good idea, as it's a much better source of omega-3 oils than, say, flax

summerlovin · **Joined:** Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:40 pm **Posts:** 53

Thanks.. this is a great start. :)
i did bring up the mercury issue, and i think her response was along the lines of being more worried about a heart attack. she commented on getting nutrients from the source being far superior to supplements, which is an argument i usually make for eating whole foods instead of processed stuff. but the fish get them from plants anyway, right?
so i guess i did better than i thought, i just dislike confrontation. i'll head on over to the supplements thread, read up, and put my foot down. as for the hubby, he is a man. he is happily vegan at home when i cook, but when it comes to fending for himself all bets are off! so he can cook his own darn fish if thats what he wants!

Gulliver · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:07 pm

Omega-3 oils aren't one thing, they are a group of different oils found in different quantities. Fish is high in some, plants in others. The main vegan problem is getting enough of the fishy ones.

Little My · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:42 pm

I'm sure there are other reasons that your FIL had a heart atttack besides the lack of Omega-3s in his diet.

But I think it's a good idea for everyone to get DHA and EPA and both are available in vegan form.

Also, my husband is a "man", too, and has been vegan for 11 years. I don't think his gender has to do with the fact that he eats meat.

dakini · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:56 pm

Little My wrote:

I'm sure there are other reasons that your FIL had a heart atttack besides the lack of Omega-3s in his diet.

But I think it's a good idea for everyone to get DHA and EPA and both are available in vegan form.

Also, my husband is a "man", too, and has been vegan for 11 years. I don't think his gender has to do with the fact that he eats meat.

Word. Lots of vegan ppk dudes, including my guy. What does your husband have to say about his mom getting all up in your grill about the way you eat? I hope for your sake your husband doesn't start cooking fish because that is the worst food smell ever.

assilembob · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:19 pm

Probably not much help but...
...fish oil supplements make my Mom and Dad's gas unbearable. They are also extremely gassy now. Christmas was stinky hell.

Tofulish · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 8:14 pm

I remember reading that a lot of the fish oil sold in capsules is actually rancid.

Quote:

Scientists increasingly worry that the hazard of rancid fish oil supplements is widespread. Recent tests by a team of New Zealand researchers found that many fish oil samples contain “oxidative byproducts,” indicating the oil is degrading and becoming rancid.

Taking rancid fish oil is dangerous because it can actually promote instead of prevent heart disease–as well as other chronic diseases. In humans, oxidized fats raise the risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots–even at the low levels found in fish oil capsules, says Rufus Turner, leading oils expert at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

The problem: fish oil is so unstable it starts to oxidize as soon as it is extracted from the fish and exposed to oxygen, metals, light and heat. Further, fish oil begins to go rancid within days, although labels often say it’s safe to use it for three or four years.

http://www.stopagingnow.com/liveintheno ... l-capsules

Given that, you're better off eating flax seed oil.

I've used this argument with my partner, and somehow the word "rancid" made him happily amenable to flax oil instead.

summerlovin · **Joined:** Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:40 pm **Posts:** 53

you're right, fishy smell is the WORST! second maybe to fishy gas? eeewww! HA! i will try inserting rancid and fish in the same sentences more often.

by my husband being a man, i only meant he is lazy in the kitchen and ends up going to subway or something. lucky you with your vegan hubbies! and no offense to the manly men of the ppk! at least i have a lifetime to convert mine.

thanks for the feedback, you all are awesome!

dakini · **Posted:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:24 pm

summerlovin wrote:

you're right, fishy smell is the WORST! second maybe to fishy gas? eeewww! HA! i will try inserting rancid and fish in the same sentences more often.

by my husband being a man, i only meant he is lazy in the kitchen and ends up going to subway or something. lucky you with your vegan hubbies! and no offense to the manly men of the ppk! at least i have a lifetime to convert mine.

thanks for the feedback, you all are awesome!

Hahah! It sounds like you have your battle plan worked out. ; ) Good luck, summerlovin!

vegimator · **Posted:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:27 pm

I think this is what you want -

"Algal-oil capsules and cooked salmon: nutritionally equivalent sources of docosahexaenoic acid."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030

So if you take vegan dha, you're getting the same benefits as you would from fish.

mollyjade · **Posted:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:52 pm

vegimator wrote:

I think this is what you want -

"Algal-oil capsules and cooked salmon: nutritionally equivalent sources of docosahexaenoic acid."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030

So if you take vegan dha, you're getting the same benefits as you would from fish.

You also still get fishy burps!

vegimator · **Posted:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:56 pm

mollyjade wrote:

vegimator wrote:

I think this is what you want -

"Algal-oil capsules and cooked salmon: nutritionally equivalent sources of docosahexaenoic acid."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589030

So if you take vegan dha, you're getting the same benefits as you would from fish.

You also still get fishy burps!

True, though I haven't had those in years. I did get them when I first took omega-zens though.

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