Forget fish, 'Nothing Fishy' are farming sustainable algae to get Omega 3 direct from the source. Fish don't actually produce omega 3, they get it from krill, who get it from algae, which means vegans can too. These new supplements are made with cold pressed algal oil. Nothing Fishy sent us a pack to try out:
The vegan softgels are supplied in beautiful packaging. A recycled glass jar, with a natural cork stopper comes in a recycled cardboard tube. Inside are 60 golden pearls of algal oil.
The debate about the optimal ratio of omega 3 to 6 is still unresolved, but what's clear is that omega 3 has proven benefits for heart health and combatting inflammatory conditions.
Fatty Acids Primer
There are only two essential fatty acids, omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) and omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), both of which are abundant in plant foods. The longer chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA can be made in the body from dietary ALA (e.g. from chia, flax and walnuts), but conversion is usually considered inefficient.
That's where getting a boost of DHA from algal oil comes in. The supplements provide 200mg of DHA in each gel cap.
Do they work?
We're not going to be able to say if they work, based on a month long course. Heart disease and inflammation are long term conditions. Like all supplements, we're not going to score them either. You'll have to make up your own mind, but beware of the vegan bashing you'll find on many websites.
The softgels are certainly pleasant enough to take, although if you fancy a blast of the seaside (whilst being hit in the face with a wet bunch of seaweed), try chewing them....
'Nothing Fishy' Algal Omega 3 softgels are available online from
http://www.nothingfishy.co/ (no it doesn't have a .uk, but they are UK based, in trendy Dalston in fact)
The Not-so-Good: They're not inexpensive
Footnote: Ingredients
Here is the ingredients panel from the pack we reviewed.
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Omg... Omega3 supplement in clear glass. Fail...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHeard the same re: clear packaging vs. opaque packaging. What's the cleanest vegan option with the best omegas ratio and best absorption?
ReplyDeleteYou could try Minami Nutrition VeganDHA, but I'm not expert in vegan omega 3 products... Easier gets high quality fish oils... And the price is much more reasonable. But I guess You're not interested.
DeleteCorrect; I'm not interested b/c of one of its ingredients. Read: http://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/food-safety/is-carrageenan-safe/
DeleteIt might be true... I don't know much about carrageenan from the science based view.
DeleteOther vegan omega 3 products I saw was: NuTru O Mega Zen, Healthspan Veg Omega3, Vegetology Opti3, Biotivia Green, Together Algae OceanPure, Genestra Super Neurogen DHA.
The main cons of algae omega 3 products for me is that it contains only DHA one... No EPA. So it's not suitable for anti-inflammatory puropse very well... You could also depend on ALA conversion, but it's tricky task... It's influenced by many factors. So flaxseed oil might be not enough in some cases. Either way i recommend two teaspoon of whole flaxseeds a day - it'll give You approximately 250mg of EPA+DHA if conversion will be efficient at around 5%. It quite cover minimal recommended daily intake of these fatty acids. Hemp seeds are also good source. Just remember to keep proper omega 3 to omega 6 ratio which is around 1:1 to 1:5 on omega 6 side.