Over recent years, many people have adopted plant-based diets for staying healthy, saving the animals, & protecting the environment. There is an extensive range of vegan food options and low-calorie healthy snacks available for you. Still, one question that comes with the vegan diet is how to get enough Omega-3 from plant-based food sources?
Your body requires good fats to stay healthy and energetic. It also lets the brain, eyes, and nerves function appropriately. The essential fats for your body include Omega-3 and Omega-6. The body does not produce these fats. You require such fats from external food sources.
Fish and fish oil are not only available sources of Omega-3. An extensive range of vegan food options is also available for you. Get a good source of Omega-6 (linoleic acids) from different food options like hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, plantain tostones Canada , sunflower seeds, walnuts, soya spread, and more. Make proper planning to consume Omega-3 from a plant-based diet. Thus, you require relevant sources of Omega-3 from vegan food options to consume the necessary fat. So, before looking at the available sources here, let’s understand the importance of fats.
Fats are imperative to stay healthy, keep your body in high functionality, and protect from several diseases. There is a distinction in fatty acids that includes saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. All these fatty acids vary in chemical structure and provide particular benefits/disbenefits to your body. Poly and monounsaturated fats are good for your body to consume from vegan food sources. It helps your heart be healthy, decreases the risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure, lowers blood triglycerides, and lowers blood cholesterol.
On the other side, saturated fats like trans-fatty acids are not healthy for your body. Consuming saturated fats allows you to suffer from heart-related disease, increase total blood cholesterol, provide a sticky substance in the body to block arteries, and more. Most plant-based food sources contain a high amount of mono and polyunsaturated fats required for your body. On the other side, junk and processed food are full of saturated and trans-fatty acids.
The body creates the most saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and does not require external food sources. Except like linoleic acid (Omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (Omega-3 fatty acid). You need to consume several plant-based food sources to get Omega-3 and Omega-6 in appropriate quantities.
Polyunsaturated fats like Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential for your body due to the following few reasons:
The wide range of plant-based Omega-3 rich food sources are mentioned below:
Omega-6 rich vegan food sources:
Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that the human body does not produce in itself. Consume the required quantity of Omega-3 from vegan sources as there are plenty of food options available for you. Include seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables in any form like healthy snacks from Ojas Vegan to meet nutritional requirements.
Plant-derived food sources are rich in Omega-3 and that too in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It is the only essential Omega-3 fatty acid. Since bodies cannot synthesize Omega-3, ALA must be there in your diet. Your body naturally converts ALA into a longer chain form of Omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Now, animal-based food sources contain both DHA and EPA. But it does not mean that you can only rely on such food to generate Omega-3 fatty acids. A plant-based diet is equally beneficial to create a long chain of Omega-3.
A majority of people consuming a vegan diet got enough amount of Omega-3. In a study, it is concluded that plant-based eaters generate more amount of Omega-3 fatty acids as compared to animal-based eaters. When it comes to measuring the level of Omega-3 derived from a vegan diet, you can get an average amount of DHA and EPA required for the body.
Yes, a plant-based diet is healthy for your brain. You consume natural macronutrients and more monounsaturated fats from various sources.
