Is flaxseed worth it or should I switch to chia seeds or something else?

[peace-love-couture]

I ask because for the past year or so I've been obsessed with eating more omega 3 fatty acid rich foods. Aside from taking a fish oil supplement by Nature Made, I tend to eat salmon about 2x a week and I used to eat tuna everyday for breakfast(I hate it now) and I also eat sardines almost every day because I love them.

But, for the past few months or so I've been putting at least one tablespoon of ground flaxseed into my food like yogurt(which I eat almost daily) and oatmeal or whatever I can really add it to.

Is it worth it since flaxseed contains ALA's as opposed to DHA and EPA?

should I switch supplements or what advice can you give me?

[MyNameIsJonas]

Your getting complex with your eating now!

Im the same way because I don't believe in buying supplements only good diet.

As for ALA link Not something I really look for although its very present in my diet. It's an anti oxidant It's found naturally in meats. As you read the link I gave you, you can get some info of why too much is bad for you and some supplements are not as pure as what you'd be getting in real food.

As for DHA and EPA both are rich in sardines (witch is my go too food, I usually get skinless and boneless in water) I started reading up on Omega 3's and how it helps you break down and absorb protein within the body. I think it makes a difference for myself.

Read this link - Important point #2 -

"Not all Omega 3's will provide you with DHA and EPA. This is because these essential fatty acids are not present in a lot of Omega 3 products. For example, ground flax seed is an excellent oil for certain uses and contains Omega 3's but does not actually contain any DHA or EPA at all. Instead it contains alpha linolenic acid which your body has to convert to DHA and EPA.

In many people, particularly the elderly this conversion process is very inefficient. To give you an idea, it is estimated that most adults would have to consume 10 - 40 grams of flaxseed oil to produce just 0.2 grams of DHA.

So, if you want to get the proven benefits of DHA don't rely on getting your Omega 3's from vegetable oils such as flaxseed"

Keep reading there is more... So hard to cut and paste with mac...

So In my opinion Your getting everything you need from sardines but need some minor ALA but I think you should get that from natural foods or minor use of flaxseed.

[MyNameIsJonas]

(:

[PicklesMr]

Chia seeds have a lot of health benefits really. They help people lose weight and fight with diabetes as well. If you are not sure about them, you can just read a very informative article here:
There is everything about chia seeds. From my point of view, you should definitely switch to them

[madmisskelly]

Flaxseed is great. I get it in the ground version and I put it in my oatmeal. It helps keep me really full.

Its fantastic and definitely worth it.

[kheserthorpe]

ALA converts to DHA/EPA but pretty inefficiently.

How much fish oil do you take?

Most of the studies showing benefits were running around 3g/day of DHA+EPA.

[peace-love-couture]

I take 2 fish oil pills with 360 mg of DHA/EPA. Sometimes I take 4 a day if possible