Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I stopped taking fish oil a while ago and am considering dropping seafood almost entirely from my diet.

I've been eating Bumblebee Wild Alaska Pink Canned Salmon frequently, not because I really like it (it's ok), but because it's super cheap and is a good source of protein and omega 3. The best thing I can come up with is to mix it with a beaten egg, form into patties, and fry in a pan of butter. This was great at first, but I'm getting sick of it.

I'm sure fresh wild-caught salmon would be a million times better, but unfortunately it's simply too expensive for me. But really, I'm just not much of a seafood fan. So, I continue to eat the canned salmon only because of its protein and omega 3 content.

Is this necessary? Do I get enough omega 3 already? Is my 3/6 ratio ok?

My daily PUFA sources are generally the following: 4 pastured eggs, 7.5oz canned salmon, 8oz 85% grass-fed ground beef, ~2oz grass-fed beef liverwurst (US Wellness Meats ftw), 2.5 tbsp pasture butter. I never consume nuts.

According to Cronometer, these give me 3.1g omega 3, and 4.7g omega 6. Of course, Cronometer doesn't take into account the better fatty acid profiles of pastured eggs, meat, and butter, but I have no idea what my numbers are really like.

Anyway, if I eliminate the salmon, and eat another 8oz of grass-fed ground beef in its place (I never get sick of it!), my omega 3 is 0.6g, and my omega 6 is 5.3g. That seems pretty terrible, but again, Cronometer doesn't account for the differences in pastured food (I just wish I knew how big those differences were).

Thoughts? Am I getting enough omega 3 if I eliminate seafood? Too much omega 6? Is fish and/or fish oil necessary for optimum health?

flag	asked Apr 16 2012 at 19:49 shtoink 588●3●12

If you want to keep eating wild salmon you don't have to buy it fresh, we buy wild frozen fish at costco, which is significantly better on out budget. Next, I wouldnt obsess over how much of each type of fat that you get provided your diet is well balanced and you feel good. – Team Oberg Apr 16 2012 at 20:27

Rick · Answer 1 · 2012-04-16 21:48:51Z UTC

My son's boy scout troop leader is the head scientist at NIH who studies the effects of dietary fats on the brains of children. I've talked to him about this and his take is that the average person needs maybe 1 gram of omega-3 per day. However, rather than taking more O-3, he said it's a better idea to stop eating vegetable oils. They contain high levels of omega-6 which competes for receptor space with O-3. Instead of using vegetable oils, use coconut oil or pastured butter to cook with. The less O-6 you take in, the less O-3 you need.

Dan · Answer 2 · 2012-04-16 20:26:40Z UTC

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You're fine, don't worry about it. Even without the salmon, your n-6 to n-3 ratio will still probably be close to 2:1, which is awesome.

answered Apr 16 2012 at 20:26

Dan
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deburn · Answer 3 · 2012-04-17 03:14:50Z UTC

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How about eating canned sardines for variety? And I believe red salmon is a better choice than pink, but I could be mistaken about that

answered Apr 17 2012 at 3:14

deburn
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Canned sardines are the best IMO as they contain calcium, O3, and nearly a full day's supply of vitamin D. – Rick Apr 18 2012 at 12:35

Can we get enough/optimum amounts of omega 3 if we don’t eat seafood or take fish oil?

3 Answers