Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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If this is the new standard, rather than 4:1, and 2:1, then given meats are at best 2:1, does that mean that a healthy diet MUST include seeds and/or fish?

I have heard that ALA is not an ideal nutrient because its poorly converted (only about 10% is converted into longer chain omega-3's, which means you need 10x as much for the same effect). It also is primarily found in hard to digest foods like seeds and grasses..

That would seem to imply that our evolutionary diet and a healthy diet must include shellfish and seafood, being its the only omega 3 thats readily converted into useful chemicals..

And, if ALA is not even 1/10th as good as DHA etc, its possible this 1:1 ratio is a pile of BS being it doesnt make any distinction between EPA/DHA and the far less useful ALA!!!

I mean what we need to know is the ratio of specifically EPA/DHA to omega 6s that we need to be healthy...ie, how much fish or fish oil should we eat...(especially given that it seems like this 6/3 ratio is crap because it includes far less useful ALA as being equal to EPA/DHA, which it apparently isnt at all)

Lets just put ALA aside unless anyone to wants to eat a few kgs of seeds every day!

Clearly we can survive on omega 3s from other sources, like land animals and seeds, but if its so important, and poorly converted, it would imply that fish/shellfish/algae etc is the source we evolved to use.....so how much do I need to eat to get good health on a paleo diet....1 times a week? 2? three? half of my meat intake?

I mean if half or less of that "1:1" ratio is ALA, then the actual ratio if your eating fish would then be 2:1 or more...(it seems unlikely most people would even be eating half of there omega 3 from fish/seadfood, so that number could easily go back up to 4:1, or 8:1 if u are getting ur omega 3s from fish oil or seafood)

I regularly snack on tuna, eat shrimps and have the odd fish meal...but is that enough for this "ratio"...

I think I may try and get two meals a week of fatty fish.., of some low mercury species...

Confusing...anyone got any studies on omega-3/6 ratios that actually seperate DHA/EPA from ALA?

(And grr, alot of fish are high in mercury now, which is super bad if we actually require it for optimal health....)

BTW how the heck did all that mercury get into the ocean?

edited Jun 9 at 12:09

asked Jun 9 at 12:01

Jamie
5,897●1●3●17

	scientificamerican.com/… – Alex Jun 9 at 12:28
	The omega 3 fat in grass fed ruminants is ALA. – foreveryoung Jun 9 at 15:21
	^ And EPA/DHA. – Tyler F Jun 10 at 1:23

klail · Answer 1 · 2012-06-09 18:25:52Z UTC

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http://chriskresser.com/podcast-episode-ii-essential-fatty-acids-fish-and-fish-oil

Everything u ever wanted to know about omega 6 and 3

answered Jun 9 at 18:25

klail
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That's a good post, but his voice isn't the only one to consider. Dr. Bill Harris has more impressive credentials and endorses the AHA view that we should eat 5–10% of calories as O6, because some of them have anti-inflammatory properties, and he doesn't even have an O6:O3 recommendation that I've found. Even Chris Masterjohn notes that prior to the 1930's, Americans ate 15g of O6 daily. – jake3_14 Oct 19 at 0:14

Tyler F · Answer 2 · 2012-06-09 15:15:44Z UTC

The modern H/G societies I've read about usually have a ratio around 1:2-1:4 n-3:n-6, not necessarily because they eat a lot of fish, but because they eat so little PUFA in general.

PUFA should be a relatively small % of your food energy.

foreveryoung · Answer 3 · 2012-06-09 15:28:21Z UTC

"I mean what we need to know is the ratio of specifically EPA/DHA to omega 6s that we need to be healthy"

IT sounds like you think there's only one omega 6 fat? There's linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and GLA- those are the few that I'm familiar with.

Also, grass fed ruminants contain ALA, not EPA or DHA.

Maybe ALA should be balanced with linoleic acid (short chains) and arachidonic acid should be balanced with EPA and DHA (preformed)

Mscott · Answer 4 · 2012-06-09 23:05:39Z UTC

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Seafood isn't your only option. Take a cue from the zombies, brains are a great source long chain omega-3.

answered Jun 9 at 23:05

Mscott
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Why the downvote? C'mon, who else thought of brains as a DHA source? – Mscott Oct 19 at 0:16

1:1 ratio now touted as new healthy omega 6/3 ratio…and seafood…and general ramblings and queries…

4 Answers