Omega-3 healthy oils

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1 Omega-3 are an essential ingredient in your MJ Plan. I always get asked loads of questions about omega-3s. So, here's a Tip Sheet that explains Omega-3s and answers all your queries. What are omega-3s? Omega-3s are a type of healthy (polyunsaturated) fat that our body cannot produce and must be obtained from food. There are three main types of omega-3s alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA comes from plant-based foods and eggs whereas EPA and DHA come from seafood and marine algae/seaweed. Benefits Omega-3 provide so many benefits. They: Help to decrease inflammation Reduce the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases Lowers triglyceride and LDL levels (bad blood fats) Increases HDL (good blood fat) cholesterol levels Reduces blood pressure Can reduce inflammation associated with arthritis Help to treat depression and elevate mood How much omega-3 do I need? You probably need more than you are eating at present. The average Australian daily intake of omega-3s is only 200mg (DHA & EPA). The table on the next page shows recommendations for general health and specific conditions. Your Metabolic Jumpstart Daily Target for Omega-3s is 1800mg to optimise metabolic function and fat loss. Read the first FAQ later in this Tip Sheet for why the target is 1800mg per day.

2 Recommended daily intakes of omega-3s Recommendation Australian government recommended targets [1] Women Men National Heart Foundation (NHF) target to reduce risk of heart disease. [2] Total amount of EPA & DHA (mg) NHF target for people with heart disease 1000 NHF target for people with lipid abnormalities * Metabolic Jumpstart Daily Target 1800 * Increase to 4000 per day and check response every 3-4 weeks until target triglyceride levels are reached. How much omega-3 are in the foods I eat? The omega-3 content of foods varies from zero in many foods up to 15% of the total fat in tinned sardines. Fish are the most concentrated source of omega-3s in the diet. Not all omega-3 oils are created equal! And it s important to note that not all omega-3 are created the same. Only around 10% of plan omega-3 oils (ALA) are converted to the useful omega-3 form in your body. This makes the animal form of omega-3s (DHA & EPA) far superior in terms of the actually amount of omega-3s you get from food. See the table on the next page for a breakdown by MJ Food Groups.

3 Omega-3 content of some common foods in MJ Food Groups Food group Food Serving size ALA* (mg) DHA & EPA (mg) Vegetables Mushrooms 75g 430 Spinach 75g 190 Lettuce 75g 150 Green beans 75g 45 Fruit No omega-3s Dairy Cheddar cheese 40g 100 Cheddar cheese, red-fat 40g 50 Cottage cheese 40g 40 Protein Lamb, lean Beef, lean Chicken breast, no skin Swordfish Atlantic salmon Australian salmon (Greenseas) Canned tuna (Greenseas) Southern blue fin tuna Snapper Red emperor Coral cod Yellow fin tuna Saltwater barramundi Freshwater barramundi 100g 100g 100g

4 Omega-3 content of some common foods in MJ Food Groups (continued) Food group Food Serving size ALA* (mg) DHA & EPA (mg) Healthy Oils Canola oil 2000 Walnut 30g 1890 Soybean oil 1600 Oil, poly blend 1380 Margarine spread, canola 915 Corn oil 400 Peanut oil 400 Margarine spread, unsat d 250 Pecan nut 30g 180 French dressing 120 Hazelnut 30g 30 Tahini 30g 30 Coleslaw dressing 20 Italian dressing 20 Mayonnaise 20 Dressings, fat free Trace Peanuts 30g 0 Starch Bread, soy and linseed 1 slice (40g) 800 Wheat breakfast biscuits 2 biscuits (56g) 56 Bread, wholemeal 1 slice (28g) 28 * Only 10% of dietary ALA is converted for your body to use, so divide the ALA mg by 10 to compare to the grams of DHA and EPA.

5 Ways to get more omega-3 in your diet Eat more fish The trick to eating more fish is having a variety of tasty ways to consume fish as part of your diet. Here are some ideas: Smoked salmon and light cream cheese on toast or bagel. Tuna and salad sandwich. Spreadable tuna with multigrain crackers as snack. Fresh salmon (grilled, baked or BBQ) with Asian salad or steamed green vegetables. Sardines on toast. Tinned fish added to a salad. Ways to eat more ALAs Eating more ALA-rich foods can provide a top-up of omega-3s and more of other beneficial nutrients that come packed in these nutrient-rich plant foods. Here are some suggestions: Use canola or soybeans oils and margarines e.g. Flora Canola, Meadow Lea. Choose soy and linseed bread varieties Add ground linseeds or LSA (linseed, sunflower kernel, almond) mix to breakfast cereal or smoothies. Have a small handful of walnuts (30g) for a snack. Add mushrooms to pasta sauces casseroles, salads, stir frys. Have a grilled lean beef steak with steamed vegetables for dinner. Add reduced-fat cheddar cheese to your salad for lunch.

6 Omega-3s from fish-oil capsules If you think you don t eat enough omega-3s, then taking fish oil capsules is a good idea to help reach your target intake. Check with our doctor first: Please check with your doctor before taking fish oil capsules, especially if you are taking medications. Dose: You are aiming to consume a Target of 1800mg of EPA and DHA each day on your MJ Plan. Therefore, the most important thing you should look for in a fish oil capsule supplement is the amount of EPA and DHA omega-3 oils. Source: The source of EPA and DHA won t affect the benefits. Salmon oil is no better than undisclosed fish sources. Mercury won t be an issue as the fish oil doesn t contain mercury and is purified. Your purchase decision should therefore be based on dose and price. Double strength? The table below shows the capsule size and omega-3 content of Australian brand-name fish oil capsules. Blackmore Omega Daily 3 and Blackmores Omega Heart 11 are double-strength so you only need to take 3 capsules a day. For most of the others, the dose is 6 capsules to get your 1800mg of EPA and DHA. Tips to minimise fishy aftertaste or indigestion from fish-oil capsules Want to take fish-oil capsules but can t cope with the aftertaste? Here are some tips to help reduce the occurrence: Start with one capsule and build up from there, adding an additional capsule each day. Spread your capsules out over the day. Take a capsule at the end of a meal, when it will be mixed with food in the stomach. Have a snack first, like a tub of yoghurt. Freeze the capsules, so they digest more slowly (unless the label says no freezing). Change brands (although this may have less of an effect).

7 Australian brand-name fish oil capsule content Product Cap size (mg) Omega-3s DHA &EPA (mg) No caps / day* Regular Blackmores Omega Daily Cenovis Fish Oil 1000mg Nature s Own Odourless Fish Oil Nature s Way Super 1000 Fish Oil Kids Cenovis Kids Brain Power 5 Cenovis Teen Brain Power 6 Nature s Own Kids Multivitamin + Omega-3 Fish Oil No MJ dose for kids Specialty Formulations Blackmores Omega Heart Nature s Way Pregnancy Smart Nature s Own Cardio Guard Blackmores Cod Liver Oil * Number of capsules needed to take each day to hit 1800mg Daily MJ Target. Source - Table data from Nutrition & Dietetics, 2010, 67:

8 Frequently asked questions about Omega-3s Q: Why should I aim for 1800mg each day on Metabolic Jumpstart when the Nutrient Reference Values and National Heart Foundation recommendations are less? A: We all know the health benefits of regular physical activity, and we're increasingly aware of the benefits of consuming long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil. But is combining fish-oil and exercise better than doing one or the other? A group from the University of South Australia examined whether overweight people with cardiovascular disease risk factors could improve their health and drop more body fat by adding both a fish-oil supplement and more regular activity into their routines. Their study [3] participants were randomly placed in four groups. Group 1 added 6g of tuna oil (about 1.9g omega-3 fatty acids) to their diet as a control. Group 2 added 6g sunflower oil (an omega-6 oil) to their diet as a control. The third group took the tuna oil and walked 45 minutes three days a week, at 75 per cent of maximum heart rate; the fourth walked the same amount as the third, but added the sunflower oil instead of the tuna oil. The 71 men and women who completed the study had cardiovascular testing conducted at 0, 6 and 12 weeks, and body composition testing using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at 0 and 12 weeks. The researchers found that taking the fish oil (6 x 1000mg capsules each day) and exercise interacted and reduced fat mass. After 12 weeks the omega-3 plus exercise group lost around 1.6 kg of body fat, compared to no change in body fat in the sunflower oil plus exercise group. This indicates that fish-oil supplementation and regular aerobic exercise together were effective in reducing fat mass - and suggesting potential gains in a combined strategy for weight-loss programs. So how does the fitness-fish oil synergy work? The researchers suggested that having more omega-3s in your system may enhance fat burning by mobilising more fat from fat cells, increasing the amount of body fat oxidised for fuel or improving blood flow - which delivers more fat to exercising muscles.

9 Although the authors want more research to explore the mechanisms and check that the effect still works beyond 12 weeks, their research was the first to show a clear benefit with overweight and obese individuals. In summary: Fish-oil does have the cardiovascular benefits we've been told about, but it also reduces body fat mass when combined with exercise. And it does this by improving your metabolic fitness - that is, your ability to burn more fat with the same amount of exercise. If a supplement a day helps take the fat away, fish-oil capsules might become standard in fat loss programs. Q: I don't like taking lots of capsules. Can I take a more concentrated fish oil capsule and have less? A: Yes, you can. There are some 'double-strength' fish oil capsules on the market that are just that. They have around 600mg omega-3's per 1000mg capsule. You can take 3 instead of 6 and get the same omega-3 daily dose. You can expect to pay more than double for the convenience though. Q: Can I take liquid fish oil instead of capsules, which I find hard to swallow? A: If capsules don't go down well you can take your fish oils as a liquid using a teaspoon. It will have a fishy taste, so try following your dose with a mouthful of orange juice to wash it down if the taste is unpleasant. If you take a standard teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid fish oil that contains 300 mg omega-3's per 1000 mg (the same as what capsules have) you'll get 1.5 grams (1500 mg) of omega-3's, which = 1 Healthy Oils exchange. This is one fish oil capsule short of my recommended 6 fish oils capsules a day, so maybe close enough for you. Q: Can I take cod liver oil instead of fish oil capsules and how much should I have? A: Cod liver oil will being back good or bad memories of that daily dose of goodness that was a tradition for our parents and grandparents. The tradition is one worth rekindling as cod liver oil contains the same metabolically beneficial omega-3 oils as oily fish and fish oil capsules. So yes, you can take a daily dose of cod liver oil in place of fish oil capsules. Based on the analysis of the Melrose Cod Liver Oil, you should take the following: 2 Teaspoons = 1.8 grams of omega-3 oils = 6 Fish oil capsules

10 This equals 2 Healthy Oil Exchanges in your Plan. Cod liver oil is about 20% omega- 3's whereas fish oil capsules are generally 30% omega-3's, so this why you need to have more cod liver oil. Q: I don t eat fish or take fish oil, how can I get my omega-3s? A: Plant sources of omega-3 oils, such as canola oil and walnuts only contain ALA (αlinolenic fatty acid) omega-3, which is a form that cannot be directly used by the body - it must first undergo a conversion process within the body to change it into the really useful animal forms of EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid). However, the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is incomplete, and as little as 10% of the original ALA is fully converted. Hence, the ALA content of a food can effectively be divided by 10% to obtain the true value of functional omega-3 on your MJ Plan. For example, a 40g serve of Uncle Toby's Plus cereal contains 200mg of ALA, which is equivalent to only 20mg of omega-3 (less than 10% of that found in a standard fish oil capsule). A 30g serve of walnuts contains 2000mg ALA, so you get a 10% or 200mg equivalent of DHA and EPA. Other plant foods rich in ALA are good to eat and will contribute to your Healthy Oils Target, but will only provide small amounts of the best form of omega-3's for your metabolic fitness and results. One exception is flaxseed (linseed) oil, which contains around 55% ALA omega-3. One tablespoon, around 20g, will contain approximately 11,000mg ALA, and if we factor in the 10% conversion efficiency, is the equivalent of 1,100mg omega-3, which is the equivalent of 3.5 fish oil capsules. However, the kilojoules from the oil, even though we would count is as Healthy Oils, start to add up. i.e. 1 Healthy Oil = 5 fish oil capsules (which contain 1,500mg omega-3), or only 1 teaspoon of flaxseed oil (which only provides 275mg of usable omega-3 equivalents, equal to around 1 fish oil capsule). There are a whole host of DHA and EPA omega-3 enriched products, some most only contain small amounts. A milk I found with added omega-3 contained 33mg of DHA and EPA per glass, which is equal to around 10% of what you'd get in a standard fish oil capsule. One exception that will give you a good dose is for omega-3 enriched eggs - a single egg contains 200mg of EPA and DHA, plus 900mg of ALA (equivalent to 90mg omega-3).

11 Of course, if you are vegetarian, you may choose not to eat DHA and EPA enriched foods as they will contain animal omega-3's. A good option for strict vegetarians/vegans is also omega-3 capsules derived from algae, which contain the EPA and DHA found in fish oil. Though they are a little harder to find, and so you might need to order these supplements online or check a specialty health food store. Q: Is it ok to substitute Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) for 4 of the Fish Oil tablets? I have to take 4 EPO's a day (and have done for 10 years). If I don't substitute these for the Fish Oil, would I count them as another Healthy Oil serve? A: This would substitute as a Healthy Oil (4 EPO capsules = 10g healthy fat = 2 Healthy Oil Exchanges) but not for the same benefits as the fish oil capsules because Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) doesn't contain the same omega-3 oils as the fish oil capsules. A 1000mg EPO capsule will generally contain 100mg (10%) gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid that has anecdotally been found to alleviate menstrual symptoms. Most of the oil (70-80%) is linoleic acid, which is an omega-6 oil. This has a different chemical structure and so doesn't offer the same benefits as omega-3 fish oils. You'll find 300mg of omega-3 oils in a standard omega-3 capsule. So I recommend that you also have the 6 fish oil capsules with the 4 EPO capsules. Q: I currently take 4 flaxseed oil capsules per day & eat tinned salmon 3-4 per week & fresh salmon once per week, do I need to include fish oil? A: Let's add up the fish oil you already consume. The 4 flaxseed capsules will give you 4 grams of total oil of which about half is omega-3, so 2 grams. But the omega-3 fatty acid in flaxseed is alpha-linolenic acid, which is the not-as-potent plant omega-3, so it really equates to 200 mg of fish omega-3's. This means 4 flaxseed capsules = less than 1 fish oil capsules in terms of omega-3 benefit. Now, we'll add the fish. I'll pick a 120 gram Protein Exchange of both canned and fresh salmon. Eating canned salmon 4 days / week = 2.9 grams omega-3's per serve = 11.5 grams / week. The fresh salmon, once a week adds 1.8 grams omega-3's. Your average omega-3 intake per day from fish = 1.9 grams plus another 200mg from flaxseed capsules for a total of 2.1 grams each day. This is greater than 1.8 grams from 6 fish oil capsules. Based on these figures you may choose not to take the fish oil capsules.

12 You could also swap 4 flaxseed capsules for one fish oil capsule or simply keep taking the flaxseed as one Healthy Oils Exchange. References: [1] NHMRC. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. Commonwealth of Australia, [2] Heart Foundation review of evidence: Fish, fish oils, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular health. Colquhoun, D. Et al., [3] Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Hill, A.M. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85 (May 2007).