Omega-3s are a group of essential fatty acids that you can only get from outside sources, as your body cannot produce its own. It’s important to get enough omega in order to maintain a healthy body, as they’re vital to the structure of every single cell wall you have, meaning they help keep your heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and immune system running to their full potential!
It’s a common misconception that you can only find omega nutrients through eating oily fish, however people often forget to wonder how those fish are so omega filled to begin with! Fish, like humans, don’t produce their own omega-3; instead they gain it through their diet of algae and smaller algae-eating creatures such as plankton. Humans then eat these fish and soak up their nutrients, but obviously for us vegans that means we can lack omega-3 in our diet, so it’s definitely worth considering taking a vegan omega 3 supplement.
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) is one of three omega nutrients, which is most important for the structure of our brains, skin and retinas. As the most bioavailable omega-3 fatty acid, a high proportion of DHA is absorbed into your body, making it arguably the best type to find in a vegan omega 3 supplement. Vegan sources of DHA include seaweed, algae, chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts however being able to eat enough of these every day can be difficult and it’s good to find other vegan friendly alternatives.
Omega DHA and the Environment
Besides the obvious sadness of hurting sea creatures for our consumption, fishing brings with it a host of environmental issues. For example, fishing nets make up a shocking 46% of ocean plastic pollution! Fishing gear also often damages marine habitats and coral and can hurt vulnerable species such as dolphins, turtles and sharks, there are also large amounts of unusable fish caught which are usually discarded back into the ocean injured and suffering.
Two of the most used fish sources for omega 3 DHA are cod and tuna, which are also two of the most consumed fish in the UK, however it’s uncommon knowledge that humans are taking these fish faster than they can reproduce meaning it’s likely in our lifetime they will become extinct. By getting vegan DHA directly from its source of algae we can help massively in the reduction of fishing related environmental impacts and hopefully be able to stop extinction from happening!
How is Vegan DHA made?
Through evolution over billions of years algae produces and stores energy as oil and is showing to be one of the most promising long-term sustainable sources that can be used for fuel, food, animal feeds, cosmetic products and as a fantastic vegan omega 3 supplement. Algae grows at crazy speed as it can double in amount every few hours and can be harvested daily, it can also be grown on land using seawater which further enables us to leave sea life alone in its natural habitat! As an added bonus, this level of growth and requirement for constant harvesting creates jobs all across the world.
With all these benefits (and probably more), it’s a no-brainer to use algae oil as a sustainable and eco-friendly source of vegan DHA!
To get your hands on some carbon negative, sustainably sourced, fish-free omega-3, just follow the link below!