Omega 3 Fatty Acids: What To Add To Your Meals To Get Enough
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 Fatty Acids, alpha-linolenic acid, in particular, is an essential nutrient that can be found in many plant-based sources. Here are some of our favorite sources of omegas here at Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting:
The World’s Best Omega 3 Source
Ground Flaxseed
Flaxseeds are one of the richest foods in ALA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid, on Earth. However, unless they are ground up, it is going to be too difficult for your body to actually absorb their nutrients.
Ground flax is easy to add to smoothies, soups, chilis, sauces, and salad dressings. A great way to raise that omega 6 to omega 3 ratio; Essential for brain and cardiovascular health and important for vegans to take into consideration.
==> Review The Vegan MD’s choice of ground flaxseeds <==
Related Post: Supplements To Consider During Pregnancy
Hemp Hearts
These are absolutely delicious and 3/3 of the administrators from Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting enjoys these hemp hearts on salads, although they also make delicious hemp butter if you have a good enough blender!
They would even be good to toast and add on top of some vegan ice cream (or more accurately, non-dairy frozen dessert). Hemp seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and 6’s at a ratio of 3:1, packed with protein, and fiber. They promote cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, and LDL, and raise HDL. Add them to smoothies or salads to get meet your daily requirements of ALA.
==> Check out this VPP Admin favorite <==
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are a great source of ALA, fiber, and protein. While the ALA available from chia is better absorbed when ground, whole chia seeds can add great texture to foods such as smoothies, crackers, and cookies, or you can use them to make chia pudding.
While they might not be as good of a source in ALA as flax seeds, vegans can get their money’s worth with these, adding more dimensions to their food.
==> Check out these organic chia seeds from Viva Naturals <==
Related Post: The Most Important Vitamins And Minerals For Your Baby
One of my Favorite Sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Walnuts
Walnuts are another great source of ALA as well as protein, magnesium, and vitamin B6. They are known for curbing appetite. They are also great in salads, dressings, desserts, over oatmeal, in smoothies, granola, or cookies. Not to mention, they are delicious on their own but be careful you go overboard. One ounce of walnuts is considered to be one serving.
==> Check out this deal on shelled and halved walnuts <==
Sesame Seeds
Great for making tahini for your homemade hummus, toasting them putting them over your salads, or adding a great flavor to any sweet or savory dish, sesame seeds are high in ALA, protein, and magnesium as well as flavor.
==> Check out this deal on Raw Sesame Seeds from Terrasoul <==
A Note From The Staff At ‘Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting’
Happy Vegan Eating! Do not forget to check us out on the Main Facebook Group, where we discuss kids, pregnancy, nutrition, and veganism in general. There are over thirty thousand vegan parents in our, all of them raising little vegans.
There is also a Vegan Eats For Smaller Feet, where parents get together, share recipes, swap disaster stories, and generally learn the best ways to hide the broccoli in the food for kids. So it’s worth checking out, and know that even though your kids are vegan, it doesn’t mean they’re going to suddenly love those brussel sprouts and carrot soup.
If Facebook isn’t your go-to social media, we can usually be found liking far too many amazing dishes on Instagram. If you’re raising a vegan family, be sure to tag us on there for a chance for your vegan family to be featured, or for amazing vegan dishes to appear on our main page!
Happy Veganing, everyone! We are very happy that you have found us, and you’re raising little vegans. The world needs more people like you.
Raise humanity. Raise vegan!
