Commercially available lard has high omega 6, to my knowledge. Pigs are fed vegetable oil in the United States, from what I have heard. Jaminet, who you reference in the article, suggests avoiding pork because of its omega 6 content.

You are correct - I don't eat commerically available lard. Since I eat on the high-fat side of things, I'm careful about the source. Mostly I cook with pasture butter, coconut oil, and grassfed beef tallow. I have been using a bit of lard lately, but it is from a friend who rendered it herself from her pigs.

What is it about grass that makes the meat of animals who eat it high in Omega 3s?

My issue with the salmon (any other cold water fish...sardines?) is the expense. It starts out expensive, and it takes a lot of time and effort to find specials, and then you have to eat a lot of it to feel full. I like it.

Also, any guidelines on maximizing the omega 3 value (such as not overcooking)?

Sardines. Is there a way to make these tasty? That's mainly what I'd like to know.

And who doesn't like grass fed meat? But again, it's the expense. As for fish oil supplements or taking the oil directly, I guess I'd rather just get it from the food.

So, is there any other food besides oily fish (and again, what are oily fish) from which we can get our fix of Omega 3s?

Thanks!

Great article explaining the benefits of keeping Omega-3 and Omega-6 ratio. Thank you very much.

My kid is allergic to fish, so I make sure to get organic milk with DHA. Do these products provide enough intake? or are there better supplements?

Doc!

Great article mate, thank you! Found it via stumbleupon.

Hey anon,

It comes down to what the animal ATE. If they ate cleanly and what they were designed to eat (you know, like cows eating grass and chickens pecking away at insects) instead of being force fed omega 6 heavy grains that are not in their natural diet, and you get a far healthier animal, with vastly improved ratios of omega 6 to omega 3 stored in THEIR fat. (note, this would suggest that you be wary of dark meat on chicken too, as even the organic variety tend to be fed (very high in omega 6) flax meal and similar vegetable fillers.

Since we are making an effort to be healthy by eating more along evolutionary norms, it pays to eat animals that are doing the same.

here are three resources for you for cheaper grass-fed meat:

1. Find your nearest clean farmer http://www.localharvest.org/

2. Online grass fed meat delivery: Uswellnessmeats.com

3. http://www.lgbeef.com/ - these guys supply grass-fed meat to the likes of wholefoods and if you buy bulk are the cheapest online I have found for cow.

If you can get a little buying group going (and especially if you buy locally) you can purchase say half a grass-fed cow, get it diced up and then throw it in each of your respective freezers for less per steak than buying grain fed at the supermarket.

Consider local butcheries where hunters may sell game meat as well.

For your Omega 3 question, if you REALLY LIMIT omega 6 intake (keep nuts way down as well for this) you will probably do fine with grass-fed steak, game meat, and a few servings of cold water fish each week. One key to doing this is to use slow cooking options as often as you can, and always pour the rendered fat back over the meat you are cooking when done.

I am in the camp that it is not enough to supplement with Omega 3, we also need to focus on getting our Omega 6 intake right down as well.

Hope that helps.

Chris

Great article, thank you for the valuable information

Chris made some great comments. I buy in bulk direct from a rancher and freeze to get grassfed on the cheap. Another cute trick is to just buy grassfed beef tallow (I've heard of people getting it for free, but if you buy it it is cheaper than butter at 1-$2.50 per pound) render it in a slow cooker and put it in jars. Then buy cheap lean cuts of grainfed beef at the supermarket (like chuck roast) and cook it with a bit of the tallow, or if you don't want to go through the trouble, a pat of pasture butter (Kerrygold or Organic Valley green package). Wild caught Alaskan salmon is the best sustainable source - I get that frozen at the supermarket. We actually have a free second freezer from freecycle.com.

The DHA supplemented in milk is made from algae - which is what the krill and fish would eat to get DHA themselves. The only objection I can think of is that fish have a mix of omega 3s (EPA and DHA) and maybe our bodies are used to that instead.

I think natural whole foods is a safer choice but not always practical. I worry a little bit about fish oil capsules because you can't taste if it is rancid - however some people swear by the Carlson's liquid.

We don't need that much omega 3 or omega 6 - just a little, a few grams a day - fish a few times a week is plenty!

Thank you!

So when you say (Chris) that a bunch of us can buy a whole or half cow, from which supplier did you mean, 1,2 or 3? Or were you talking about at a farmer's market? I live in DC. I'll check out the farmer's markets. Also I live in an apartment, so not a lot of freezer space! It all looks super delicious I must say. For now, just b/c it seems kind of overwhelming, I guess I'll just stick to WF and the markets.

And, I'll try to find out if there is *any* way to make sardines taste good.

Thanks again.

Oh and beef tallow. Wow!

The trick with sardines is to buy FRESH ones. The canned ones are too strong. They're really a different experience entirely when they're fresh. Just drizzle them with olive oil, char them lightly on the grill, then drizzle with lemon. YUMMY!

(Hi, Dr. Deans! Great to see you here!)

Anon - I'm sure there is a paleo or primal meet up group in DC. They would know all about evolutionary eating. Here it is: http://www.meetup.com/PrimalDC/ I bet they know all the best sources for good food and you could see about at "cow pool.". A chest freezer will fit in an apartment and can double as a coffee table :)

I'm a person on a tight budget ( health problems / on disability benefits )and I eat "cheap" salmon cooked in first pressed olive oil - every - morning ( with rice to fill me up ).

I buy High Liner frozen salmon.
(I'm in Canada so this product may not be available to all readers.)

It costs about 2.50( Canadian dollars) per portion ( a box of four is $9.99 at that "evil" place called Walmart...)

I know this is not high quality salmon and it may contain less omega 3s than fresh wild salmon but it is all I can afford.

allison has left a new comment on your post "Updated "Your Brain on Omega 3" Post":

Dr. Deans,

Excellent post, as usual. I noticed from the comments at PT that there is some confusion over lard. I order mine from Wooly Pigs near Seattle (www.woolypigs.com). It is non-hydrogenated and kettle rendered. And the pigs are fed a diet that increases monounsaturated fat at the expense of linoleic acid. I find it an invaluable addition to my pantry, especially for high heat cooking.

Posted by allison to Evolutionary Psychiatry at March 16, 2011 6:12 PM

Excellent as always. This is important knowledge for everyone, I got the feeling like the mainstream only pushes recommendations that involve consumption (take this expensive fish oil) rather than reduction of harmful substances.

How exactly does linoleic acid cause a DHA-deficiency? Would that be in the synthesis of fatty acids that compete with DHA in the cellular membranes?

I think this article was very informative, and enjoyed learning WHY I take fish oil everyday. I am a little disappointed, however, that Chia seeds have not been mentioned at all. While I do not depend on them for my full amount of omega-3, I enjoy eating them and find them extremely easy to add into many parts of a "normal" diet. Sprinkle in yogurt, mix with shakes, dips, or granola.

I suppose my question to the MDs is this: am I wrong about chia seeds or are they just too obscure to mention?

Thanks,
-Andi

I'm in the midst of reading Power Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment. Thus far, they spend less time talking about limiting omega 6, but are adamant about DHA supplementation. The main thrust of the book is creating a brain healthy enough to work optimally and in concert on all levels - a prerequisite for the brain-state of enlightenment (which they claim originates in the pre-fontal cortex). Providing the brain with ample DHA is key in their estimation. The authors are attacking this from a spiritual (though one is an M.D., the other a PhD.), non-evolutionary angle, but it's interesting to see them arriving at a similar place.

Anyway, they mention algal sourced DHA. I think it was Mat LaLonde, PhD. who mentioned that DHA retro-converts to EPA in humans better than the EPA -> DHA conversion or the ALA -> DHA conversion.

I'm not sure wild salmon fishing is exactly sustainable. Certainly it's preferable to farming and the fishing practices used on less well managed species, but until I hear contradictory info, I'm betting algae as a source beats anything else in the sustainability department.

Good to see you settled in over here at PT.Another great article!

I vary my seafood O3 sources based upon availability....sometimes it is fresh, frozen or canned. Don't overlook some excellent canned varieties of salmon, herring and sardines. Relatively inexpensive and often loaded with O3 they are portable with long shelf lives.

Sardines - the regular versions can be fishy(an acquired taste)but look for Brisling Sardines. They are smaller and possessing a more delicate often packed in olive oil. More expensive but worth every penny.

Mussels - us folk here in the Northeast/Northwest coasts are lucky. Cultivated mussels offer O3 and usually can be had rather inexpensively. Dip them in pastured butter and you are golden.

As mentioned before if you limit your O6 intake then you don't need as much O3 to balance your ratio. Chucking out the awful vegetable oils and replacing with Olive oil is a good start.

Geo

This is what I have read about chia seeds

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/quick-guide-edible-seeds/

I’ve heard chia seeds mentioned in the forums, and I thought it would be worth it to take a quick gander. Before Chia Pets got popular, chia seeds were eaten throughout Mesoamerica for thousands of years. The Aztec and Mayan civilizations were big fans of the seed, even using chia seeds as tributes to the ruling classes. Chia is actually a bit like flax in a few ways. For one, chia is high in Omega 3 fatty acids – ALA in particular. But just like I do with flax, I think the potential benefits of ALA in the diet are vastly overblown. The “purpose” of ALA consumption is to convert it into DHA/EPA, but humans simply don’t have the hardware to make the conversion worthwhile. Most of it just gets wasted. That’s not to say chia isn’t a viable food option; if it tastes good and falls within the PB, I say go for it. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re taking care of all your Omega 3 fatty acid requirements with a few tablespoons of chia seeds each day.

I spoke to the butcher today. Apparently, even the lamb in Australia is grain finished for 6-8 weeks. How does this level of grain finishing affect the omega 3 to 6 balance? Does this mean that lamb is not worth eating? The same butcher advised that I could buy rump steak in bulk that has been grass finished.

Today I was advised by the butcher that lamb in Australia is grain finished for 6-8 weeks. Does that mean that lamb is not worth eating? I am not sure what grain finishing for 6-8 weeks would do to the omega 3 and 6 levels in the lamb.

For people who don't like the skin and/or soft bones, blend the fish to a puree.

For people who don't like the taste, mash the fish with bolognese or curry or sweet chilli (or some other strongly-flavoured) sauce.

This also works for tinned wild red salmon, which has ~20g of oil per 213g can.