Why do people eat Chia seeds?

People eat Chia seeds because they contain omega 3 fatty acids. Specifically ALA omega 3 fatty acids. So what am I getting in my Nordic Naturals that I eat 4g of per day? That's says EPA/DHA on the bottle. So do I need to take ALA too?

By the looks of things the answer is No. Heart cells and a few other cells can use the EPA, but the rest of the body just wants DHA. The body spends energy to convert ALA to EPA, and then more energy to convert EPA to DHA. Why not just start off by taking the DHA and save your body the hard work?

Why does nobody sell just DHA fish oil? Is it because there's a load of EPA in there anyway and they would just throw it away otherwise?

So what about the DPA in the Seal Oil I take?

Apparently there are 3 essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that circulate in the bloodstream, EPA, DHA and DPA. Remember that poor cousin ALA is converted to EPA before it's any use. DPA is essential for some stuff that EPA and DHA isn't, you can;t make it yourself and you don't get it in fish oil. Taking Seal oil gets it into your body and fixes the bits EPA and DHA can't.

Conclusion

I'm on the right track taking 4g of net total omega 3s per day in the form of Krill Oil (Because it's bottom of the food chain purer than fish oil), Fish oil and Seal oil.
AND - there's no need for me to start covering all my salads in a smattering of gritty little chia seeds because by the time ALA is converted to EPA and DHA, I've already popped 3 fish oil pills and have my body's needs sorted. Also only a tiny percentage of ALA (0.4 to 4% based on 2 independent studies) actually makes it into EPA, so if that's the only source of omega-3s, you'd better keep your omega 6 intake really really low by eating no olive oil, only grass fed ruminants, no nuts except macadamias and being totally strict paleo.

References
CONVERSION EFFICIENCY OF ALA TO DHA IN HUMANS
http://www.dhaomega3.org/Overview/Conversion-Efficiency-of-ALA-to-DHA-in-Humans

Seal oil
http://dpagold.com/index.php/omega-3-science/seal-oil

switching to coconut oil

i'm switching from virgin olive oil to coconut oil.

there's loads of reasons why its better, first off it has very little omega 6 whereas olive oil is loaded. everything I eat has to get me towards somewhere between 1:1 and 1:2 omega3:omega6 ratios. I need to find a graph comparing omegas in different oils.

here's livestrong's top 5 cooking oils. coconut is not even there.

what the helio is "helio rice bran oil"? its big selling point is this chart:

doesn't look very Paleo to me either.

Paleohacks.com: "Olive oil is mostly MUFA rather than SFA of course, but this shouldn't lead to too much of a difference in terms of cooking. After all, animal fat is often around 50% MUFA. The real problem with olive oil isn't the MUFA, it's the omega 6. By comparison, the much vaunted lard, is more MUFA than SFA and more omega 6 than olive oil. Olive oil also has a higher smoke point, drastically so if the ligter, rather than virgin oils. That said, cooking with olive oil, if you're going to consume it is a waste, if only because of the loss of the (possibly) beneficial polyphenols."

Marks Daily Apple has a great guide on oils, they love coconut the best.

I got this from an Indian Doctor's website:

Safflower (Omega6: 73; Omega3: 0.5; Ratio (6/3): 146);
Sunflower (Omega6: 49; Omega3: 0.3; Ratio (6/3): 163);
Corn (Omega6: 57; Omega3: 0.8; Ratio (6/3): 71);
Sesame (Omega6: 40; Omega3: 0.5; Ratio (6/3): 80);
Palmolein (Omega6: 9; Omega3: 0.3; Ratio (6/3): 30);
Groundnut (Omega6: 28; Omega3: 0.8; Ratio (6/3): 35);
Coconut (Omega6: 1.8; Omega3: 0.0; Ratio (6/3): 0); 
Ghee (Buffalo)(Omega6: 2; Omega3: 0.9; Ratio (6/3): 2.2);
Ghee (Cow) (Omega6: 1.6; Omega3: 0.5; Ratio (6/3): 3.2) and
Mustard/Rape (Omega6: 13; Omega3: 8.6; Ratio (6/3): 1.5).

Comparison in terms of MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids), PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and SFA (saturated fatty acids) content (%) in 100g of the oils is as below:

Sunflower (MUFA:84, PUFA:4, SFA:10);
Olive oil (MUFA:74, PUFA:8, SFA:14);
Mustard Oil (MUFA:59, PUFA:21, SFA:12);
Groundnut Oil (MUFA:46, PUFA:32, SFA:17)

looks like coconut oil is so busy being saturated fat, it's got no space left for omegas.

another interesting article here

coconut-oil-diet.com "Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States.  Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1  but it is more like 50:1.  We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy.  And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids." really? The Indian doctor said there is zero omega 3 in coconut oil.


tropicaltraditions.com "What is the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids in Coconut Oil?
None. Coconut oil is not a source of Omega 3 fatty acids. These need to be supplemented in the diet from elsewhere (such as our Cod Liver Oil). The primary benefits of coconut oil are the nutritive value of  medium chain fatty acids."

everynutrient.com: "The healthiest oil to cook with is coconut oil.  Although olive oil has the popularity of being one of the healthiests oils, it health benefits are only attributed to the oil being 
used without heat.  The smoke point is the point at which an oil burns after being heated.  When oil reaches it's smoke point, it emits smoke to indicate that it is now burnt.  Olive oil has a low smoke point and burns almost immediatelt once it's placed in a hot pan.  Due to olive oil's low smoke point, olive oil should only be used in it's cold pressed form without any heat application.  Coconut oil is one of the most stable oils to use for cooking as well as in raw food preparations.  Coconut oil has a high smoke point and stays fairly stable during cooking.  Coconut oil also provides many health benefits that have been linked to the decreased risk of several illnesses 
such as heart disease and cancer. "

It is best to select coconut oil that is both organic and virgin, as use for a natural treatment for eczema.

Organic Coconut Oil. Dry eczema skin can be a symptom of a highly toxic body. Hence, the last thing you want to do is to use a product that is not produced organically.

Virgin Coconut Oil. Virgin coconut oil is made by using fresh coconut meat with little or no processing, or what is called non-copra.

Most commercial grade coconut oils are produced from copra. Most of the copra, the meat of the coconut, is dried under the sun in the open air, where it gets exposed to insects and moulds. The standard end product made from copra is RBD coconut oil. RBD means refined, bleached, and deodorized. Both high heat and chemicals (e.g. solvent extractions) are used in this method.

A fragrant smell is characteristic of virgin coconut oils. Copra-based refined coconut oils have no taste or fragrance due to the refining process.

There's lots of opinions on coconut oil, i'm going out to see if I can find some and try it out.

switching to macadamias

I was eating a handful of walnuts and beef jerky as my mid-morning snack on rest days. (good fats and plenty of protein). Since then I've been reading that walnuts have a high Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. So I'm switching to Macadamias which have just as much nutritional value, but contain hardly any Omega 6.

Omega 6 per (1/4) cup

Walnuts – 9.5 g
Almonds – 4.36 g
Cashews – 2.6 g
Macadamias – 0.5 g
Brazil nuts – 7.2 g
Hazelnuts – 2.7 g
Pistachio – 4.1 g
Pine nuts – 11.6 g
Pecans – 5.8 g

(http://www.marksdailyapple.com/nuts-omega-6-fats/)

omegas

List showing Omega 6 Content of Common Foods:
http://180degreehealth.blogspot.com/2010/02/omega-6-content-of-common-foods.html

Better switch out Walnuts for Macadamias with my Jerky :-)