Will Refusing To Eat Fish Turn You Into An Idiot?

It may look gross, but experts sat that algae is the most reliable source of vegetarian DHA.
Image source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/splorp/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Among the few annoyances vegetarians have to put up with it from their holier-than-thou omnivorous brethren is nutritional 'advice'. It's even more annoying when the so-called advice comes from a meat-loving physician.I, for one, have been advised by a few doctors to "at least consume fish oil" to ensure my omega-3 intake is adequate.

I appreciate their concern,of course. It is a well-known fact that vegetarians and vegans have generally lower levels of omega-3 than their omnivorous peers. If you know where to look, there is an abundance of research extolling the virtues of omega-3. British pop-nutritionist Patrick Holford in his book Optimum Nutrition for The Mind notes: "Omega-3 refers to a category of long-chain polyunsaturated fats in which the first unsaturated bond, a double bond, is in the third position from the first carbon. There are three main types of these fatty acids: Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA),Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).Omega-3 fats EPA and DHA make prostaglandins, which are essential for proper brain function, which affects vision, learning ability, coordination and mood....they reduce the stickiness of the blood, as well as control blood cholesterol and fat levels, improve immune function and metabolism, reduce inflammation and maintain water balance."

However, Holford also says that vegetarians and vegans have lower blood levels of EPA and DHA than fish-eating non-vegetarians because fish and fish oil are the only 'complete' sources of omega-3. Even flaxseed, an excellent vegetarian source of ALA, is a negligible source of EPA and DHA. And if you happen to think that Holford's writings are a little hokey, his views are corroborated by established institutions such as The American Dietetic Association and the Mayo Clinic. 

In other words, those well-meaning pro-fish doctors are right. However, they've conveniently left out the fact that Holford and the other experts have found that vegetarians can obtain adequate amounts of EPA and DHA through microalgae-based supplements (the DHA comes from algae which fish eat, not the fish themselves). According to The American Dietetic Association, our bodies absorb the EPA and DHA from algae-based supplements as efficiently as they do from fish. Plus, if you scour health food and organic stores, you'll also find EPA and DHA-fortified foods and beverages. Spirulina is also frequently touted as a good source of EPA and DHA. I'm not a big fan of supplements and fortified foods, but they're still a better deal than ingesting mercury from fish, not to mention the bad karma from killing those poor creatures.

So, will refusing to eat fish turn you into a sickly idiot? If you're still fretting over it, go pop a  DHA pill. Better yet, go get a few bottles for your irritating pro-fish MD. He/she probably needs it more than you do ;)