Are Omega-3 fatty acids vegetarian?

Question

I am a vegetarian who does not eat fish. I do eat eggs, and other dairy products, however. I recently bought a carton of milk that said it had added Omega-3 fatty acids, which were derived from fish oils. Does that make the milk not vegetarian?

Answer 1

I'm glad you don;t eat fish, no vegetarian does regardless of anything who have read from unreliable sources.  Omega 3 can be found in flaxseed products, soybeans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, canola oil.

Answer 2

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that are nutritionally essential (linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).)

It is best to avoid dairy altogether, but if a food or drink contains any slaughtered animal or slaughter by products then it is not vegetarian so if it says derived from fish oils,  the milk i not vegetarian.

You can get omega-3's from hemp milk, fortified soy milk, ground flax seeds, oils (flaxseed oil, linseed oil, canola oil, walnut oil, wheat germ oil and soybean oil), walnuts, algae, hempseeds, spirulina, green leafy vegetables (like lettuce, broccoli, kale, spinach and purslane), legumes (like mungo, kidney, navy, pinto, lima beans, peas and split peas), citrus fruits, melons, cherries, & tofu.

Answer 3

A lot of Omega-3 fortified foods come from ALA Omega-3's.  These are the type that come from foods like flax seed (very vegetarian).  If you plan to eat flax as a source of Omega-3's you will need to have them ground, because our bodies cannot digest the outer "shell" of the flax seed.  (In other words, it goes into your body as a seed and out of your body the same seed.  Your body cannot get to the essential oils found INSIDE the seed because of improper digestion.)  Flax seed oil is very prone to oxidation as well (in other words the oil goes rancid very quickly, and rancid oil gives you no health benefits) so your best bet is to buy whole seeds and grind them before you eat them.  The Omega-3 oil is protected by the "shell" of the seed and you can expose the oils when you grind the seeds up.  Use a coffee bean grinder, these work great.

The type of Omega-3s found in fish oil are DHA and EPA.  These have been seen to be beneficial to reducing our risk to heart disease.  

ALA can be converted into DHA and EPA in our body.

Just look on the ingredient list of the food and see if it notes the type of Omega-3 of which your milk is fortified with.

Answer 4

If the Omega-3 is from fish oil, the milk is not vegetarian.

Most cow's milk has vitamin D3 added which isn't vegetarian so the milk isn't anyway.

Omega-3 is found in abundance in the form of ALA in flax seeds.

DHA is produced commercially by algae, which is where fish get their supply. Silk soy milk and Minute Maid both sell products that have vegan DHA added.

http://www.veganhealth.org/aticles/fat

Answer 5

If it says were derived from fish oils they are not vegetarian. Omega-3 from: flaxseed oil and meal is vegetarian.  

Answer 6

Yes, if fish oil has been added, the milk is no longer a vegetarian food.

There are lots of vegetarian sources of omega-3, though, including the source the fish get it from to begin with.  They don't manufacture it, they eat it in the form of blue-green algae.  You can get it in your diet from flax seed, flax oil, walnuts and other nuts, for example.  If you're concerned that you're not getting enough, you can get supplements made from the same algae the fish get it from, but taking fish oil or eating foods with added fish oil is not vegetarian.

Answer 7

Omega-3's from vegetarian food sources

http://www.nextag.com/omega-3-vegetarian...

omega-3:

    * Canola oil

    * English walnuts

    * Flax oil*

    * Flax seed (ground)*

    * Hemp oil*

    * Hemp seed / hemp nut (ground)*

    * Olive oil

    * Leafy green vegetables (small amounts, but a good omega-3 to omega-6 ratio)

    * Pumpkin seeds

    * Soybeans

    * Soybean oil

Answer 8

Omega is a nutrient...like a vitamin or a protein or a carb. Whether something is veg/vegan or not depends on the source...you can get protein from meat, fish, milk...and beans and peanut butter. Some veggie, some not. Same with omegas.

I guess you are right there about fish oils, and you don't want omega supplements from the vitamin section either, at least the fish oil ones. One question I would ask...is does it matter how the oil is extracted from the fish? I don't know the answer...if the fish dies or not...maybe they "milk" it like they get venom out of a snake, or milk from cows or goats. Does that matter to you??

Either way you can eat flax seed. This is a plant based omega...don't heat them, heat destroys the benefit of the omega oil. You can buy it milled (a coarse powder similar to wheat germ) and put it on your cereal. Or you can get the seeds and toss them into a salad. Or just eat them by the handful.

Answer 9

omega 3 fatty acids are vegitarian but they come from alot of souces that are not vegitarian, the vegitarian souces are flax seeds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, the NON vegitarian come from fish, hope i helped, goodluck :)