Guest guest Posted October 10, 2000 Report Share Posted October 10, 2000 DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid. It is a long chain omega-3 fatty acid which is found throughout our bodies and is found in especially high levels in the brain and a part of the eye called the retina. It is thought to be particularly important for babies since having DHA in their diet has been associated with doing better on some tests of mental and motor development and with improved visual acuity. Breast milk is an important source of DHA for babies. It is not found in infant formulas in the US. DHA is not found in the vegan diet. It is found mainly in fish and eggs. Our bodies can make DHA from linolenic acid and this is probably why breast milk from vegan mothers has some DHA but not nearly as much as is found in breast milk from non-vegetarians and lacto-ovo vegetarians. Babies can also make their own DHA if they are provided with linolenic acid. The way that breast-feeding vegan mothers can make sure that their milk is high in linolenic acid is to include sources of linolenic acid in their own diet. The linolenic acid will appear in the milk. Sources of linolenic acid include ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil. Mothers should limit how much linoleic acid and trans fatty acids they use as these can interfere with DHA production. LInoleic acid is found in sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil. Trans fats are found in products that contain hydrogenated oils (like some margarines, cookies, and crackers). Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD suggest (in their new boolk Becoming Vegan) that breast feeding or pregnant vegans use 2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil or 2 tablespoons of canola oil daily to meet their needs for linoleic acid to produce DHA. DHA is also available as a supplement made from microalgae (tiny sea plants) but at this point is only available in capsules made from gelatin. If a supplement is used, it should provide 200-300 milligrams of DHA per day. Reed Mangels, PhD, RD Nutrition Advisor The Vegetarian Resource Group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2000 Report Share Posted October 12, 2000 Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend is a combination of essential fatty acids, that claims to meet all of the EFA needs of your body. It is available through Flora. We put it on salads, in oatmeal, rice, etc. It has a very mild taste and can be added to just about anything. You cannot cook with it, as it is destroyed at high temperatures. Flora's website is www.florainc.com if anyone wants more info. Lisa - <davida Tuesday, October 10, 2000 10:35 AM DHA (from Reed Mangels, PhD, RD) > DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid. It is a long chain omega-3 > fatty > acid which is found throughout our bodies and is found in especially > high > levels in the brain and a part of the eye called the retina. It is > thought to be particularly important for babies since having DHA in > their > diet has been associated with doing better on some tests of mental and > motor development and with improved visual acuity. Breast milk is an > important source of DHA for babies. It is not found in infant > formulas in > the US. > > DHA is not found in the vegan diet. It is found mainly in fish and > eggs. > Our bodies can make DHA from linolenic acid and this is probably why > breast milk from vegan mothers has some DHA but not nearly as much as > is > found in breast milk from non-vegetarians and lacto-ovo vegetarians. > > Babies can also make their own DHA if they are provided with linolenic > acid. The way that breast-feeding vegan mothers can make sure that > their > milk is high in linolenic acid is to include sources of linolenic > acid in > their own diet. The linolenic acid will appear in the milk. Sources > of > linolenic acid include ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, and > soybean oil. Mothers should limit how much linoleic acid and trans > fatty > acids they use as these can interfere with DHA production. LInoleic > acid > is found in sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil. Trans fats are > found > in products that contain hydrogenated oils (like some margarines, > cookies, > and crackers). > Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD suggest (in their new > boolk > Becoming Vegan) that breast feeding or pregnant vegans use 2 > teaspoons of > flaxseed oil or 2 tablespoons of canola oil daily to meet their needs > for > linoleic acid to produce DHA. DHA is also available as a supplement > made > from microalgae (tiny sea plants) but at this point is only available > in > capsules made from gelatin. If a supplement is used, it should provide > 200-300 milligrams of DHA per day. > > Reed Mangels, PhD, RD > Nutrition Advisor > The Vegetarian Resource Group > > > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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