Getting your Essential Fatty Acids

Getting your Essential Fatty Acids - Turning theory into practice

There's lots of ways to get Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). We can purchase them already processed or get them straight from the seed. First, let's look at the different seeds that naturally contain EFAs.

Linoleic Acid (LA): Seeds and their content of LA by weight include:
safflower 44.6%
sunflower 30.7%
walnut 30.6%
sesame 22.1%
hemp 21%
grape 14.2%
peanut 13.8%
evening primrose 13.7%
chia 12%
kukui or candlenut 12%
canola 9%
soybean 8.9%
wheat germ 5.5%
flax 4.9%
rice bran 3.5%
corn 2.4%
olive 1.6%
(These seeds all contain many more oils, but only this amount of LA)

You will notice that LA is found in great abundance in many of the common oils that are easily obtained.

Keep in mind these processed oils we purchase in the supermarkets have been highly refined and a good percentage of the original LA has been either removed or altered into Trans configurations.

Also remember that a hybrid sunflower has been developed which is high in Oleic Acid and low in LA. Be sure you get the right kind of sunflower seed.

Alpha-Linolenic Acid (LNA): Seeds and their content of Alpha-Linolenic Acid by weight include:
flax 20.3%
chia 9%
kukui or candlenut 9.0%
hemp 7%
pumpkin 0-7.0%
walnut 3.0%
soybean 1.2%
wheat germ 0.6%.
Again, these seeds contain many more oils, but only this amount of LNA

Hemp Oil
Of all the oil bearing seeds, hemp seed oil is the only one that is balanced in EFAs. Its seed contains by weight 35% oil, of which 60% is LA and 20% is LNA. This is exactly the proportions we need it in.

Hemp seed is now beginning to become available. To find it on the internet, go to the search engines and hunt for 'hemp.' In a few minutes you should be able to find a page that emphasizes the nutrition values (rather than the other qualities) of this plant.

Flax Oil
We see from the above figures it is much easier to get our LA than our LNA. In fact, many people don't concern themselves very much with getting their LA as they feel they are already getting enough of it in the foods and oils they eat daily.

But LNA is a different story. In fact, it is estimated we only get 5% of the LNA we must have in our diets to be really healthy. One of the many reasons for this is its fragile nature. It goes rancid very quickly.

Here in North America, flax oil is gaining quick popularity as a source of LNA. It contains about 58% LNA and 14% LA. For diet supplementation, LNA, and therefore flax oil is a good place to start.

Where can you get flax oil? The Internet is a good place to start. It is as easy as going to Yahoo, Lycos, Web Crawler, Info Seek or some of the other really fine search engines out there, and typing `Essential Fatty Acids' or 'flax' in the search box. It will take you to several flax oil outlets. Most health food stores are now carrying it in their refrigerated sections also. You should be able to get safflower or sunflower oil, the richest oils in LA from these same outlets.

A word of warning: All reputable flax oil distributors insure their flax seed is pressed at low temperatures in the absence of light and oxygen. It remains raw with no processing and is bottled in opaque containers, again in the absence of light and oxygen, then is quickly refrigerated or frozen.

Flax oil prepared and stored in this way will keep for at least four months. Be sure they have the actual date of pressing (not bottling) on the label. If it doesn't say virgin oil on the label, you can bet every penny you spent on it that it has been processed and therefore worthless for your needs. Some companies are now selling many different kinds of vegetable oils in their virgin form. Just look around.

An alternative: Flax oil is just a bit expensive, however. In the Fall of 1995 I purchased a 250 ml (1 cup) bottle in Seattle for $7.50. (At the cheaper rate, that's $120 per gallon!) Since flax oil is only 58% LNA, to get our 1-2 teaspoons, we need at least a tablespoon of flax oil per day. At 16 tablespoons per cup, that's two bottles per month.

Really, even at the Seattle price, $15.00 is very cheap medicine when we consider the positive effects it can have on our lives. But if you are a family and want each family member to get their share, it could get prohibitive if you have several family members and not a lot of money.

Flax Seed
There is another way. Why not eat the flax seed itself? By doing so, we are guaranteed of our oil's freshness. And its cheap. A 25 lb. bag from Walton Feed costs $8.85. A 25 lb. bag contains enough oil for 375 - 3 tablespoon (37 gram) flax seed portions. That's a 12 month supply for one person or a 2 1/2 month supply for a family of five.

Taking a dose of prepared flax oil at the $7.50 a bottle price costs 50 cents. The same dose directly from flax seed costs only about 2-1/2 cents. That's a very big price difference! Getting our LNA this way also gives us the advantage of getting all the really good things in flax, besides the LNA.

Finding flax seed for purchase shouldn't prove terribly difficult. But getting it at a reasonable price might. My first suggestion, if you live in or near a farming community, find a farmer who grows it, and wouldn't mind selling you a bag. (You may need to furnish your own container.) Ask around.

The county agent should be a good person to ask as he probably knows if anyone in the area grows it. The bulk section in the supermarket might be the next best place to look. Our local Safeway carries it. And you can always check the health food stores.

This is probably the most expensive place to purchase it. But you can generally be guaranteed it is organically grown by doing so. Organically grown crops are becoming more popular in both the USA and Canada, however. With luck, you might even find a relatively inexpensive source of organically grown flax.

References:
1. Fats that Heal Fats that Kill pg. 237
2. Ibid.