Pregnant Women - 2 Fish or Not 2 Fish

Pregnant women should be allowed to eat more fish - Telegraph

Nutritionists are arguing about the safe limits of fish during pregnancy following new research that supports the idea that too little of the long chain essential fats omega 3 DHA in pregnant women can result in and possibly cause developmental problems.

'Fish consumption among women of child bearing age and girls is currently restricted due to concerns about the presence of potentially harmful contaminants in fish such as dioxins and methylmercury. ' reports The Telegraph


'Speaking at a conference held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London last week, Professor Jack Winkler, director of the Nutrition Policy Unit at London Metropolitan University, said the benefits of fish oil far outweighed other risks. 

He said: "The Food Standards Agency issued advice to women and pregnant women about fish in 2004 which was ultra conservative. Since then, there has been research which indicates that women who have eaten more fish than those recommendations suffer no harm but their child's brain performance improved. 

"The evidence is beginning to show that this ultra conservative advice is effectively denying women the benefits of fish. Worryingly the current advice is scaring women off eating fish completely as the message it gives is that fish is risky."'

London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says there is a 3rd solution to the 2 fish or not 2 fish conundrum. "EPA and DHA is now available as a toxin free sustainable plant based alternative to fish and fish oil. If mother's are worried we can test their levels of DHA and if they are low they can take a combination of Echium Oil, Algae and Omega 7."

V-Pure Algae plant based EPA / DHA omega 3 fish alternative
This DHA rich Algal oil also has some EPA in it. The Algae is grown in steel tanks in a controlled environment and then the essential fats are coaxed out using a unique high tech natural process to allow the production of a concentrated omega 3 DHA rich oil

Echium Oil an omega 3 rich plant based fish oil alternative that converts well to EPA
Echium is a most amazing plant that has naturally ocurring longer chain omega 3 and omega 6 fats. The combination of these two longer chain essential fats means that in studies Echium oil converts to EPA 5 times more efficiently than flax oil.

Omega 7 - Sea Buckthorn Oil
Foods for Life Nutritionist Gareth Zeal has revealed that research suggests that omega 7 - particularly Seabuckthorn oil, which is rich in omega 7, like longer chain omega 6 helps with the conversion pathway and makes it easier for the body to convert shorter chain essential fat omega oils into longer chain essential fats such as EPA and DHA.

So the question is not just fish or less fish, now plant oils are a sustainable, economically viable, safe, effective, toxin free, alternative.