The following questions were posed by a reader of this previous blog post on flax seed nutrient absorption.

Hi Reed-
Thank you for answering my question. I have been a vegan for six years and have a degree in analytical chemistry. I read your 2007 article carefully several times. Do you feel that attempting to optimize the la to ala ratio is a valid measure?

Since vegan diets contain little or no DHA or EPA, people on vegan diets get these fatty acids by making them from alpha-linolenic acid. The rate of production of EPA and DHA from alpha-linolenic acid is very low. The reader’s question is whether or not changing the ratio of linoleic acid (LA) to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) will result in a higher production of EPA and DHA. The same enzyme acts on both LA and ALA, so the thinking behind adjusting their ratio is that if there is less LA and more ALA for the enzyme to deal with, more ALA might be converted to DHA and EPA. Studies where the ratio of LA:ALA has been adjusted have had inconsistent results. There does not seem to be any disadvantage, however, to striving for a lower ratio of LA:ALA and a lower ratio might result in more EPA and DHA production. Some experts recommend a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 for vegetarians. Several dietary changes can help to achieve a lower LA:ALA ratio:

• Use cooking oils that are rich in monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats by themselves do not affect the LA:ALA ratio and, if substituted for oils high in LA, will result in a lower ratio. Oils that are high in monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, high-oleic sunflower oil, and high oleic-safflower oil.
• Consume adequate amounts of ALA. See http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue1/vj2007issue1.pdf for information on food sources of ALA.
• Avoid using cooking oils high in LA as your main cooking oil. Cooking oils that are high in LA include safflower oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil.

Do you recommend taking a dha supplement?

Vegan DHA supplements derived from DHA from microalgae have been shown to raise blood levels of DHA and EPA. We don’t know whether or not higher blood DHA and EPA levels will offer additional protection to vegetarians since they already have a low risk of heart disease. Higher blood levels of these fatty acids appear to reduce the risk of death from heart disease. The question of whether or not to take a DHA supplement should be an individual decision based on risk factors and family history.

Are nutrients also difficult to obtain from whole chia and sesame seeds?

I am not certain about whole chia seeds although I suspect that the same concerns that are seen with flax seeds would be present for whole chia seeds (not well digested). Hulled sesame seeds appear to be a better source of calcium than unhulled sesame seeds. The calcium in the hull of the sesame seed is in the form of calcium oxalate which is poorly absorbed. You can read more about this at
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj96jul/vj967hot.htm.

Our next Call-A-Dietitian Day is on Friday, March 19, 2010 from 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST (appointments are in 20 minute increments).

If you have general nutrition questions, Mark Rifkin, MS, RD, LDN, will be available then. To reserve a 20-minute time slot, please email the VRG office at vrg@vrg.org or call (410) 366-8343.

Please be advised that these sessions are not individualized nutritional counseling. Such advice should only be provided through direct in-person contact with a qualified health professional. There is no charge, but if you do commit, please call on time. Otherwise you are taking someone else’s spot.

Mark Rifkin, a longtime VRG volunteer, is a Registered Dietitian and has a Master’s Degree in Health Education. He has been presenting on food-related topics for more than seven years. Currently, he has a private practice in Baltimore, MD, that focuses on plant-based nutrition for prevention, as well as treatment of various chronic diseases and conditions, including diabetes, overweight/obesity, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, gout, women’s health concerns, cancer, and early-stage kidney failure.

VRG received this question:

“In the 2007 first issue of the Vegetarian Journal you state that alpha linolenic acid in whole flaxseed can not be absorbed well. Can you please explain why.”

Thanks for your note. This is what the Canadian Flax Council has to say: See http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/index.jsp?p=faq

Which is better for me, whole or ground flax seed?

Ground flax seed provides more nutritional benefits than does whole seed. That’s because flax seeds are very hard, making them difficult to crack, even with careful chewing. Grinding flax seeds breaks them up, making them easier to digest when eaten. Then the body can profit from all that flax goodness.

If whole flax seeds remain unbroken, they may pass undigested through the body, reducing the nutritional advantage of eating flax seed in the first place.

So, based on this, I suggested using ground flaxseeds or flaxseed oil.

Hope this helps.

Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Nutrition Advisor
The Vegetarian Resource Group

As a parallel segment to Vegetarian Journal’s Nutrition Hotline feature, The VRG Blog runs a Nutrition Blog-line feature. In this installment, Julia Driggers, R.D., answers a question about leafy greens. This question comes to us by way of a number of people recently asking about the nutritional benefits of dark greens at VRG’s tables at events such as DC VegFest and the Baltimore Book Festival. If you would like to submit a nutrition question, you can email it to heatherg@vrg.org.

Many of us know that we should eat our leafy greens, but how many of us know why? Dark greens are important because they are a good source of essential nutrients such as iron and calcium. common dark green leafy vegetables in the United States include spinach, collards, bok choy, kale, and turnip greens. In addition to iron and calcium, these green veggies are packed with other vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, fiber, and folate. However, each dark green leafy vegetable is unique and varies in nutrition content. It is important to vary your intake of all leafy greens, but if you are focused on increasing a specific nutrient in your diet, the table below can help.

**Although the calcium content in spinach appears high, it is not a good source of calcium. Spinach also contains oxalates which block the absorption of calcium in the spinach thus making spinach a poor source of calcium.

If you are focused on increasing your calcium, collards, turnip greens, and bok choy are excellent choices. In addition, good sources of folate (a nutrient particularly important for women of child bearing age and those who are pregnant) include spinach, collards, and turnip greens.

Won’t it feel better eating your greens now that you know how good they are for you? Enjoy your leafys and keep ‘em coming!

Here are a few other articles that you might also find helpful:

How to Cook Mouthwatering Greens: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001may/2001maygreens.htm
Calcium in the Vegan Diet: Calcium in the Vegan Diet: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm
Nutrition Hotline (Question #2, about calcium content in raw/cooked vs. frozen/cooked greens): http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2009issue3/2009_issue3_nutrition_hotline.php

Your body loves you,

Julia

In a new article, Bucking the Trend: Preventing Childhood Obesity, Alison Ventura, PhD, discusses a variety of ways to prevent childhood obesity. As she says, “Vegetarian families have a head start on preventing childhood obesity, [...] however, the development of childhood obesity is complex and does not arise from only one or two behaviors (for example, drinking soda or watching television), but from a great many factors that occur throughout a child’s development. Thus, although the ADA’s statement suggests a vegetarian diet is a great first step towards preventing childhood obesity, there are even more steps that can be taken to further reduce the risk of childhood obesity.”

The final section of the article is excerpted below:

Summary: 10 Tips for Preventing Childhood Obesity in your Family

1. Give your child the best start by maintaining a healthy diet and weight during pregnancy; consult with a registered dietitian to make sure your pregnancy diet meets all requirements for calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
2. Breast-feed to promote healthy growth, responsiveness to hunger and fullness cues, and acceptance of a broad array of healthful solid foods for your infant.
3. Educate yourself and your children about what portion sizes are appropriate for their specific nutritional needs. Serve these portions sizes on a regular basis.
4. Strive to cook balanced meals at home; if this is not possible, educate yourself about the healthiest fast-food and food away from home options.
5. Encourage your children to drink water, low-fat or fat-free milk, soy milk, or 100% fruit juice instead of soda.
6. Get your family moving! Encourage your children to get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity most days of the week by making exercise a family affair.
7. Limit screen time (television, computer and video games) to no more than 2 hours per day.
8. Be familiar with how much sleep your children need and encourage them to meet sleep recommendations on most nights.
9. Practice responsive feeding by recognizing your children’s levels of hunger and fullness, setting limits, and sharing feeding responsibilities with children.
10. Adopt a “do as I do” not “do as I say” attitude; model healthy eating and physical activity behaviors for your child.

Click here to read the article in full.

Click here to read a new publication by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, on raising young vegans. Topics include nutrition, peer pressure, making food fun, and more!

A portion is excerpted below:

Where do vegan children get their nutrients?

Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12-fortified foods include some brands of soymilk and rice milk, meat analogues, breakfast cereals, and Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast.

Vitamin D: Sunlight exposure is one source of vitamin D. Where regular sunlight exposure is not possible, some brands of soymilk or rice milk, orange juice, and some cold cereals are fortified with vitamin D.

Calcium: Good sources include calcium-fortified soymilk and orange juice and many brands of tofu (Read the label for calcium content since this varies). Dark green leafy vegetables including collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens also provide calcium.

Protein: Beans, grains, soy products, meat analogues, nuts, and nut butters all provide protein.

Iron: Look for iron in whole or enriched grains and grain products, iron-fortified cereals, dried beans, green leafy vegetables, and dried fruits.

Click here to read the whole article.

As a parallel segment to Vegetarian Journal’s Nutrition Hotline feature, The VRG Blog will run a regular Nutrition Blog-line feature. In this installment Julia Driggers, Clinical Dietitian, answers a question about milk alternatives. If you would like to submit a nutrition question, you can email it to heatherg@vrg.org.

Question:

Hello Julia,

Of the milk alternatives, which do you think is best? I get soy protein from tofu and such, and I’m not sure how much soy I should be eating in a day. Plus, I’ve heard that most companies are adding a lot of sugar to their soymilks. I like almond milk a lot, but I don’t know much about it except that it’s made with water and very little almond. I’ve also heard that rice milk is pretty much just carbohydrates. Just trying to make an educated decision now that I have found all 3 of these kinds of milks in my grocery store. Thanks!
Erin

Answer:

Dear Erin,

Good question. It’s a great thing that we have a growing number of milk alternatives, but as a result it can be tough to know how to choose between them!

The most important factor that you should consider is the nutritional benefits that each offers, and how this complements the other elements of your daily diet.

Out of all the milk alternatives, fortified soy milk provides the most protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and omega-3s. Two cups of fortified soy milk a day will ensure that you are receiving a good amount of these essential vitamins and minerals for a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Unfortunately, almond milk and rice milk do not provide nearly as much protein as soy milk (soy milk: 7 gram protein/cup, almond milk: 1 gram protein/cup, rice milk: 0.42 grams protein/cup) nor do they have equivalent amounts of other vitamins and minerals. A comparative example:

You’ll want to consider the nutritional content of the other foods you are eating and supplements you are taking so that you can incorporate the appropriate amount of milk alternatives into your diet. If you only use a cup or so of soy milk a day, you will be obtaining about 30% of vitamin D and calcium, so be sure to get additional amounts of these and other nutrients from other food or supplement sources.

Most brands of alternative milks are sweetened with sugars. Regular soy milk typically has 6 grams of sugar/cup, original almond milk typically has 7 grams of sugar/cup, while rice milk typically has 10 grams of sugar/cup. Of course, to put this in perspective, 1 cup of cow’s milk has 12 grams of naturally occurring lactose sugar. If you are concerned about added sugar, make sure to watch out for some flavored milk alternatives like vanilla and chocolate products which tend to add additional sugar. Alternatives with lower sugars will likely be indicated with words like “plain,” “unsweetened,” and “no sugar added,” but you should read the labels as well.

If you drink a lot of milk alternatives daily, I would recommend switching it up: keep a couple of options on hand (easy because most of them are shelf stable!) and use soy milk in your cereal, for instance, but add almond milk to your coffee.

Wow, I’m thirsty. Now I’m in the mood for some vanilla soy milk! Or maybe even some chocolate almond iced cocoa…

Your body loves you.

Always,

Julia

P.S. Some additional links related to this topic that might be of interest:

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003issue3/vj2003issue3hotline.htm
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2008issue1/vj2008issue1updateguide.htm
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj98jan/981milk.htm