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Original poster

How much tinned mackerel is a good dose of Omega 3?

24 replies

colditz · 22/03/2006 14:55

Ds would eat a tin a day if I let him - which I don't because it's salty. But one of my mates has been rambling on about fish oil supplements for ages, and I feel like I should feel like I am a bad mother for not giving themGrin

I don't, but how much is enough?

OP posts:
Original poster
colditz · 22/03/2006 15:04

.

OP posts:
nailpolish · 22/03/2006 15:06

i have no idea but i do know there is no official 'recommended daily intake' of omega 3

Blu · 22/03/2006 15:08

Is there extra salt in tinned mackerel?
Ds loves it too.
I bought fresh mackerel for 37p each in Sainsbury's the other day - that can't be too salty, can it??

Original poster
colditz · 22/03/2006 15:09

Blu, I buy the mackerel in brine, as I originally bought it for me and I don't like added oil or tomato sauce. Fresh mackerel would be fine, I think, but ds won't eat it.

OP posts:
nailpolish · 22/03/2006 15:11

the haliborange omega 3 capsules recommend 2 a day and that is 260mg of omega 3 a day

does it tell you how much omega 3 is in a tin?

Blu · 22/03/2006 15:15

Isn't 'two portions of oily fish a week' the oft quoted recommendation to ensure enough omega 3?

We use mackerel in oil. Could you soak the salt out of the briny kind? But he probably likes the salt taste as much as the fish.

nailpolish · 22/03/2006 15:17

i was going to say does he like it in oil?

or you could maybe use the one in brine and rinse it beforehand. although might not be as nice!

Original poster
colditz · 22/03/2006 15:21

Or I could buy him the one in oil, and me the one in brine. They would look the same on the plate anyway.

It probably is the taste of salt he likes, but I think oily fish tends to have a salty flavour to it naturally.

Good plan about the fish in sunflower oil!

OP posts:
Original poster
colditz · 22/03/2006 15:21

It doesn't say how much omega 3 is in a tin, annoyingly.

OP posts:
nailpolish · 22/03/2006 15:21

i find mackerel salty even when fresh and not been soaked in brine anyway, so the oily tinned one still tastes salty

elliott · 22/03/2006 15:23

THe salt content is the same whether its oil or brine (according to the tin anyway) - both have salt added. Don't think its SO high in salt though...

Mercy · 22/03/2006 15:43

Boys can have up to four portions of oily fish per week (2 for girls). That's according to the FSA.

I would have thought the benefits of eating oily fish would outweigh any concerns re salt

skerriesmum · 22/03/2006 15:49

But doesn't any cooked tinned fish have a lot of the goodness processed out of it?

Blu · 22/03/2006 15:53

Tuna loses the omega 3 but not mackerel or sadines.

Original poster
colditz · 22/03/2006 15:53

Wow, that's interesting Mercy, why is it different for boys?

OP posts:
Mercy · 22/03/2006 16:02

Although it doesn't explain exactly, why have a look

\link{http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jun/fishportionslifestagechart\at this}

I assume it's the dioxins and PCBs referred to at the bottom which may affect fertility. Now I just need to find out what PCBs are!

Blu · 22/03/2006 16:38

Aha! Suddenly this all makes sense.
I suspect it is because pcbs and dioxins are stored in bodyfat and are accumulative (hence present in oily fish). As they can be responsible for abnormalities in feotus's (DS's leg is likely to be caused by pcb / dioxin contamination), it is advisable that girls have a lesser amount of contaminated fish, to protect their future children..

Donk · 22/03/2006 16:41

What are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)?

Polychlorinated biphenyls are mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds (known as congeners). There are no known natural sources of PCBs. PCBs are either oily liquids or solids that are colorless to light yellow. Some PCBs can exist as a vapor in air. PCBs have no known smell or taste. Many commercial PCB mixtures are known in the U.S. by the trade name Aroclor.

PCBs have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U.S. in 1977 because of evidence they build up in the environment and can cause harmful health effects. Products made before 1977 that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting fixtures and electrical devices containing PCB capacitors, and old microscope and hydraulic oils.

(ASTDR CDC US Gov.t)

motherinferior · 22/03/2006 16:43

\link{www.sustainweb.org/publications/ downloads/shooting_fish.pdf\This report} is comprehensive if very depressing on the whole topic.

motherinferior · 22/03/2006 16:44

Acch, when I try to get it right it downloads the whole report. On fish, for those of us of a Worried Eco-disposition, it's the business.

motherinferior · 22/03/2006 16:45

And\link{http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1568652,00.html\this} is a good summary.

Mercy · 22/03/2006 17:24

That's very interesting MotherInferior, ie scary.

See pages 8, 9 and 10.

Blu, can I be nosey and ask what you mean re your ds' leg?

Blu · 23/03/2006 13:21

Mercy: DS has no fibula in one leg, a missing 'ray' of his foot, short tibia, and a one-off designer ankle.
I read a Guardian supplement about pcbs and dioxins that specifically mentioned these sorts of abnormalities.
And it makes sense as I was an older mum, and would have been accumulating them for longer.

Mercy · 23/03/2006 13:54

Blu Sad

I'm an older mum too and had never heard of PCBs until yesterday (although I had heard of dioxins). I've always encouraged my dd to eat oily fish and have never limited the amount she eats as she likes it so much. I will definitely be monitoring her intake as from now on.

I wonder how many other people are not aware of this? Perhaps we should start a thread highlighting it.

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