Omega-3 smoothie

Ingredients (1 portion) contains 14g of protein:

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

• 1 tablespoon flaxseeds

• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds

• 1 banana

• 1 dl frozen berries and/or spinach

• 2 pitted dates

• 1-1,5 dl water

• Juice of half a lemon

Optional

• Superfood powder of choice (Spirulina, Chlorella, Açai, Cacao)

How to:

Start by grinding flaxseeds, chia seeds and hemp seeds (can be done in bigger portions weekly).

Add everything to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.

The science behind:

The daily recommended value of the bioactive omega 3 is 250-500mg EPA/DHA. Most seeds contain ALA omega 3 which is non-bioactive but can be converted to EPA/DHA.

5-10% of ALA converts to EPA and 1< % to DHA, which means you need to consume a lot of ALA to get enough of the active omega-3 fatty acids.

To be safe (in terms of conversion rate of ALA, as it may vary from person to person) I personally aim for 700 mg EPA + DHA from ALA.

A rough estimate based on conversion rates:

2 tbsp chia seeds (10g ALA)

~500mg EPA (~5%)

~50mg DHA (~0.5%)

1 tbsp flaxseeds (2.8g ALA)

~140mg EPA

~14mg DHA

1 tbsp hemp seeds (2.5g ALA)

~125mg EPA

~12.5mg DHA

In total 15,3g ALA (4 tbsp combined) which converts to:

EPA: ~765mg

DHA: ~76mg

This combination exceeds the daily recommended intake, of EPA/DHA but ensures you get a decent amount of DHA, which is harder to convert.

*Note that the conversion rate of ALA may differ from person to person, and I still recommend eating other sources of ALA fx walnuts and good quality sources of EPA/DHA fx fatty fish. If don’t eat fish or have access s to it, I recommend to supplement with fish/algae oil to get more DHA which is good for brain health and your nervous system.