As the Food Ingredient Guru I advocate reading the food label. It's your best line of defense against all of the chemical cr@p that manufacturers insist in stuffing into your food. If you or someone in your family has a food allergy it becomes imperative that you read the label because you need to pay attention to those ingredients that may cause a serious or life threatening reaction.
In my case it's fish and seafood. For me it's not just a food intolerance (sometimes called a food sensitivity). It's an actual full-blown food allergy. I have an epi-pen. And as much as I advocate and believe in the power of fish oil for health, I can't take it myself.
While fish itself is generally easy to avoid sometimes it gets added to food under the guise of the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Now we've all heard that omega-3s are good for us (they are) and that we don't get enough of them (most of us don't). Manufacturers want to capitalize on this and they add omega-3s to the food, fortifying it*, and displaying this information in big bold letters on the front of the package. But that's not the whole story.
There are three different kinds of omega-3 fatty acids. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). ALA comes from plant sources, such as flax, olive oil, walnuts, and soy. EPA and DHA come from fish, with the best sources being cold water fatty fish like sardines and salmon.
Omega-3 fortified products can include milk, yogurt, eggs, juices, bread products, baby food, peanut butter, protein bars, protein shakes, and more. While ALA, or vegetable-sourced omega 3s, are cheaper, that doesn't always mean that that's what the manufacturers are using in their food.
Recently I was doing in a client's pantry and came across this jar of peanut butter. Looking at the label we can see that the omega-3 was is from fish (because is says DHA and EPA on the front). In the ingredient panel (sorry for the fuzzy photo) it lists anchovy and sardine oils as well as tilapia gelatin. I'm not sure why the tilapia gelatin is there except for some sort of binder, but as a source of omega-3 it's not a great one. For someone with a food allergy the difference between vegetarian and animal sources of omega-3 could potentially be huge.
It is also important to note that farm raised fish, such as tilapia, have been shown to be higher in omega-6 fatty acids. We already get too many of these in our modern diet and they're known to be more detrimental to cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels. This is because farm raised fish are eating corn and soy (both probably genetically modified by the way) instead of beneficial algae. When fish eat algae they can convert it into the omega-3 fatty acids we need. When they eat corn and soy they can't and so wind up with the higher omega-6 levels.
Another issue to be aware of is that when we add omega-3s to our food by fortifying it, studies appear to show that the fortified versions don't have the same beneficial effect as the original, whole food source. Additionally, the amount of omega-3s in fortified foods may not reach the levels needed to truly have a beneficial effect on your health. Once again, manufacturers are capitalizing on buzz words and media focus to add something to their food products in an attempt to convince you to buy. Unfortunately it may not provide the health benefits that you think it will.
The solution? Stay informed, read the label, and eat real food.
*Quick reminder: Fortified foods are those that have an added substance that was never in there to begin with (like omega 3s in peanut butter). Enriched foods are those that have ingredients removed during processing added back (usually chemically synthesized versions).
Yes, one thing I have learned over the years is with food allergies, you definitely need to be a savvy label reader. We have peanut allergies in my home so this is off-limits anyway. I couldn’t help but notice the sugar, molasses, hydrogenated vegetable oil, etc. that’s also made it’s way into this concoction. This is another case of the food industry trying to make something that is unhealthy seem healthy.
So many times I’ve looked at a label and not known what an ingredient is, so I shrug it off. Now that I have food allergies, if I don’t know what something is, I put it back on the shelf… and then ask Mira what it is 🙂
Excellent article. We have been staying away from the farm raised fish for exactly these reasons! Wild caught salmon in a side by side look, cook and taste test – no comparison to the farm raised. A hands down winner for the wild caught fish!
You amaze me with your knowledge. It’s scary to me what is supposed to be “better” is actually often not. Thanks for this info, Mira.
Wow! I had no idea there was now Omega 3 added to peanut butter. It seems like we’re getting “too much of a good thing.” I always appreciate your blog posts that cause me to pay greater attention to what I”m ingesting.
Great blog post and super-interesting! I have never seen fish oil added to peanut butter!
Look at all the sugar in this product too – even though it’s fuzzy it’s not hard to spot!