The Latest Health Debate: Essential Human & Pet Nutrition vs. Planetary Health.
The recent decision to drop krill supplements by major supermarket retailers could force us into bigger questions: like why are we still harming the marine food chain for nutrients we can grow ourselves?
Omega-3 is an essential nutrient, yet 80-85% of the world is deficient in it.
A krill is barely the size of a paperclip, yet they are a foundational food source for most Antarctic wildlife, which makes the decision by large scale supermarket chains to stop selling krill-based supplements a reminder that even apparently insignificant consumer choices can have consequences far beyond the checkout.
But there is an important question missing from this debate.
Why are we still looking to the oceans for our omega-3 when there are cleaner, more nutritional, eco-friendly sources?
And the answer may be growing off the shores of pristine Northern NSW, Australia.
We’ve been looking in the wrong place
For decades, krill and fish oil have been marketed as the obvious way to get the most powerful omega-3s for cardiovascular, brain and inflammatory health. But fish and krill aren't the original producers of Omega-3 fats;
The microscopic seaweeds (microalgae) they eat are!
Find RawOmega™ & Mega Marine Topper featuring this beautiful, unique pure Omega-3 microalgae for humans & pets
So perhaps we've been approaching the problem backwards? And rather than harvesting increasingly valuable marine life from the oceans and harming the eco-systems while we do it, it makes more sense to cultivate these valuable nutrients directly from the original, more potent sources.
And that is precisely why marine microalgae and seaweeds are attracting growing scientific interest from universities and scientists from all over the world; including some of the brilliant people I have the pleasure of working with; Australian based, Swedish born scientist, entrepreneur and CEO/founder of Phycohealth; Dr. Pia Winberg, along with Australian scientist and Founder of SeaO2Nutrition; Dr. Skye Thomas-Hall.
“Seaweeds and microalgae are fascinating not only because they have the potential to be the next biggest “superfood, but because they also point to a fundamentally different way of thinking about food and nutrition.” Says Dr Skye Thomas-Hall, principal scientist and chief technology officer at SeaO2 Nutrition.
And one example they’re very interested in is Nannochloropsis oceanica, a microalgae they’re cultivating in the famously beautiful and luxurious Byron Bay region of Australia, and renamed Nannovia™, a whole-food microalgae ingredient containing EPA omega-3 alongside proteins, prebiotic factors, antioxidants and other naturally occurring super nutrients. And what’s exciting is I use this in my Nutritional Longevity range RawOmega but also in all of DAYA Pet Food Co.’s foods and toppers.
So Stop harvesting. Start growing; The Eco-Friendly Solution
For most of human history, food has meant finding something in nature and taking it.
Fish from the ocean. Animals from the land. Plants from the soil.
But the pressures of a growing population and a changing climate are forcing us to rethink that model.
“Perhaps what makes microalgae so extraordinary is their potential in and beyond nutrition. For microalgae are among Earth’s most ancient and most important life forms and are responsible for producing roughly half of the planet’s oxygen. They absorb carbon dioxide as they grow through the process of photosynthesis and produce 50 times more protein per acre than soy does, making it a gamechanger for sustainable agriculture.” Dr. Thoams-Hall.
The Breakdown; A microscopic rethink of new “superfoods”
And it doesn’t stop there: microalgae such as Nannochloropsis oceanica is particularly intriguing because it isn't simply omega-3 oil; it’s a whole-food that’s super nutrient dense, covering multiple bases including being a complete protein, containing peptides and branched chain amino acids, high in not only Omega-3 but Omega-7- both being amazing for skin and hair health, lowering inflammation, boosting cognition and more. It’s rich in the antioxidants; lutein, zeaxanthin and violaxanthin- amazing for eye, brain and heart health, a broad base of vitamins and minerals including B12, B9, Vitamin E, C and iron, while also containing prebiotic and green pigment compounds.
The Paradox; Ancient yet Futuristic; Tiny but Mighty.
We tend to associate “superfoods” with rare collections of colourful berries, exotic seeds and fashionable plants from hard-to-reach jungles overseas, but microalgae are turning these concepts on their head.
Microalgae are abundant in oceans, and are additionally the most ancient organisms on earth, yet the technology surrounding them is some of the most advanced and cutting-edge.
They are microscopic, yet capable of producing vast quantities of protein and essential fatty acids. And they don't need to be harvested from the middle of Antarctic to reach us.
Australian-grown seaweeds and microalgae, such as; Nannovia™, may ultimately prove to be one small part of a much larger movement towards cultivating nutrition that is not only sustainable, but helpful to the planet, human and animal health, while potentially answering a question we’re being confronted with more often of late: how do we feed ourselves without continually asking nature to give us more?
The decision by big supermarket chains to remove krill supplements from their shelves is therefore only the beginning of this conversation.
Maybe the real opportunity is to stop asking what we can take from the world, and start asking what we can do ourselves and potentially give back?
Honor Tremain is a qualified nutritionist, author, journalist & CEO of award-winning clinic; www.NoosaNutrition.com.au & DAYA Pet Food Co.
Find Nannovia™ in RawOmega™ & Toppers here
Find more on Dr. Pia Winberg at www.phycohealth.com
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