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“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”— Thomas A. Edison🌿“No illness which can be treated by diet should be treated by any other means.”— Maimonides (commonly attributed)🌿“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; when diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”— Ayurvedic proverb🌿“Medicine and food share a common origin.”— Traditional Chinese medicine saying🌿“Food is medicine is not only an idea whose time has come; it is absolutely essential.”— Dr Dariush Mozaffarian🌿“Nature is the true healer. The physician is only nature's assistant.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“All that man needs for health and healing has been provided in nature; the challenge of science is to find it.”— Attributed to Paracelsus🌿“Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.”— Leonardo da Vinci🌿“The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”— Attributed to Voltaire🌿“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”— Benjamin Franklin🌿“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise — not too little and not too much — we would have found the safest way to health.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“Eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise.”— Hippocrates, On Regimen🌿“Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life.”— WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion🌿“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”— Sir William Osler🌿“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being — not merely the absence of disease.”— WHO Constitution🌿“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”— Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin🌿“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”— Michael Pollan🌿“Do not eat anything your great-grandmother would not recognise as food.”— Michael Pollan🌿“Diet-related diseases produce crushing health and economic burdens.”— Dr Dariush Mozaffarian🌿“One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.”— Sir William Osler🌿“Good food is a right, not a privilege.”— Alice Waters🌿“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”— Thomas A. Edison🌿“No illness which can be treated by diet should be treated by any other means.”— Maimonides (commonly attributed)🌿“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; when diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”— Ayurvedic proverb🌿“Medicine and food share a common origin.”— Traditional Chinese medicine saying🌿“Food is medicine is not only an idea whose time has come; it is absolutely essential.”— Dr Dariush Mozaffarian🌿“Nature is the true healer. The physician is only nature's assistant.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“All that man needs for health and healing has been provided in nature; the challenge of science is to find it.”— Attributed to Paracelsus🌿“Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.”— Leonardo da Vinci🌿“The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”— Attributed to Voltaire🌿“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”— Benjamin Franklin🌿“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise — not too little and not too much — we would have found the safest way to health.”— Attributed to Hippocrates🌿“Eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise.”— Hippocrates, On Regimen🌿“Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life.”— WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion🌿“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”— Sir William Osler🌿“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being — not merely the absence of disease.”— WHO Constitution🌿“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”— Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin🌿“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”— Michael Pollan🌿“Do not eat anything your great-grandmother would not recognise as food.”— Michael Pollan🌿“Diet-related diseases produce crushing health and economic burdens.”— Dr Dariush Mozaffarian🌿“One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.”— Sir William Osler🌿“Good food is a right, not a privilege.”— Alice Waters🌿
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Age-related corrections

🐟 Omega-3 for Indian Vegetarians: EPA, DHA and ALA

The Indian plate is reliably short of omega-3, and the vegetarian plate more so, because flax and walnut ALA converts only in small part to the EPA and DHA the body uses. This guide explains the difference, why refined cooking oils make it worse, how fish and algal oil compare, and what the omega-3 index measures.

By the Farmicine editorial team·Reviewed for claims compliance·4 min read· 30s 40s 50s 60s
In this guideWhat is the difference between ALA, EPA and DHA?Why does omega-6 excess make it worse?Fish or algal oil — what works for vegetarians?What is the omega-3 index?How do I get more omega-3 from an Indian plate?When to see a doctor

Omega-3 fats are one of the few nutrients where the typical Indian plate is reliably short, and the typical Indian vegetarian plate even more so. Understanding omega-3 for vegetarians in India starts with one distinction: the omega-3 in flaxseed and walnuts (ALA) is not the same as the omega-3 in fish (EPA and DHA), and the body converts very little of one into the other. This guide explains the difference, why refined cooking oils tip the balance the wrong way, how fish and algal oil compare, and what the omega-3 index measures.

What is the difference between ALA, EPA and DHA?

All three are omega-3 fatty acids, but they do different jobs. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is the plant form, found in flaxseed (alsi), chia, walnuts, hemp and in smaller amounts in mustard oil, soybean and leafy greens. EPA and DHA are the long-chain forms found in fatty fish, fish oil, krill and marine algae. EPA is the one most studied for inflammation resolution and cardiovascular markers; DHA is the structural fat of the brain, retina and nerve membranes. The body can convert ALA into EPA and then DHA, but the conversion is limited — studies commonly report that only a small fraction of ALA becomes EPA, and considerably less becomes DHA, with women converting somewhat better than men. So a tablespoon of flaxseed is a good food, but it is not a substitute for EPA and DHA.

Why does omega-6 excess make it worse?

Omega-3 and omega-6 fats compete for the same enzymes. Refined sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn and rice-bran oils — the oils most Indian kitchens and restaurants now use — are very high in omega-6 linoleic acid. When omega-6 floods the system, the little ALA you eat is converted even less efficiently, and the body's inflammatory signalling tilts towards the pro-inflammatory side. Traditional Indian oils — cold-pressed mustard, groundnut, sesame, coconut and ghee — have a more moderate omega-6 load, and mustard oil in particular carries some ALA. Switching the everyday cooking oil is one of the highest-value changes on the Farmicine Chronic Inflammation (B1) food list, alongside adding EPA and DHA directly.

Fish or algal oil — what works for vegetarians?

Fatty fish two or three times a week is the food route: sardines (mathi), mackerel (bangda), Indian salmon (rawas), hilsa, and to a lesser extent rohu and catla. Smaller oily fish carry more omega-3 and less mercury than large predatory fish. Fish oil capsules concentrate EPA and DHA; quality varies, so look for the actual EPA and DHA content on the label rather than the total oil, and for third-party testing for oxidation and heavy metals.

For vegetarians, algal oil is the answer that actually delivers EPA and DHA — fish get their omega-3 from algae in the first place, and algal oil goes straight to the source. It is vegetarian, free of fishy aftertaste and has no mercury concern. It is more expensive per gram, which is the honest trade-off. Flaxseed oil, chia and walnuts remain worth eating for ALA, fibre and other nutrients, but they sit alongside, not instead of, a direct EPA/DHA source. Farmicine offers both OmegaPro (fish oil, EPA:DHA 3:2) and an algal omega-3 for vegetarians; which one, and how much, is set by the advisor based on your diet and your index.

What is the omega-3 index?

The omega-3 index measures EPA and DHA as a percentage of the fatty acids in red blood cell membranes — a stable, three-month picture of your tissue status rather than what you ate yesterday. Levels below 4% are commonly discussed as low, 4–8% as intermediate, and above 8% as the target associated in population studies with better cardiovascular outcomes. Most Indians who have been tested fall in the low band. The test is increasingly available through larger Indian labs, and Farmicine lists it under the labs for the inflammation pattern. If you cannot get it, the triglyceride level on a routine lipid profile is an indirect clue, since EPA and DHA are well studied for supporting healthy triglycerides.

How do I get more omega-3 from an Indian plate?

  • Cook in cold-pressed mustard, groundnut or sesame oil, or ghee, rather than refined sunflower or soybean oil
  • Add a tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseed (alsi) or soaked chia to curd, chutney or roti dough daily
  • A small handful of walnuts
  • Fatty fish twice a week if you eat it; algal oil if you do not
  • Pair omega-3 with polyphenol foods — turmeric, berries, pomegranate — which protect it from oxidation in the body
  • Store oils and seeds away from heat and light; omega-3 fats go rancid quickly

The Good Life checklist places omega-3 among the 40s corrections, when inflammation and cardiovascular markers start to matter more.

When to see a doctor

Speak to your doctor before starting fish or algal oil if you take blood thinners (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel), are due for surgery, have a bleeding disorder, or have a fish or shellfish allergy. See a doctor promptly for chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, a triglyceride level above 500 mg/dL, or joint swelling with fever. Omega-3 supports normal cardiovascular and inflammatory function alongside your doctor's care; it is not a substitute for medicines your doctor has advised. This is wellness education, not medical advice.

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Age-related corrections

🍇 Antioxidant Supplements After 40: Food First in India

Oxidative stress is the slow wear of cells that outpaces the body's own defences, and after 40 many people reach for an antioxidant capsule. This guide explains why amla, pomegranate, berries, green tea and turmeric usually work better than isolated supplements, and the specific situations where a supplement is a sensible addition.

Age-related corrections

📋 The Good Life checklist: common corrections by decade

A decade-by-decade list of the common nutrient and habit corrections most Indian adults benefit from checking, from vitamin D and B12 in the 20s to bone, hearing and protein after 60. Explains which items are food-first, which need a test, and which are doctor-first checks, and how the Good Life dashboard tracks them.

Age-related corrections

💪 Protein After 40: Muscle Loss and the Indian Plate

Muscle loss begins around 40 and speeds up after 60, and it responds to two things: enough protein and regular strength work. This guide covers the intakes commonly discussed for older adults, why Indian vegetarian plates fall short, dal-and-grain pairing, protein-first breakfasts, two strength sessions a week, and creatine as a studied option for adults.

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Chronic Inflammation (B1)Inflammation solutionOmegaPro (EPA/DHA 3:2)

Frequently asked

Is flaxseed enough for omega-3 if I am vegetarian?

Flaxseed is a good food, but only a small fraction of its ALA becomes EPA and very little becomes DHA. Vegetarians who want EPA and DHA directly usually look at algal oil.

Which Indian fish are highest in omega-3?

Sardines (mathi), mackerel (bangda), hilsa and Indian salmon (rawas) are among the richest. Smaller oily fish also carry less mercury than large predatory fish.

Does fish oil thin the blood?

At higher amounts it can modestly affect clotting, so people on blood thinners or heading for surgery should speak to their doctor first.

What omega-3 index should I aim for?

Above 8% is the target commonly discussed in research; below 4% is considered low. Most Indians tested so far sit in the low band.

This guide is wellness education, not medical advice, and does not replace a consultation with your doctor. Farmicine products are food supplements that support structure and function; they are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.