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Sources of Fatty Acids
Now that you are an expert on Fatty Acids and their importance in nutrition, let's discuss which sources
of Fatty Acids we can feed to our birds.
Nut Meals
| Walnut Meal |
|
| Nut Meals can be added to egg food to increase oil and protein content as well as other nutrients. |
I use 1-2 tbsp of nut meals in my basic egg food recipe.
Nut meals are purchased already finely mashed from a local supermarket chain
(Trader Joe's). Perhaps you have a whole foods, organic foods or decent grocery store near you which also carries these
products. I'm unsure what people use nut meals for (pies or confectionaries possibly) - but I know what I use them
for so far as my birds are concerned. I add a tbsp or two to the above basic egg food mix to increase protein, EFAs
(Essential Fatty Oils) and some minerals/vitamins like zinc, calcium, iron, phosphorus as well as increasing dietary
fiber . Nut meals also make the egg food a bit more 'moist' due to the oil content without actually making the
egg food wet per se.
A note of warning: Nuts are high in calories and if your
birds are kept in small cages and already have an OBESITY PROBLEM, nut meals may not be the way to go. For aviary kept
birds, birds which are highly active or of normal weight or for SICK and STRUGGLING birds as well as for chicks,
nut meal is a good alternative additive for egg food.
NOTE: Most nuts are high in Oxalic Acid. Birds with
kidney problems should not eat nuts. See in-depth discussion in the Oxalic Acid section:
Go To Oxalic Acid Discussion
| Nuts and Nut Meal |
|
| Clockwise starting at top left, Sunflower, Pumpkin or Pepita, Almond and Pecan, Walnut Meal (center) |
Types of nut meals I've used include: walnut, pecan, filbert (hazelnut), pumpkin
and sunflower (I make my own of the last two).
| Red Skinned Peanuts |
|
| Peanuts can contain fungal toxins known as Aflatoxins and therefore should not be fed to finches. |
WARNING: USE PEANUTS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
There are two reasons to avoid peanuts: 1) Peanuts can be contaminated with an Aspergillus fungal
toxin called 'aflatoxin' which can be outright toxic in the worst case scenario, or over the long term, cause cancer; 2)
peanuts are among the most heavily sprayed crops, and it's quite possible they are contaminated with pesticide residue.
For these two reasons, peanuts are best avoided. If you insist on using peanuts, be sure you are purchasing those which
are for HUMAN consumption - not those which are feed for outdoor birds. Peanuts for human consumption must be guaranteed
to have very low aflatoxin levels and pesticide residues.
| Raw Almonds |
|
| Finches enjoy almonds so long as they are a meal or finely minced. |
WARNING: NEVER USE RANCID NUTS or NUT MEAL.
Rancid (oxidized) oils are unhealthy at best and can even cause disease. Since oils are NOT modified when they are incorporated
into cell membranes, if ingested oils are rancid, the body just uses them 'as is'. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. You
wouldn't put old oil into your car - so don't put old oil into you body or that of your birds!!!.
| Whole Pecans |
|
| Pecans are a good source of protein, calcium, Arginine and Linolenic & Linoleic Acids (EFAs). |
WHY? Most biochemical reactions at the cellular level
occur on cell membranes which are composed primarily of oils (and some protein). If oxidized oils are inserted into
cell membranes, the cells are already sick from the start. Oxidized membranes are believed to contribue significantly
to disease and aging since oxidized oils do not behave properly and politely on the cellular level.
To put it simply, they sort of glue things up. For those who cook, you know how it is when you get oil on the range,
and you don't clean it for months? It's sticky and nasty and you curse yourself for not having cleaned it sooner. Those
are OXIDIZED OILS. Now, IMAGINE HAVING THAT GOOP INSIDE YOUR OR YOUR BIRD'S BODY! Not a pretty picture.
JUST SAY "NO!" TO RANCID OILS & NUTS!
In fact, rancid nut meals taste bad and typically smell 'funny'. That alone
should clue you in. They should NOT be used period. Rancid whole nuts usually also smell bad and taste funny.
They may also have dark brown streaks in them (this is seen in Brazil nuts) or be shrunken and shriveled (many times seen
in old hazelnuts/filberts).
Purchasing Nuts: I buy nuts which are raw. This
means that they have not been roasted at all. Over-roasted nuts may lose some of their oils, or they can be well on
their way to rancidity (oxidized oils). Most nut roasters over roast nuts so it's best to just purchase those
which haven't been tampered with at all. Raw nuts store longer, and the oil quality is at its finest maximum.
I also do not purchase SALTED nuts.
Oils
I use about 1 tbsp of oil into the above basic egg food recipe.
A variety of liquid oils can be added to the above basic egg food mix. Oils
are a good source of EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) and a necessary part of any animal's diet.
- Flaxseed Oil
- Wheat Germ Oil
- Cod Liver Oil (I used the cherry flavored)
- Olive Oil
- Canola Oil
- Grape Seed Oil
-Sesame Oil
- Evening Primrose Oil
- Mixed oils purchased from various pigeon supply companies. One that I've used
for a while is Premium 9 Oils by Verhellen (a Belgium company). I've purchased it in the past from Global Pigeon Supply.
New England, Siegel's & Jedd's Pigeon Suppliers also carry it. They all as well as Foy's Pigeon carry
other similar products. Some have even more than 9 oils in their mix. I just started using this one and well,
if it ain't broke, I don't plan on fixin' it. Verhellen Premium 9 Oils contains the following oils:
Evening Primrose, Soy, Olive, Sunflower, Sesame, Grape Seed, Maize Germ, Pumpkin and Thistle oils as well as Vitamin E.
| Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) Containing Oils |
|
| Cod Liver, Garlic, Sesame, Olive, Flaxseed, Premium 9 Mixture and Grapeseed Oils. |
Oils which can be added in smaller quantities include:
- Garlic Oil
- Vitamin A but preferably Beta-Carotene. The first can be lethal if accumulated
in large amounts. Beta Carotene is the precursor to Vitamin A and is neither toxic nor active as Vitamin A in that form.
The body will convert Beta-carotene to Vitamin A as it needs to. Of course Beta-Carotene is an important carotenoid.
- Vitamin E. Again too much Vitamin E can accumulate in the body. Do not
overdose.
There are TONS of oils available at most health food stores and gourmet shops.
The sky is really the limit. I find that I tend to use most of the above oils myself, and therefore have them in
my cabinet or fridge.
Nutritional Content of Commonly Used Oils & Fats
|
|
|
|
Mono-
unsaturated
|
Saturated
|
Trans
Fat
|
Vitamin
A
(Retinol)
|
Vitamin
D
|
Vitamin
E
|
|
Almond Oil
|
~
|
783
|
3,100
|
400
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
1.8
|
|
Bacon Grease
|
42.3
|
431
|
1,900
|
1,700
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
|
Butter
|
37.8
|
58.5
|
750
|
1,616
|
~
|
21.5
|
~
|
~
|
|
Canola Oil
|
419
|
914
|
2,700
|
300
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.8
|
|
Coconut Oil
|
~
|
81
|
300
|
1,000
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
|
|
|
|
2,100
|
1,000
|
~
|
1.35
|
450 IU
|
~
|
|
Corn Oil
|
52.2
|
2,408
|
1,200
|
600
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.6
|
|
|
|
|
900
|
433
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.8
|
|
Grapeseed Oil
|
4.5
|
3,132
|
700
|
400
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
1.3
|
|
Hazelnut Oil
|
~
|
455
|
3,500
|
300
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
2.1
|
|
Lard
|
42.7
|
433
|
1,933
|
1,667
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
|
Margarine
|
104
|
974
|
1,733
|
700
|
933
|
~
|
~
|
0.3
|
|
|
|
|
3,300
|
600
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.6
|
|
Palm Oil
|
9
|
409
|
1,700
|
2,200
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.7
|
|
Partially Hydrogenated Canola Oil
|
139
|
1,693
|
9,600
|
1,400
|
3,600
|
~
|
~
|
2.3
|
|
Pumpkin Seed Oil
|
50
|
1,900
|
3,400
|
1,000
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
High level
|
|
Safflower Oil
|
~
|
646
|
3,400
|
300
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
1.5
|
|
Sesame Oil
|
13.5
|
1,859
|
1,800
|
600
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.1
|
|
Soybean Oil
|
306
|
2,295
|
1,000
|
600
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.4
|
|
Sunflower Oil
|
9
|
1,791
|
2,000
|
500
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
1.8
|
|
Vegetable
Shortening
(Crisco)
|
46.7
|
412
|
1,900
|
1,700
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
|
Walnut Oil
|
468
|
2,380
|
1,000
|
400
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
|
700
|
800
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
6.7
|
All values are in mgs unless stated otherwise.
The serving size is normalized to 1 US teaspoon.
From the above table, a few things become evident:
1) Flaxseed oil has by FAR the highest levels of ALA.
2) Canola, Cod Liver, Soybean, Walnut and Wheatgerm Oils also have decent
ALA levels.
3) ONLY Flaxseed Oil has ALA and Linolenic Acid in approximately a 5:1 ratio, one
ratio currently suggested as optimal. With the exception of Cod Liver oil (which is 20:1 ALA to
Linoleic Acid), all other oils have more Omega 6 fatty acids (Linoleic) than they do Omega 3 fatty acids (ALA).
Skewed fatty acid intake in favor of Omega 6 is believed to contribute to health problems.
4) Lard, Bacon Grease, Palm Oil, Partially hydrogenated Canola Oil, Coconut
Oil and Vegetable Shortening (Crisco) have more saturated fat than anything else. These oils have little in the way
of ALA, but some may have appreciable levels of Linoleic Acid , an Omega 6 fatty acid.
5) Most but not all oils have some Vitamin E.
6) Only Butter and Cod Liver Oil have Retinol (Vitamin A).
7) Only Cod Liver Oil has Vitamin D.
8) Margarine and Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil both contain Trans
Fats in high levels and should not be fed to your birds.
Basically, no single oil has everything in it that you'd like, though Flaxseed
oil comes closest. And of course, some oils are best avoided at all costs. I put this table up so that you can
be your own judge of what oils to feed your birds and yourself.
Canola Oil
| Canola and Wheat Germ Oil |
|
| Two additional oils I use in my egg food. |
Canola oil is just low erucic acid rapeseed (mustard) oil. It must
contain less than 2% erucic acid (a toxic fatty acid) to be considered food grade. Higher erucic acid content oil
is used as a machinery lubricant.
Some less than knowledgeable people say that Canola oil is not natural.
It is natural and sadly there are a lot of people who live to spread disinformation. It has taken plant breeders 50
years to selectively breed rapeseed to reduce the euric acid levels enough so that it is OK to eat. Some Canola MAY
be derived from genetically engineered crops. It may contain a herbicide resistance gene. Canola is not genetically
engineered for its oil content.
If you have a problem with genetically engineered foods then don't
use Canola. Canola is also heavily sprayed. Therefore, try to purchase organic Canola, and you can avoid
pesticide and GMO issues. Purchase only cold pressed Canola Oil.
Many other more expensive nut oils are blended with Canola in order to
extend their shelf life. Canola is an OK source of EFAs. It's big bonus is that Canola has a high frying
temperature and produces fewer trans fatty acids than many of the other more commonly used frying oils. Needless to
say, you shouldn't be frying for your birds. I do use Canola occasionally for variety.
Wheat Germ vs. Wheat Germ Oil
Wheat Germ is the embryo from the wheat grain and has the following nutritional components:
all amino acids including the essential amino acids, fatty acids including the two EFAs, many of the B vitamins as well as many
minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. Wheat
Germ also has fiber.
Wheat Germ Oil, on the other hand, is produced from pressing Wheat Germ to extract out its
oil. Therefore, Wheat Germ Oil will only contain oil soluble nutrients. These include: fatty
acids with EFAs, vitamin E and phytosterols.
Now you may be asking yourself, how can Wheat Germ Oil have Vitamin E and phytosterols when
I didn't mention these in regards to Wheat Germ, which is the crude starting product for Wheat Germ Oil? The reason
is that Wheat Germ Oil is very concentrated and therefore, the Vitamin E and phytosterols (which are both oil soluble) are
found in appreciable levels.
As you can see, there are different reasons to feed Wheat Germ vs Wheat Germ Oil depending
upon what it is you want to achieve. The same holds true for feeding Flaxseed vs. Flaxseed oil.
Other Oils
Do not feed your birds sources of hydrogenated oils such as butter, margine,
animal fats (bacon grease) and vegetable shortening such as Crisco, to name a few. Most of these also contain
trans fats. These oils and fats are no better for your birds than they are for you.
Oil Storage
Oils should be stored in the refrigerated section of the store. They keep longer that
way. Once brought home, again, they should be kept cold. Try to purchase oils that come in dark glass or plastic.
They will last longer this way because the oil will not suffer light damage resulting in oxidation (rancidity). Some
gourmet oils come in clear glass so that the consumer can judge the color of the oil. While this is nice to see the
oil, it's best to store oils in light impervious containers or wrap glass bottles with foil if necessary (this is
a trick I learned in the lab, and it works well for photosensitive chemicals). Of course, storing oils in the fridge
is a double bonus - it's cold and dark in there.
NOTE: Oils can go rancid quickly. It's best
to purchase them in small quantities for this reason. I keep the wheat germ, grape seed, flaxseed and cod liver oil
in my refrigerator as the
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