You need Omega-3 essential fatty acids everyday

I only realized lately that I was extremely deficient in my Omega-3 intake. I was acing my Omega-6 and 9 intake (more on those later), but I was failing when it came to integrating Omega-3 in my regime.

Omega-3 is a type of fat that the human body needs to function normally. Since our bodies cannot produce Omega-3, we must obtain it directly from our diet. There are three different Omega-3 oils: DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) found in fish, and ALA (Alphalinolenic Acid) found in flax seed and some nuts.

Ideally, you should take 2-4 g of Omega 3 per day. So how do you integrate more Omega 3 in your regime?

The best vegetarian/vegan sources of Omega 3 are:

Flaxseed oil 14g (equivalent to 1 tablespoon) provides 8.0g of Alphalinolenic Acid

Flaxseed (ground) 24g 1 tablespoon (equivalent to 1 tablespoon) provides 3.8g of Alphalinolenic Acid

Grape Seed oil 14g (equivalent to 1 tablespoon) provides 1.6g of Alphalinolenic Acid

Walnuts 28g provides 2.6g of Alphalinolenic Acid

Tofu 126g provides 0.7g of Alphalinolenic Acid

The best non-vegetarian sources of Omega 3 are:

Salmon (fresh/frozen), mackerel, blue fin tuna (fresh/frozen), sardines (canned), herring Omega 3 (or flax seed) feed chickens and Omega 3 eggs.

A quick note on flax seed oil — it’s an essential oil and should never be heated. You can add it to your salads, smoothies or oatmeal. If you prefer, you can opt to take flax seeds capsules, but flax seed oil doesn’t have an unpleasant taste at all. Chances are, you won’t notice it at all.

When it comes to fish oil capsules, from what I’ve read the jury is out on this touchy subject. Some nutritional experts say that many manufacturers cheat consumers by not coming clean on what exactly they put in the capsules. I’ve also read articles that say that a lot of the oils come from fish that are filled with mercury and other really bad toxins. There are surely very good brands that sell fish oil capsules, but you’ll want to do your research to make sure you are buying the best brand or you can simply eat more fatty fish. As the Greek physician Hippocrates (born in 460 BC) would say: let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food!

If you are not yet tired of reading about Omega-3, you might be interested by The Power of fish which offers a more clinical explanation on why Omega-3 is so essential to our regime.