Omega 3 oils are sources of omega 3 essential fatty acids like DHA and EPA. Fish oil is one of the most widely-known sources of these fatty acids. However, there are other food sources of omega 3 fats as well. Let’s find out more about fatty acids and the foods containing omega 3 oils.
Fatty fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, pilchards, herring, kipper, eel and whitebait are rich sources of omega 3 oils. Tuna is also considered to be abundant in fatty acids but the one found in tins is not very rich in these fats. If you are planning to eat fish directly, go for the fresh ones. Do not eat too much farm-raised fish because of chances of contaminants found in them. If you don’t like eating fish, consuming fish oil supplements widely available today from any pharmaceutical store is the best alternative. If you are a vegetarian, keep reading on to learn about other foods containing omega 3 oils.
Foods containing omega 3 oils in the vegetable kingdom include flaxseed, canola, olive, corn, peanut, pumpkin seed, hemp, sunflower, and walnuts. Flax seeds are available in pure form as well as in the form of flax seed oil. Corn, walnuts and peanuts can also be eaten in their pure form. However, their oils are available on market and most of them can be used for cooking. If that’s not acceptable, you can consume 1 or 2 tablespoon of these oils daily to receive fatty acids in your body.
Some polyunsaturated fatty acids (the good fats) are categorized as omega 6 fatty acids. Normally it is recommended that the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids in our body should not be more than 2:1. Some foods containing omega 6 fatty acids include cottonseed, primrose oil, meat, poultry, eggs, soybean and corn oil.
If you think intake of these foods in low in your diet, you can always consider buying fish oil or other supplement products available out there. Although these supplements cannot replace the natural foods containing omega 3 oils, but they can prove to be helpful towards maintaining optimum levels of essential fatty acids – DHA and EPA – in the body. Before choosing a supplement product, make sure you have done enough research on it and the manufacturer.
Only supplements made from pharmaceutical grade fish oil should be considered. In addition to this, try to find some customer comments and reviews from doctors about a particular supplement product before buying it.
Discover the best fish oil product on the market today and the one we ourselves personally use. We recommend you learn more: Omega 3 Fish OilJean Helmet is one of the editors for a series of health sites, her latest addition is http://www.omega3-health-guide.com
