Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for overall health, supporting everything from brain function to heart and skin health. While many people may not be getting enough omega-3s, it's simple to increase your intake with a few dietary changes. In this post, we'll dive into the important roles omega-3s play in your body, their benefits, and how to make sure you're getting enough in your diet.
What is Omega-3
Omega-3 fats have many functions in our body and are essential for overall health. There are 3 types of omega-3 fats that can be classified into 2 categories, essential and non-essential.
Essential Fatty Acid
ALA (alpha linolenic acid) is an essential fatty acid, meaning that our bodies cannot produce it on its own and we must consume it as part of our diet.
Non-Essential Fatty Acids
The two non-essential omega-3s are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). While our bodies can produce their own EPA and DHA from ALA, the amount that they produce is limited. Therefore, it is beneficial to include EPA and DHA rich foods in your diet alongside ALA rich foods to ensure you are getting enough of all the omega-3 fatty acids to support health.
What does Omega-3 do?
- Brain Function: Functions as a structural component of brain tissue. Plays an important role in maintaining and preserving cognitive function to support memory, and mental health.
- Inflammation: Omega-3s have anti-inflammatory properties which can help in the management of immune-mediated inflammatory disease conditions like arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Skin Health: Maintains skin integrity, reduces inflammation, and promotes wound healing and may be beneficial in the management of skin conditions like acne.
- Heart Health: Getting enough omega-3s can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and can help reduce your blood pressure and improve your blood lipid profile. They also can contribute to overall blood vessel health by reducing inflammation.
- Infant Development: Omega-3s, particularly DHA, contribute to developing the baby's brain and nervous system during pregnancy. Ensuring that infants get enough omega-3 fats early in life, can help support optimal brain growth and function, which is crucial for cognitive and visual development.
Am I Getting Enough Omega-3?
The amount of omega-3 you need per day depends on your age, sex and life stage. Generally, you can meet your omega-3 recommendations by having 2 servings of fatty fish per week. The daily recommendations for omega-3 are as follows:
- Men 19+ 1.6g/d
- Women 19+ 1.1 g/d
- Pregnant Women 19+ 1.4 g/d
- Breastfeeding Women 19+ 1.3g/d
Why you might not be getting enough omega-3?
Not eating enough omega-3 rich foods as a part of your normal diet.
Foods that tend to be the richest sources of omega-3 are fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines, anchovies), and nuts and seeds (flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and pecans). People may not include many of these omega-3 rich foods in their diets as a personal preference, due to allergies/intolerances or because of dietary restrictions.
People who follow vegetarian or vegan diets are especially at risk of not getting enough omega-3. While some plant foods are a rich source of the omega-3 fat ALA (flax, chia, walnuts, and pecans), it is not absorbed or processed as easily in our body compared to EPA and DHA, thus being mindful of the amount consumed to ensure adequate intake is important.
Following a “Western Diet”
Western diets are typically high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in vegetable oils, animal fats, and processed foods. While omega-6 is essential for health, it should be balanced with omega-3, particularly ALA. A typical Western diet often contains much more omega-6 than omega-3, creating an imbalance. This imbalance can reduce the body’s ability to convert ALA into EPA and DHA forms. Incorporating more omega-3 rich foods (especially EPA and DHA) into your diet can improve the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 for optimal health.
Lack of Awareness
People may be unfamiliar with what foods are rich in omega-3 or do not know how to incorporate them into their diet regularly. Without proper knowledge or understanding of foods rich in omega-3 or how to incorporate them into your diet, it can be difficult to know if you are getting enough.
Don’t know what foods are high in Omega-3s?
Some common recommendations you might hear regarding omega-3 include eating fatty fish 2-3 times per week or eating daily plant-based sources like 1/4 cup walnuts or 1 tbsp of chia, ground flax or hemp seeds. While these recommendations are a fantastic way of getting in omega-3s, consider exploring other foods or ingredients to add variety to your meals. The table below provides some examples of foods that are rich in omega-3s.
| Foods | Serving Sizes | ALA (g) | EPE/DHA (g) |
| Fruits/Vegetables | Not a good source of omega-3. | ||
| Edamame | ½ Cup or 125 ml | 0.29-0.34 | |
| Radish sprouts | ½ Cup or 125 ml | 0.42 | |
| Winter squash | ½ Cup or 125 ml | 0.18 | |
| Protein Products | Some dairy products are fortified with DHA | ||
| Milk/Dairy and Eggs | Keep an eye out while shopping for milk/dairy and eggs that have been fortified with omega-3s. | ||
| Milk with DHA | 1 Cup or 250 ml | 0.1 | |
| Soy milk with Omega-3 | 1 Cup or 250 ml | 0.67 | 0.03 |
| Eggs cooked | 2 eggs | 0.06-0.28 | 0.07 |
| Omega-3 Eggs with DHA | 2 eggs | 0.5-0.54 | 0.16-0.27 |
| Omega-3 yogurt | ¾ Cup or 175g | 0.46 | |
| Fish & Seafood | Rich in omega-3s including EPA and DHA. | ||
| Anchovies | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.01 | 1.54 |
| Carp | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.26 | 0.56 |
| Cod (Atlantic) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.11 | |
| Cod (Pacific) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.04 | 0.779 |
| Crab | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.01 | 0.36 |
| Halibut | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.04-0.06 | 0.18-0.88 |
| Herring | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.05-0.11 | 1.6 |
| Lobster | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.01 | 0.15 |
| Mackeral | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.03-0.08 | 0.58-0.92 |
| Oyster | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.05 | 1.04 |
| Salmon (farmed) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.08-0.13 | 1.61-1.77 |
| Salmon (chinook) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.07-0.08 | 1.31-1.47 |
| Salmon (coho) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.03-0.06 | 0.8-1.08 |
| Salmon (pink) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.03-0.04 | 0.46-1.27 |
| Salmon (sockeye) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.05-0.09 | 0.87-0.93 |
| Sardines | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.17-0.37 | 0.74-0.15 |
| Shrimp | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.01 | 0.21 |
| Snapper | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.24 | |
| Sole | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.01 | 0.23 |
| Trout | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.06-0.14 | 0.66-0.74 |
| Tuna (light) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.21 | |
| Tuna (white) | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.05 | 0.65 |
| Whitefish | 75g or 2.5 oz | 0.17 | 1.2 |
| Meat Alternatives | Provide some omega-3s (ALA). Some commercial products may be fortified with additional omega-3s. | ||
| Beans (navy, pinto) | ¾ Cup or 175 ml | 0.17-0.24 | |
| Peas (black eyed) | ¾ Cup or 175 ml | 0.11 | |
| Soybeans | ¾ Cup or 175 ml | 0.76 | |
| Tofu (cooked) | ¾ Cup or 150g | 0.27-0.48 | |
| Nuts & Seeds | Choices like ground flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts are rich in ALA, making them excellent plant-based sources of omega-3 for those who avoid fish and other animal products. | ||
| Almonds | ¼ Cup or 60 ml | 0.15 | |
| Chia seeds | 1 tbsp | 1.9 | |
| Flaxseed (ground) | 1 tbsp | 2.43 | |
| Hemp seeds | 1 tbsp | 0.19 | |
| Pumpkin seeds | ¼ Cup or 60 ml | 0.06 | |
| Pecans | ¼ Cup or 60 ml | 0.25-0.29 | |
| Walnuts | ¼ Cup or 60 ml | 2.30 | |
| Oils & Fats | Adding the oils below to your recipes and meals is an easy way to get extra omega-3. | ||
| Canola oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 0.42 | |
| Flaxseed oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 2.46 | |
| Soybean oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 0.31 | |
| Walnut oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 0.48 | |
| Other | Fish oil supplements can be another way of getting omega-3s in your diet. | ||
| Herring oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 0.04 | 0.48 |
| Salmon oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 0.05 | 1.44 |
| Sardine oil | 1 tsp or 5 ml | 0.06 | 0.96 |
| Almond beverage | 1 Cup or 250 ml | 0.10 | |
| Oat beverage | 1 Cip or 250 ml | 0.30 | |
*The information from the table is adapted from The Canadian Nutrient File
Takeaway
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for maintaining various aspects of health. If you're concerned about your omega-3 intake, consider incorporating more omega-3 rich foods into your diet, such as fatty fish, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. By maintaining a balanced intake of omega-3s, you can support long-term health and well-being.
