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Omega 3 rich foods - 
Foods With Omega 3

Omega 3 rich foods, which are the best? Foods that contain omega 3 are fish, sea food, nuts and seeds. 

See the tables below for a full list of foods high in omega 3. 

Omega 3 rich foods

The 3 kinds of omega 3:

  • DHA: docosahexaenoic acid
  • EPA: elcosapentaenoic acid
  • ALA: alpha-linolenic acid

DHA and EPA are found in animal sources. ALA is found in plant sources and our body must convert the ALA into EPA and DHA.

Dr. Wayne Coates Ph.D., Author of the book, Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs, states that "There is a big argument about how much ALA gets converted, Your body is going to convert what you need rather than converting extra. So you are going to convert differently from what I am going to convert. That’s why nothing has come out about what percentage is converted.”

None the less, you can see by the table below that the best omega rich foods are fish and sea food. Vegan omega 3 or vegetarian sources of omega 3 includes nuts and seeds, but the amounts are far less than fish sources and they provide ALA only, no DHA or EPA.

How much omega 3 do you need? 

It really depends on your diet, your lifestyle, your age, your body type. 

Do you tend to have dry skin, nails, hair? Do you have some of the omega 3 deficiency symptoms? I know for myself, my skin and body tends to be dry, so I feel the need for more omega 3 rich foods in my diet. 

There is no set RDA for Omega 3. The benefits of omega 3 abound, so be sure to eat foods high in omega 3 to your diet and take the best fish oil supplement you can find.

Food with the DHA and EPA, the 2 most promising Omega 3 fats content shown in grams.

170 g - 6 oz, cooked for fish (unless noted) EPA/DHA
Atlantic salmon farmed 3.65
Atlantic salmon wild 3.13
Coho salmon farmed 2.18
Rainbow trout farmed 1.96
Coho salmon wild 1.80
Rainbow trout wild 1.67
Anchovies, canned with oil (75 g, 2.5 oz) 1.54
Pacific oysters (85 g, 3 oz) 1.17
mackerel, canned (85g, 3 oz) 1.05
Pollock or Whiting 0.90
Flounder or sole 0.85
Sardines in veg. oil, drained(85g, 3 oz) 0.84
Halibut 0.79
Rockfish 0.75
Ocean perch 0.64
Scallops 0.62
Skipjack tuna fresh 0.56
Pacific cod or yellowfin tuna, fresh 0.47
Blue crab (85 g, 3 oz) or haddock 0.40
Dungeness crab (85g, 3 oz) 0.34
Shrimp (85g, 3 oz) or Atlantic cod 0.27
Clams (85g, 3 oz) 0.24
Lobster (85g, 3 oz) 0.22
Egg 1 large 0.02

Sources: manufactures, Canadian nutrition file, USDA. Nutrition Action Healthletter October 2007 

Vegetarian Sources of Omega 3

Dietary sources of APA' alpha-linolenic acid include flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, soybeans and soybean oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, chia seeds and chia seed oil, perilla seed oil, tofu, walnuts, and walnut oil.

Vegetarian Sources ALAEPA/DHA
Almonds, oil roasted, blanched, 60 mL (¼ cup)0.150
Flaxseed, ground, 15 mL (1 Tbsp) 1.600
Pecans, 60 mL (¼ cup) 0.250
Soy nuts,60 mL (¼ cup) 0.600
Walnuts, English, Persian, 60 mL (¼ cup) 2.300
Chia seeds 5 mL (1 tsp) 0.620
Canola oil 5 mL (1 tsp) 0.430
Flaxseed oil 5 mL (1 tsp) 2.600
Walnut oil 5 mL (1 tsp) 0.480
1 avocada 0.1620

Source: Canadian Nutrient File 2007b

The challenge for most is the over consumption of unhealthy fats and a lack of eating omega 3 rich foods. For vegetarians, you are likely lacking Omega 3s.

For optimal health and to prevent heart disease, cancer depression and more, find the best fish oil supplements and ensure you take them every day.