Top Food Sources ~ Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Top 10 Foods High in Omega-3

Essential fatty acids such as linolenic acid commonly known as omega-3 fatty acids are a high profile nutritional trend for a good reason and that is because these fatty acids are known to be the building blocks of lipids, which are vital nutrients. Omega-3 fatty acids help to regulate blood clotting, build cell membranes, and support cell health while being found in multiple sources of whole foods. The following list will contain the top ten foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, and will provide you with a realistic idea behind how to obtain your needed omega-3 fatty acids.

10. Pasture-raised Meats

Meats from animals that have been pasture raised and subsist mostly on grasses which convert the omega-3 acids in most plants known as alpha-linolenic acids (ALAs). About only 5% of the ALA is converted in human bodies from plants and therefore the ALA found in animals has already been converted and contains more usable forms for the human body.

9. Enriched Dairy Foods

Similar to meat from animals that are grass-fed, their milk contains more omega-3 acids than animals that aren't pasture raised. Based on the types of diets these animals are fed their milk can contain higher ratios of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

8. Enriched Eggs

In the same scenario as pasture raised animals with their meat and their milk, eggs are also omega-3 enriched by adding to these animals types of feed that are high in omega-3 fatty acids to hen's diet. The eggs that these hen's then produce contain a higher density of omega-3 fatty acids than usual.

7. Edamame

Edamame are green soybeans that can be bought roasted and ready to eat, or partially cooked for use in salads, stir-fries, and other different types of recipes.

6. Wild Rice

Wild rice is included on this list because it is a bit deceiving as it is actually a grass and not a rice. This is different from white or brown rice as they are grains but don't contain the high amount of omega-3 fatty acids that grass does.

5. Walnuts

Walnuts stand out from other nuts because they have significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of alpha-linolenic acids (ALAs). Walnuts are very useful as they can be added to a lot of meals without much hassle to increase the overall amount of omega-3 fatty acids you get per serving.

4. Canola Oil

Canola oil comes from the canola plant which is a modified variety of rapeseed. Canola oil has the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids of all common culinary oils. Due to the high point in which it takes to make canola oil smoke it can be used on a larger variety of cooking methods such as frying and baking.

3. Flax

Flax is a bit of a food mystery to most Americans and is most recognized as being used in healthy cereals. Flax can be found in seed form or oil form with about 60% of it's fats being omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seed oil is known to be the best plant source of alpha-linolenic acids (ALAs), although it isn't as common as canola oil for cooking due to the low smoking point.

2. Beans

Beans seem odd as they are known for their low fat content which is completely true, however most of the fat consists of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. With beans it is important to find some such as black beans which provide an almost equal ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

1. Sustainable Seafood

Lipids in cold water fish consist of long, kinked carbon chains, which fill up space to add insulation and these are high quality omega-3 fatty acids in which the EPA and DHA that are essential to human nutrition. The biggest problem we face with this excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids are the sustainability of fish and being able to have these fish in the future.

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