Sunday, November 18, 2012

Top Food Sources ~ Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Top Foods High in Omega-6


Omega-6 fatty acids are the most common polyunsaturated fats consumed in an Americans diet. The top sources for omega-6 fatty acids are found in oils as these have the highest concentrate of these types of acids. This allows for meals to contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids as these oils such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and corn oil can be mixed into key ingredients such as margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings, snack foods, processed foods, and even fast foods. The key dietary omega-6 fatty acids consist of the essential fatty acid linoleic and another found in animal food sources known as arachidonic acid.





Oils (per tablespoon)               Omega-6 (grams / % of daily maximum)
  1. Safflower Oil-----------------------------------10.1g (151%)
  2. Grapeseed Oil-----------------------------------9.5g (142%)
  3. Vegetable Oil------------------------------------7.9g (118%)
  4. Wheat Germ Oil-------------------------------- 7.5g (112%)
  5. Corn Oil------------------------------------------ 7.3g (109%)
  6. Walnut Oil--------------------------------------- 7.2g (107%)
  7. Cottonseed Oil---------------------------------- 7.0g (104%)
  8. Soybean Oil-------------------------------------- 6.9g (103%)
  9. Sunflower Oil------------------------------------ 5.4g (81%)




Spreads (per tablespooon)
  1. Mayonnaise, soybean oil------------------------5.2g (78%)
  2. Margarine-----------------------------------------3.8g (57%)
  3. Butter Spread, 60% vegetable oil--------------3.4g (51%)



Processed Foods (per serving)
  1. BK Chicken Whopper---------------------------11.5g (172%)
  2. McDonald's Filet O Fish------------------------- 6.3g (94%)
  3. Pizza Hut Cheese Pizza------------------------ 4.9g (73%)
  4. Granola Bar---------------------------------------2.9g (43%)
  5. Frankfurter, vegetarian-------------------------2.4g (36%)
  6. Frankfurter, pork--------------------------------1.5g (22%)
  7. Vegetarian Burger-------------------------------1.4g (21%)
  8. Popcorn-------------------------------------------1.3g (19%)

For more information containing this list of food sources for omega-6 fatty acids, click here to visit a useful website!
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1 comment:

  1. Matt BickfordNovember 18, 2012 at 10:07 PM

    Have you read much about EFA ration in diet? I have read recently that a 2:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio is ideal. This is kinda different than more common dietary guidelines that would have much much higher amounts of omega 6's than 3's.

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