Top Foods High in Omega-3s
The word ‘Omega 3’ is everywhere you look and there is a good reason for that. Omega 3 fats have a very important role in our body – to reverse cellular inflammation. Additionally, this healthful fat promotes weight loss. Omega 3 fats can aid in the breakdown of fat while simultaneously reducing additional fat storage. Further, Omega 3 fat improves and is required for brain health, cell membrane integrity, mood regulation and hormone production
Preventing or reversing inflammation is crucial as low-level inflammation is the core cause of most illness, disease, faster-aging and weight gain. Populations such as the Okinawan in Japan, have a diet high in omega 3 fat are healthier and live longer.
Unfortunately, we have an imbalance of omega 6 and omega 3 essential fats -favoring omega 6. Today we get about 25 times more omega 6 fat than omega 3 fat. This also renders omega 3’s anti-inflammatory effect essentially useless as the more omega 6 we ingest, the more inflammation we have. This is leaving us fat and sick.
The majority of folks are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids and are needlessly suffering from a multitude of symptoms such as: fatigue, poor memory, dementia, weight gain, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor circulation. It is important to have the proper ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 in the diet. Eliminate junk foods, pre-packaged foods, grain-fed meats and poultry, cooking oils such as corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil and soy oil. Simply eliminating these foods and adding foods rich in omega 3, will easily reduce low-level inflammation and help create optimal health.
Foods rich in omega-3s:
Salmon – Wild Caught: (2151 mg per 3.5 oz. serving)
Sardines: (2205 mg. per 3.75 ounces)
Mackerel: (4107 mg per 3 oz. serving)
Herring: (1729 mg per 3.5 oz)
Bluefin Tuna (1457 mg per 3-oz. serving)
Flaxseeds (ground): 1,597 milligrams in 1 tablespoon
Hemp Seeds: 1,000 milligrams in 1 tablespoon
Walnuts: (2542 mg per ounce)
Chia Seeds: (4915 mg per tablespoon)
Whole Egg: (240 mg. per egg)
Whole Omega 3 Egg: (415 mg. per egg)
Spinach (352 mg per cup)
Grass Fed Beef (80 mg per 3-oz. serving)
There are many other foods that can add valuable omega 3 fat to your diet such as nuts and seeds, pastured eggs, grass-fed dairy, and veggies such as kale, cauliflower, purslane or brussel sprouts and fermented soybean. Always opt for wild-caught fish over farm-raised fish as the farm-raised is high in omega 6 fat will promote inflammation.
I recommend 3,000 – 4,000 mg. of omega 3 fat daily. If this is challenging, consider a quality, potent and purified omega 3 supplement that is powerful, anti-inflammatory and will promote optimal health. The 2 numbers that count are the amounts of EPA and DHA – the 2 active fatty acids in fish oil. Ideally, strive for a total of one gram of omega 3 fat daily
*Check with your physician if you are on blood-thinning medications.
©2016 DLS HealthWorks, LLC. Lori Shemek, PhD health expert and weight loss expert. Author of How To Fight FATflammation! and the best-selling author of ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’