Non-Fish Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

All the way back in January of last year I briefly mentioned Omega-3 fatty acids in my Sustainable Seafood: Salmon post. Well Elle is not a fish fan. And I just haven't eaten much fish in recent months. (The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week.) Our bodies can't make Omega-3 on their own so for Elle, sometimes for me, and for anyone else who doesn't eat fish, here are some other sources of this essential nutrient that plays a role in brain function, reduces inflammation and may lower heart disease risk. 

Flax Seeds

photo from digiyesica on flickr

According to WebMD each tablespoon of ground flax has ~1.8g of Omega-3. I buy the whole seeds because they last longer. If you buy ground, it's a good idea to keep them refrigerated if not if the freezer. I usually grind the whole seeds myself in a small coffee grinder (and then I have to wipe it down because someone else actually uses that for coffee). Grinding it helps give your body a better chance of digesting it instead of the tiny seed passing through whole. You can easily add it to a salad, soup, smoothies, and oatmeal or even throw it in when you're baking bread, muffins, or pancakes. About two tablespoons should be plenty.

Walnuts
This one is a bit more straight forward. Step one: buy them. Step two: eat them. 
This one works fine on its own but of course you can add them to salads or muffins or what not. A quarter cup is a good amount.


Soybeans
Here at Memo to My Health we're still not completely clear ourselves as to how much soy is good to have in your diet and where the boundary is for potentially affecting hormones, but soybeans are a source of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), a Omega-3 fat that the body can convert into other Omega-3s it may need. ALA is also the source of the Omega-3 in walnuts and flax seeds. The compounds in cold-water fish for Omega-3 are EPA and DHA. 1 cup of soybeans can be an adequate source of Omega-3.


Supplements
There's still so much we don't understand about how we get certain nutrients from foods and all the roles the combination of elements in whole foods play, so it's probably your best bet to get your Omega-3 from a food source. But if you can't or aren't getting enough, you can discuss with your doctor taking a supplement and what quantity is right for you. 


Now the issues with the pills are 1) many are from fish (which may or may not bother you) and 2) a lot of people taking them end up burping a "fishy" taste all day. I've been told that if you buy a high-quality supplement the burping doesn't occur very often. 


I recently got a chance to sample the liquid Total Omega from Barlean's Omega Swirl line at a local health-food store. It was fish-oil-based but I did not experience any fishy-taste or burping in the hours after taking it. In fact, it was orange cream-flavored and was yummy enough that I could see someone getting carried away and taking too much of it. On the flip side, if you go this route, you definitely won't dread taking this daily... unless you hate the taste of orange creamsicals. Barlean's does offer other options though. I can't vouch for their taste because I'd already had my dose of the day in my sample, but in fish-based oils they also have lemon zest, mango peach, and pina colada. What's more, they have three vegetarian Omega-3 options and one vegan Omega-3 liquid. I plan to read more about it and consider it as a possibility for times when I'm not getting my Omega-3s elsewhere.  


All of the quantity recommendations for the foods in this post came from The George Mateljan Foundation. You can read more about which medical conditions there is clinical evidence that Omega-3s ameliorate as well as precautions at The University of Maryland Medical Center. And see answers to some common questions about Omega-3s (the good fat) at The Harvard School of Public Health. 


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