Foods Containing Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Are these enough Or should we Take Supplements?

If you are searching for a list of the foods containing omega 3 fatty acids which we eat each day, then you will probably be let down, particularly if you compare and contrast it against a respective list containing foods with omega 6 acids.

Numerous scientific studies and sources of information indicate the reality that what we eat, primarily dieting habits in the developed world, is lacking in omega 3 fatty acids.

In their effort to demonstrate exactly why certain ailments are more common in certain locations of the world compared to others, researchers have researched the nutritional habits of consumers in several countries.

Percentage of omega 6 to omega 3 acids

Exactly what their studies have revealed is definitely interesting: It appears that the ratio of the concentration of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids contained in foods is directly linked to the rates of occurences of illnesses such as coronary heart ailment, cancer, inflammatory medical conditions etc.

In other words, folks whose diet regime includes much less foods containing omega 3 fatty acids than omega 6, are usually more predisposed to be inflicted with severe medical conditions.

What scientists say, is that in the not so distant past people used to follow a balanced diet, taking in foods rich in both omega 3 and omega 6. The sad reality now, however, is that nutritional routines have changed.

Expressing this in numbers, while the ratio of omega 6/omega 3 used to be 1/1, now the western diet shows a ratio ranging from 15/1 - 16.7/1. The Indian diet is even worse, climbing up between 38/1 to 50/1 in urban zones.

On the other hand, people that have diets full of fatty acids like Eskimos, exhibit minimal occurences of serious diseases, particularly cardiovascular.

Foods containing omega 3 acids

Hence, having stated all the above, what should we do in order to boost our day-to-day intake of omega 3 fatty acids and so cut down on the omega 6/omega 3 ratio?

The very first, most obvious option, is to count on our daily diet plan. Foods containing omega 3 fatty acids are usually categorized into animal and plant sources.

From plant sources like walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybean and canola oil we can acquire the omega 3 acid called alphalinolenic acid (ALA).

The shortcoming associated with this acid, however, is that it cannot easily be transformed by our body into the two other critical essential fatty acids that we need: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

As a result, what we eat surely has to consist of animal sources as well, which will provide us with these two very critical nutritional requirements. And the most important animal source is fatty fish and fish oil.

Excellent sources of fatty fish include herring, salmon, mackerel, tuna and hoki, a fish encountered off the southern coastline of New Zealand.

Foods or supplements?

Unfortunately, however, there is an essential problem with fish consumption: It is common knowledge nowadays that, most of the seas around the globe are toxified, some to a greater and others to a lesser extent.

Surely, fish that live in these marine environments are polluted as well. Traces of pollutants (mercury, lead, cadmium etc.) and other contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins are actually evident in fish that were caught.

Therefore, you are faced with the other alternative: Rather that depend on foods containing omega 3 acids, acquire these important nutrients from fish oil supplements.

However, you have to be careful: Not all supplements are the same. Shop especially for fish oil that is rich in omega 3 (especially DHA) and has gone through molecular distillation.

This indicates that it has been highly processed so that all poisonous pollutants have been taken away.

PS - If you're still unsure about whether Omega 3 Fish Oil is right for you, I urge you to subscribe to my five-part report on Omega 3. In it you'll learn: