We all know that omega three is incredibly beneficial to the body.
But which are the best omega three fatty acid foods?
Food Sources Of Omega Three
You can find omega three in various types of food. For example: fish, nuts, dark leafy vegetables and seeds.
But the actual amounts vary enormously, as well as the ‘quality’. Even between different varieties of the same type of food.
For example, tuna is often considered a good source of fatty acids – but it actually depends greatly on the species of tuna, how it has been produced and how it was processed.
The American Heart Association recommends eating oily fish twice a week. And whilst they do mention tuna as one source, they only recommend albacore tuna as being high in omega three (not bluefin, yellowfin or skipjack!).
Best Omega Three Food Source
There is however a major advantage to omega three sourced from the right kind of fish.
As well as having amongst the highest quantities of fatty acids – fish oils also provide the ‘long chain’ omega 3 fatty acids such as DHA. There is no known significant vegetable source.
And DHA has long been regarded as highly beneficial to the cardiovascular system. In fact, it influences nearly all of our bodies systems.
So What Fish Sources Are Best?
Oily fish provide significant levels of omega three. So that includes: mackerel, salmon, tuna, herring, anchovy and trout.
But sadly we also have a major conflict here with our aim of eating healthier. Fish that are higher up the food chain, such as tuna, swordfish, mackerel, shark and trout now contain significantly higher levels of mercury and other toxic materials.
This has become so serious now that the FDA already advises pregnant mothers and children avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish because of mercury pollution levels. And to tread carefully with other fish, following local safety advice from where the fish have been sourced.
Staying Safe
This awful situation has arisen because we pollute our oceans. Our ancestors could eat large quantities of fish and seafood – enjoying the full health benefits without worry about the possible harm.
The safe answer to this situation is to very closely follow the advice of agencies such as the FDA – and make sure you keep up to date with changes in that advice.
But personally, I choose to take the stress free way of managing my omega three intake by using this top quality supplement instead. I actually avoid fish altogether now but that’s probably being over-cautious, for the time being anyway!
Supplements are not however a magic solution.
You must buy very carefully here too – to make sure you are getting a good level of omega three fatty acid AND those essential long chain fatty acids like DHA too – which means fish oils. So be careful of products which derive their omega three just from seed sources such as flax seed.
You also need to make sure your omega supplement is properly filtered to remove any of those toxins that you’re trying to avoid. There are levels considered ‘safe’, but I prefer levels that are more like ‘none’ where toxins are concerned!
The product I use has been extracted using molecular distillation to filter out any toxins. This process gives us the best fish oil supplement currently available on the market – and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them all!
