subject: Is Fish Oil The Only Way To Get Omega 3 In Your Diet? [print this page] Fish oil has always been considered to be one of the best sources to get omega 3 in the diet, but everyday new sources are being discovered for the same. It is not important that how much omega 3 you are getting everyday, its more important that you need to get it regularly. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid. Which implies that we have to get it either through a gel tab, eating fish or through items that contain it or by any other that has been recently. Considering the fact that it is an essential fatty acid, it means that our bodies cannot manufacture it on their own like some people produce cholesterol. We must consume it to get into our system.
So what are some of the foods besides fish you can get omega 3 from? Fish is by far the best. First let me say that eating salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, cod, halibut and tuna are all the right choices. Other than fish, you can rely on flax seeds, you can get them either in a seed form or in a gel tab. Walnuts, especially English walnuts are good sources. Then you can also go in for soybeans, tofu, sunflower seeds, kale, collard greens and winter squash.
While there are many foods that may be able to provide you omega 3, some are better than the other. Flax seeds and walnuts are considered to be some of the excellent sources of omega 3. Only 2 tablespoons full of flax seeds can provide you with 3/19 grams of omega. You need to consume 1/4 of cup of walnuts to get 2.27 grams of omega 3. Both of them offer a quick way to get your omega 3 for the day.
Foods that are not excellent but are considered to be very good sources are cloves, salmon and sardines. Next we have foods that are considered to be good are romaine lettuce, mustard seeds, tofu, spinach, halibut,collard greens, kale, soybeans, summer squash, shrimp, scallops, turnip greens, cod, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, raspberries, Miso, green beans, tuna and strawberries. Foods located more to the top of the list contain more omega 3 than the ones at the lower part of the list.
It was considered to be reasonably good if a woman got 1.1 grams of omega 3 a day and a man got 1.6 grams. Now it has been increased to 4 grams a day or at least 2% of a person's total should be from omega 3 foods. 4 grams is based on a diet of 2000 calories per day. Flax seeds could get you to your 4 grams pretty fast at 3.19 grams per 2 tbs.
There are a lot of people, who don't care much for fish. It is therefore not at all advisable to substitute the fish with your other favorite non vegetarian dishes. It would be a lot easier to get your omega 3 from food if you did, but there is another way.
Flax seed can be purchased in gel tabs. The gel tabs contain flax seed oil. Just take one gel tab thrice a day and you have your full quota of omega 3 for the day. You can also take fish oil gel tabs, You can also take it in the form of krill, which I believe only one dose per day is sufficient. Then I recently came to know about mollusks. There are quite a few choices out there and taking it as a gel tab is much easier than guessing if you actually consumed 4 grams a day or more as required.
It doesn't matter how you consume it, you only need to take care that you take it regularly. Your over all health will be so much better for it. Check out the different ways they produce omega 3 and opt for the one that is most suitable for your lifestyle. Get going on your way to a longer healthier life.