Photo: Larry Hoffman
You've heard it before... "Eat more fish." Fish is high in omega 3s. The highest of any food except flaxseed. But many of the fish you see readily available and less expensive are much lower in omega 3's. So which kind is really this powerhouse paydirt?
Cold water fish. namely...
The Best-Salmon- In a 1 ounce portion there's 600mg.
(Say no to farmed salmon as it's high in mercury and higher in omega 6's and saturated fats.)
Buy: Atlantic Salmon & Alaskan Salmon
-Caviar- In 1T (1/2 ounce) there's a whopping 1086mg (sushi anyone?)
-Mackerel has 873mg per ounce.
Buy wild caught Atlantic instead of Spanish or King which have high mercury counts.
-Anchovies have 597mg per ounce (reproduce quickly and contamination worries, so start adding anchovy paste to everything!)
Yummy & Not bad for you... but not as high in Omega 3
-Herring only has 488mg per ounce but is higher in Omega 6s and saturated fat-Sardines has 414mg per ounce (No mercury concern here, since they are very low on the food chain.)
-Rainbow Trout has ~340mg (be careful of PCBs from large fish and check where they're from)
-Albacore Tuna has 266mg per ounce. (Only buy US & Canada tuna as other countries have wasteful methods and catch other species.) !High in Mercury!
-Light Tuna only has 78mg per ounce but is much safer than Albacore.
-Oysters have 188 per ounce.(In case you're wondering- Zinc is the aphrodisiac.)
How much do I need?
"The body doesn’t produce fatty acids, so researchers recommend healthy people consume 500 milligrams daily"1 Double it if you have heart disease.
Avoid
-walleye and bass. They have high levels of PCB contamination (carcinogen)Fish from the Great Lakes are high in PCB.
Opt for smaller fish- they are lower on the food chain and less contaminated.
Fish that smell 'fishy'. I wonder if people who say they don't like fish have encountered this. Fish should smell fresh like the lake or ocean it came from. If it smells fishy- toss it.
psst... other sources of Omega 3s
- Flaxseed
- Chia Seed
- Walnuts & Walnut Oil
- Basil
- Oregano
- Cloves
- Grape leaves
- Marjoram
- Spinach