What are other dietary sources of omega-3?
The best sources of omega-3 fats are fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines and tuna. The form of omega-3 in these foods is EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid); these forms are readily used by our bodies. Some plant foods also contain omega-3; these include walnuts, ground flaxseed, flax oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and soybeans. They contain omega-3 in the form of ALA (alpha linolenic acid). Our bodies are not able to use ALA as easily. We can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, but this conversion is not very inefficient. Interestingly, hens are able to convert the AHA in flaxseed to DHA more readily. Their eggs have between 75 and 130 mg DHA, depending on the type of omega-3 egg.
