Before we get into the question 'What foods contain omega 3?', we will first tell you a bit more about omega 3. Omega 3 fatty acids are essential nutrients. That means our body does not produce these polyunsaturated fatty acids itself, but has to get them through food. The most important omega 3 fatty acids are ALA, EPA and DHA (alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). EPA and DHA are also called fish fatty acids. They fit into a healthy diet.
Omega 3 is good for our body. First of all, omega-3 EPA and DHA have a beneficial influence on the heart and omega-3 (DHA) is good for your eyes and brain. DHA contributes to normal brain function and vision. EPA and DHA (3 grams per day) contribute to the maintenance of normal blood pressure and EPA and DHA (2 grams per day) are good for maintaining healthy fat levels (triglyceride levels) in the blood. In total, thousands of studies have been done on this. But what contains omega 3?
Omega 3: what is it in?
Flaxseed oil is an important source of ALA omega 3. Other sources are rapeseed oil, various seeds and nuts such as walnuts, chia seed and margarine. Small amounts of ALA omega 3 are also found in meat and some green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli. For EPA and DHA omega 3, the most important sources are fish, crustaceans and shellfish, and algae.
Perhaps this does not yet fully answer the question: what foods contain omega 3 fatty acids? So we will mention some more good omega 3 rich foods: seaweed, avocado, special omega 3 eggs and yoghurt. How does omega 3 get into eggs? The omega 3 egg is laid by a chicken that receives feed enriched with plant-based ingredients, based on flaxseed. A chicken naturally converts this into eggs with extra omega 3.
Which fish contains omega 3?
In principle, all types of fish contain omega 3 fatty acids, but omega 3 is found mainly in oily fish. Think of salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, anchovies and sardines. EPA and DHA are also found in white fish, but to a much lesser extent. The omega 3 found in fish is also present to a much lesser extent in meat and poultry.
The omega 3 ends up in fish because fish eat algae. Omega 3 is naturally present in algae. Fish eat algae or eat smaller fish that eat algae, and that is how the omega 3 ends up in the fish. The advice is to eat fish at least once a week. Preferably oily fish, because it contains a lot of the good fats. Are you unable to eat (oily) fish every week, or do you dislike the smell or taste of fish? Then you can also take algae oil. Algae oil is the only oil on earth that contains the same omega 3 fatty acids as fish oil, without being fish oil.
What contains a lot of omega 3?
We have already told you above which fish contain a lot of omega 3 and which foods contain omega 3, but you do have to eat enough of these omega 3 (power) foods! You can eat omega 3 by, for example, eating plenty of flaxseed, nuts or tuna.
When to take fish oil?
If you cannot manage this, because you simply do not eat fish or eat vegan, then consider alternatives. At Arctic Blue we sell oil and capsules that help you get enough omega 3. From fish oil and fish oil capsules to wild Arctic salmon oil or vegetarian, liquid algae oil and vegan algae oil capsules with vitamin D3.
About our omega 3 (fish) oil
For our fish oil we use the fillet trimmings of 100% fresh Arctic wild fish. These trimmings are left over after the fillet has been removed for the supermarket. So no extra fish is caught for it! For this we work together with Norwegian fishermen who operate according to the strict MSC regulations.
Algae are mini-plants that can also produce omega 3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) themselves on land in water and in closed and controlled conditions. Without environmental influences from outside, such as contaminants from the ocean. The oil is pressed from the algae mass and we use it to make vegan algae oil and algae oil capsules.
