Background
The most widely available dietary source of EPA and DHA is cold water oily fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines. Oils from these fish have a profile of around seven times as much omega-3 oils as omega-6 oils. Other oily fish, such as tuna, also contain omega-3 in somewhat lesser amounts. Although fish is a dietary source of omega-3, fish do not synthesize them; they obtain them from the algae (microalgae in particular) or plankton in their diets.
| Common name | grams |
|---|---|
| Herring, sardines | 1.3–2 |
| Spanish mackerel, Atlantic, Pacific | 1.1–1.7 |
| Salmon | 1.1–1.9 |
| Halibut | 0.60–1.12 |
| Tuna | 0.21–1.1 |
| Swordfish | 0.97 |
| Greenshell/lipped mussels | 0.95 |
| Tilefish | 0.9 |
| Tuna (canned, light) | 0.17–0.24 |
| Pollock | 0.45 |
| Cod | 0.15–0.24 |
| Catfish | 0.22–0.3 |
| Flounder | 0.48 |
| Grouper | 0.23 |
| Mahi mahi | 0.13 |
| Orange roughy | 0.028 |
| Red snapper | 0.29 |
| Shark | 0.83 |
| King mackerel | 0.36 |
| Hoki (blue grenadier) | 0.41 |
| Gemfish | 0.40 |
| Blue eye cod | 0.31 |
| Sydney rock oysters | 0.30 |
| Tuna, canned | 0.23 |
| Snapper | 0.22 |
| Barramundi, saltwater | 0.100 |
| Giant tiger prawn | 0.100 |
For comparion, here are the omega-3 levels in some common non-fish foods.
| Name | grams |
|---|---|
| Eggs, large regular | 0.109 |
| Lean red meat | 0.031 |
| Turkey | 0.030 |
| Cereals, rice, pasta, etc. | 0.00 |
| Fruit | 0.00 |
| Milk regular | 0.00 |
| Regular bread | 0.00 |
| Vegetables | 0.00 |
Read more about this topic: Fish Oil
Famous quotes containing the word background:
“Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after satiety as after disappointment; that background which the painter may not daub, be he master or bungler, and which, however awkward a figure we may have made in the foreground, remains ever our inviolable asylum, where no indignity can assail, no personality can disturb us.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“In the true sense one’s native land, with its background of tradition, early impressions, reminiscences and other things dear to one, is not enough to make sensitive human beings feel at home.”
—Emma Goldman (1869–1940)
“... every experience in life enriches one’s background and should teach valuable lessons.”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)