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
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