What is an Essential Fatty Acid?
You've heard about the importance of Omega-3s, and you've most likely seen them advertised on food labels or written in headlines on the cover of health magazines. They seem to be important, but what do they do, and where can we find them?
Essential fatty acids are chains of carbon atoms our bodies are not capable of producing on their own. We must get them from our food since they are essential for the following bodily functions:
Neurological functions
Immune responses
Inflammation control
Cardiovascular health
The two essential fatty acids are Omega-3 and Omega-6. In order for essential fatty acids to operate properly within the body and grant us with good health, they must remain in a healthy ratio of one another.
What is a Healthy Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio?
A healthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is in the range of and 1:1 and 1:4, but most Americans consume their essential fatty acids in a ratio of 1:20! This is due to the high amounts of Omega-6 that are found in many of the foods we eat.
Watch the video below to find out what Matt and Megha's fatty acid ratio is on a typical day of keto eating!
Too Much of a Good Thing: The Dangers of Omega-6
The body needs both essential fatty acids, but too much Omega-6 is actually unhealthy if not balanced out with an equal amount of Omega-3. High amounts of Omega-6 can cause inflammation in the body, leading to autoimmune diseases like arthritis, kidney failure, and problems with the heart.
Omega-6 can be found in the following foods:
Refined Vegetable Oils
Deep Fried Food
Nuts
Seeds
It's understandable why many people have a poor essential fatty acid ratio. According to Fox Business, about 23 per cent of Americans eat at a fast food restaurant at least once a week! Restaurants commonly use refined vegetable oils for deep frying, not to mention the majority of packaged and processed foods that contain soy and corn oil.
According to the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine, adults should consume around 15 grams of Omega-6 per day. Since it is quite easy to get an adequate amount of Omega-6 in the diet, there is no need to take any supplements. Aim get the majority of your Omega-6s from raw nuts and seeds.
We Need More Omega-3s
In order to achieve a balanced fatty acid ratio, lower your intake of omega-6s and increase your intake of Omega-3s. Omega-3 fats can improve heart health, fight inflammation, prevent dimentia and support overall mental health, that is if you are consuming the right ones!
There are many types of Omega-3. Let's break the most important ones down.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid): Contains 22 carbon atoms. (long chain)
Found in cold-water fish, grass-fed beef and eggs.
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid): Contains 20 carbon atoms. (long chain)
Found in cold-water fish, grass-fed beef and eggs.
ALA (alpha-linolenic): Contains 18 carbon atoms.
Found in plants. Flax oil, chia seeds, walnuts, soybean oil, and canola oil.
The majority of research on the health benefits of Omega-3 has surrounded EPA and DHA, so eat the following foods to increase your Omega-3 intake!
High Quality Omega-3 Sources
Salmon
Sardines
Anchovies
Fish Oil/Cod Liver Oil
Grass-fed Eggs
Grass-fed Beef
Plants: Not a Good Source of Omega-3
Enzymes in the liver must convert ALA into beneficial EPA then DHA which requires a lot of energy! According to the Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements, only 15 per cent gets converted, so it's best to consume straight sources of EPA and DHA, rather than consuming ALA products that have to be converted.
Low Quality Omega-3 Sources
(Must be converted into EPA and DHA)
Walnuts
Flax products
Chia Seeds
Here is an detailed chart from the National Institutes of Health showing various foods and their different Omega-3 contents.
Selected Food Sources of ALA, EPA, and DHA from www.ods.od.nih.gov
Should I Take Supplements?
It is best to source your Omega-3s from sea-based creatures. This includes cold-water fish oils, wild Alaskan salmon, and even seaweed! If you want to try supplementing with fish oil, we recommend investing in something that costs a bit more so you aren't getting a low-quality, rancid fish oil. Matt and Megha each have a couple spoonfuls of cod liver oil every morning.
If you see a bottle for Omega-3 capsules or even a combination of Omega-3-6-9 in the pharmacy, just remember you shouldn't be supplementing Omega-6 (You get enough from your diet) and your body actually makes its own Omega-9. These capsules are unnecessary.
Your best option is to cut back on your refined vegetable oils and deep fried foods, and add some fish to your diet. Fresh, raw, or canned fish are best since the fat in them hasn't been deep fried and oxidized. Sardines are Matt's favorite. (Not Megha's)
Add some essential fatty acids to your week and try out our Salmon Poké Bowl and Spicy Ahi Tuna recipe! Download the Cronometer App to track your essential fatty acid ratio.
Written by Cass Cardy, KetoConnect's Digital Brand Manager
Cass writes blog posts, designs ebooks, and manages social media. She has been following the keto diet since 2016 to treat depression, hormonal imbalances, IBS, and acne and is now an advocate for the lifestyle. You can find the Communications graduate at home reading a best-seller, or strolling through a thrift store. You can also find her here!
Sources
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
Algae (plant based) is by far the BEST source of omega 3’s. It’s also vegan vegetarian and the same stuff than Mackerel Sardines Salmon etc eat to make them full of omega 3’s. It’s EPA and DHA so there is no conversion. Thanks for all yourr work!
Hi there, thanks a lot for this article; Very informative and very convincing. I’ve recently joined as a partner a Swedish company which has supplements in Omega 3 which results are tested. Concretely, people take a blood test (1 minute and one blood drop to do it and send it to a Norwegian lab). What’s really incredible is that 95% percent of around 200 000 people who did the test failed. Meaning they have a ratio up to 3 omega 6 for 1 omega 3. After 4 months of supplementation with a very high-quality oil rich in omega 3 and polyphenols, 95% pass the test. Even with no nutritional changes. That’s really impressive. A lot of customers review how their life changed thanks to the product. I just wanted to let you know. If you’d like to take the test and try, just tell. Thanks again for the quality of what you wrote. Kind regards
Anne
So there is no way for a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish to get the proper Omega 3s? That is so depressing 🙁
You mentioned seaweed – can anyone expand on that? Is there a seaweed supplement we could take that would have the proper amounts of the right Omega 3s? So depressed 🙁
Most nutrients are more bio available from animal sources, so you would have to eat more seaweed in order to get the same effect, but I am still not sure it would compare.
HI Jamie, I hope You wil get this reply. There is good source of balance omega 3-6 with Vegan certi. Contact me i will help.
Best Regards
HI Cass, I thought it one of the Matt and Megha’s you tubes recently, that Matt said he had recently switched to a different cod liver oil then what is on the website. do you know what that was and why?
Yup! He takes a cod liver oil from NutraPro. I think it is called virgin cod liver oil, lemon flavor. It is just more vitamin A than Carlson’s cod liver oil.
Good morning from Tempe Arizona today.
I am only visiting for the weekend but live in Gallup, NM. I truly appreciate your information on Omega 3’s & Omega 6’s. I use to work as a medic an injured my back an damaged my shoulders. I left my career about 4 years an began to gave increased pain in my back an shoulders an accredited it to being in my 40’s an reserved to jus live with it. I ran into your video about Keto by accident on YouTube an began to follow. Initially I was overweight at 223lbs, after several months I am at a nice 185lbs. The pain to my back as subsided but I do intermittent pain in my shoulder, I have heard about the inflammation side effects of Omega 6, an after reading blog today I basically eat the same things and LOVE LOVE peanut butter, my Omega 3 intact is all but null but! I know this weight loss and following Keto is real I shall try to increase my Omega 3 and see if that helps with my aching shoulder. I truly love your message an look forward to making me some fat bombs soon.. I have tried your mug cakes an love it! Thanks you guys very much, cheers!
Chris