Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid. That’s right. Essential, which means pretty crucial to aiding in overall healthy body function! Why are they so essential? Well, omega-3’s can help lower triglyceride levels (aka blood fat). If your triglycerides get too high you can be at risk of heart disease. If that reason alone doesn’t convince you then maybe reduction in joint pain, better immunity, healthy skin and diabetes prevention will sway you to get you on the omega-3 train.
Now you might be thinking, how do I get the right amount of omega-3 fatty acids? Of course there is always a supplement option, however you can also get adequate amount of these essential fats by adjusting your diet. The most popular food group to get omega-3 is fish BUT there are a good amount of people who don’t enjoy our friends with fins.
If you are one of the non-fish eaters, there is still hope with non-fish sources of omega-3’s! You can get in your essential non-fish sources of omega-3 via some of these 5 superfoods:
Spinach. This green goddess is low calorie, rich in vitamins and a very versatile non-fish omega-3 source! You can create a salad, toss some in an omelet or create a nutritious smoothie, just to name a few.
Grass-fed beef. These cows are allowed to wander freely and eat things found naturally in their environment like grass, flax and alfalfa. These earthy materials make their meat yield a better fat quality.
Walnuts. These crunchy delights are the superheroes of nuts as non-fish sources of omega-3. They are packed with the most omega-3 and therefore should definitely be on your grocery list! You can easily throw these on some salads, in your yogurt or eat them by themselves as a snack!
Flaxseeds. These seeds are becoming more and more popular because of their nutritious components! If you aren’t a fan of the seeds due to their unfriendly nature of getting stuck in your teeth, you can also try flaxseed meal or flaxseed oil! You can add flaxseed meal to your oatmeal or smoothies to give it an extra healthy punch of omega-3 superfoods!
Chia seeds. Chia seeds are another easy way to get in some good non-fish sources of omega-3. These tiny seeds can give you the extra boost you need by adding them to your yogurt, smoothies, salads or even baked goods.
Egg Yolks. Chickens that are fed diets which consists of flaxseeds and fish oil will lay eggs higher in omega-3 fatty acids! When shopping at the store, try to find eggs that mention omega-3 on the carton.
Now you don’t have to skimp on omega-3 rich foods just because you don’t like fish!!