Top 5 Vegan Omega-3 Rich Foods
If you are a Vegan or a vegetarian but worried about fulfilling your omega-3 dietary needs, then we got the perfect solution for you. Here are the top 5 vegan omega-3 rich foods that will help in meeting the essential fat requirements without any fish or meat intake.
But before moving towards the top 5 vegan omega-3 rich foods, let us understand what is omega-3 and why it is important for your health.
What Is Omega-3 and why it Is Important?
The word ‘fat’ scares us for a moment. We think of it as being overweight. But that’s not true, your body needs fat in a certain amount to maintain a balanced and healthy diet.
Let’s talk basic. There are mainly two types of fats that are good for your health, so their intake should be your desire without any worries.
- Essential fatty acid
- Non-essential fatty acid
Essential fatty acids are not produced by your body and their need has to be fulfilled through diet. Omega-3 also falls under the category of essential fatty acids. While the non-essential fatty acid is produced by your body on its own.
Since omega-3 is a part of essential fatty acid, you must take it regularly through your diet.
Here are some Major Health Benefits of Omega-3 fatty acid:
- Omega-3 lowers triglycerides in your body. (Triglycerides are the bad type of fats that can clog your arteries if becomes excessive)
- It has anti-inflammatory properties
- Omega-3 decreases the chance of heart diseases
- Improves eye health
- Fight’s depression and anxiety
- Reduces the risk of autoimmune diseases
- Prevents cancer
- Reduces asthma
- Helps in Alzheimer’s disease and age-related mental disorders
- Beneficial in relieving bone and joint pain
The above-mentioned disorders are very common in today’s world. Hence, for preventing it, you have to be concerned about making omega-3 a part of your diet.
How much omega-3 daily Intake Is Necessary?
To fulfill your omega-3 need, you must know how much daily intake is recommended. A minimum of 250 mg (0.25g) per day of omega-3 is advised by various health organizations.
Below, we have compiled the top 5 vegan omega-3 rich foods to help you fulfill this necessity.
Top 5 Vegan Omega-3 Rich Foods
If you are a vegetarian, get ready to enrich your diet with omega-3 from today!
- Flax Seeds
Flaxseeds stand #1 in the list of top 5 vegan omega-3 rich foods. But in case you are worried about the name ‘seeds’, then here is the solution. Taking only 1 or 2 tablespoons of flaxseed is more than enough to fulfill your daily recommended omega-3 requirement.
For its intake, you can add one teaspoon of it in your daily meals like cereals, oats, or smoothies.
Moreover, flaxseed oil offers seven times more than the intended need. So, if you don’t like the seed’s taste, you can engulf one teaspoon of flaxseed oil daily.
Flaxseed is also Vitamin A and magnesium-rich, so you’ll be getting other health benefits along with it.
- Canola Oil
Canola oil is the second easiest way to incorporate omega-3 in your daily diet despite being a vegetarian.
The good news is that canola oil contains 1.28g of omega-3 per tablespoon which is even above the recommended requirement.
So, using canola oil while cooking your meals can effectively fulfill your body’s nutritional fat demand.
Additionally, this oil has low saturated fat, is enriched with vitamin E and K, and is also light in taste, so you won’t have any problem adapting with your tastebuds.
- Chia Seeds
Just by using one ounce of chia seeds, you get 5.055 grams of an omega-3 rich diet. Isn’t that amazing? So, what are you waiting for, prepare your smoothies, jam, or oatmeals with chia seeds and enjoy a healthy diet from today.
- Kidney beans
Here is the fourth top vegan omega-3 rich foods. If you are obese and planning to diet, this will surely be your choice.
One cup of kidney beans gives 0.3 gm of omega-3 to your body, so you can use kidney beans as your full-time meal. You can also incorporate it along with another omega-3 rich food we mentioned above to balance the requirement.
- Walnuts
The last one in our list of top vegan omega-3 rich foods is a delicious snack! One ounce of walnut contains 2.75 grams of omega-3.
Munching walnuts is a part of some people’s daily routine. Otherwise, you can use walnut snacks like cakes or bars in your teatime to satisfy your nutritional need along with getting a healthy snack simultaneously.
Conclusion:
So, these were the top 5 vegan omega-3 rich foods. All of our listed items contain more than the recommended amount of omega-3, so you can choose to add any of them to your daily diet and enjoy a healthy eating.
References:
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/291962/8-best-vegan-omega-3-rich-foods/
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/vegan-omega-3-supplements
Bassam Bairli
Bsc.Pharmacy / MBA
General Manager
Panacea Health & Beauty