11 Best Plant-Based Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Last updated on January 17, 2022 at 08:17 pm

What are Plant-Based Sources of Omega-3? When you make a change in your diet that involves removing certain food groups, it’s always important to make sure you aren’t cutting out any essential nutrients.

Omega-3 fatty acids are commonly found in fish, and these healthy fats are key dietary nutrients that perform many vital functions in the body.

Eliminating omega-3 fats can impact your heart health and increase your risk for certain diseases. So, when switching to a plant-based diet, it’s important to know alternative sources of omega-3 fats.

Omega-3 supplements exist, but there are also plenty of dietary options, making it easy to get enough omega-3 from plant-based sources.

What are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?

Dietary fats are characterized by the differences in the fatty acids that make them up. There are three fatty acids per fat molecule that are attached to a backbone called glycerol.

Fatty acids are long, chainlike molecules that can have permanent “kinks” in the chain caused by double bonds along the hydrocarbon backbone.

When double bonds exist in the chain, fats are known as unsaturated. The kinks make it harder for the fat molecules to pack together closely, which is why unsaturated fats are often liquid at room temperature, like olive oil.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a polyunsaturated fat, which contains more than one double bond. Omega-3 fats can’t be synthesized by your body, and so they must be consumed through your diet.

Having enough of these kinds of fats in your diet is critical to your overall health, other healthy fats include monounsaturated fats, while it’s generally recommended to reduce saturated fats and moderate omega-6 fatty acids.

Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids interact inside your body in a variety of ways. Some are well understood, while others are only beginning to be researched properly.

One review from a team at Penn State University in 2016 gives an overview of these health benefits (1).

The primary way that omega-3 fatty acids benefit your health is by providing the raw material for the synthesizing of a range of signaling compounds that play various roles in inflammation and other immune responses.

Consuming enough omega-3 fats in your diet reduces inflammation so they reduce your risk of heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and other health conditions.

The roles that omega-3 fatty acids play in gene expression and in the brain are less understood. Evidence shows that they are important for neural communication and genetic regulation, although the link between these fats and experiencing these benefits needs more study.

What Are Omega-6 Fatty Acids?

Another class of polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega-6 fats, are also common in most diets. While it’s important to have some of each kind, it can be easy to skew the balance in favor of omega-6 fats in the modern American diet.

One study modeled the average American’s consumption of the most common omega-6 fatty acid (LA) and the most common omega-3 fatty acid (ALA) over the past century (2).

Researchers found that while Americans have always consumed more LA than ALA, the ratio increased from 6.4 to 10.0 over the past century. This was mostly due to the popularization of LA-rich soybean oil.

That’s not great news. There is some evidence that shows excess omega-6 fats in your diet can increase your risk of the same diseases that omega-3 fatty acids protect against (3).

A high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 can even make it harder for your body to use the omega-3 it does have.

A 2012 study in the journal Animal found that omega-6 fatty acids inhibited the production of omega-3 fatty acids (4). So it’s important to watch the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in your diet.

How Much Omega-3 Should You Consume?

The first thing to know is there are three kinds of omega-3 fatty acids commonly found in a typical diet. They are:

ALA (alpha-linolenic acid)
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)

According to the Encyclopedia of Food Science and Nutrition, EPA and DHA are used by the body to produce compounds called eicosanoids (5).

They regulate blood pressure, and control blood flow, and also play a role in immune responses like inflammation, fever, and allergies. They’re a big part of why omega-3 fatty acids are so important to the body.

Higher Doses of ALA

ALA is a precursor of EPA and DHA. It must be converted into one of those two forms before it can be used.

Too few studies have been conducted to accurately know how much ALA is really converted to EPA and DHA in the body, but one study found that it could be as little as 5%, while other studies estimated it could be more like 20% (6, 7).

Either way, it is necessary to consume a higher omega-3 dosage if your foods primarily contain ALA. That includes plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

While fish and other seafood contain high concentrations of both EPA and DHA, plant-based sources are limited to ALA.

The good news is that new research has shown that EPA and DHA levels aren’t considerably lower in non-fish eaters (8). This could mean that when you aren’t consuming fish, your body starts to convert more ALA to avoid running out.

It is known that it is important to eat a good amount of omega-3 fats when you’re consuming them from plant sources. The National Institute of Health’s recommended daily intake of ALA is 1.6g/day for men and 1.1g/day for women (9).

Plant-Based Foods High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fortunately for those following plant-based diets, there are plenty of great sources of omega-3 fatty acids available, so here are eleven of the best options. The nutritional information given in this list is derived from the USDA’s FoodData Central (10).

1. Walnuts

Walnuts are a humble holiday favorite that, like most nuts, are high in fat. They’re more than half fat by weight and 9% ALA. That means that around 18g of walnuts provides more than your total RDI of ALA.

Practically, walnuts are one of the easiest foods on this list to incorporate into your diet since you can simply snack on them.

They’re easy to take with you on the go or at work, and they’re also a part of many delicious sweet treats. That can make it easy to get the kids to eat them.

A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition investigated the cardioprotective effects of walnut-based omega-3 in patients with hypertension (11).

They found that patients with hypertension who ate a diet high in walnuts and walnut oil experienced drops in blood pressure.

So snacking on walnuts is a great way to get your omega-3 fats and improve your heart health long-term.

2. Chia Seeds

Chia seeds have long been viewed as a superfood by wellness gurus, and for good reason. Chia seeds are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

The ALA content of chia seeds is just a little under 23%, and just a few grams of chia seeds provides your daily intake of omega-3 fats.

You can blend them in smoothies, mix them with yogurt, and toss them in salads. You can also cook them with your oatmeal for a healthy breakfast. Adding chia seeds to oatmeal, or any dish with moisture will cause them to swell and soften.

A review of studies on the health benefits of chia seeds provides great news for plant-based eaters (12).

The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the omega-3 fatty acids in the seeds, as well as high concentrations of antioxidants, prevent heart disease, strokes, and some forms of cancer in the long term.

3. Algal Oil

In the past decade, overfishing has led to concerns from food scientists about the long-term viability of fish and seafood as the primary sources of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in the diet.

As fish stocks continue to plummet, researchers have looked elsewhere to find new sources of these fats.

Various species of algae contain high concentrations of EPA and DHA are possible alternatives.

Algal oil extracts are one option and can be purchased in a supplement form from many health stores. It’s also possible to find it as a cooking oil.

One review provides a good summary of the state of research on algae as a source of omega-3 fatty acids (13). Researchers found that algae contain concentrations of EPA and DHA equivalent to those found in fish. In fact, algae are the producers of the omega-3 fats found in fish.

Algal oil supplements are a great way to get your omega-3 fats. One study found that they were equivalent to eating cooked salmon as measured by DHA concentrations in the blood after consuming one or the other for two weeks (14).

4. Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds have a pleasant, nutty taste, making them easy to include in your diet.

You can add them to soups and salads or cook them in your morning oatmeal. Flaxseed meal is also readily available and can be easily incorporated into cakes, bread, pancakes, or whatever else you love to bake.

Of course, the real reason you’ll want to use flaxseeds is that they are an incredible source of nutrition.

They provide high concentrations of essential minerals like manganese, zinc, and iron. They also have plenty of protein, and flaxseeds contain almost 23% ALA by weight.

That means just 7g of flaxseeds provide you with your daily recommended intake of ALA.

5. Kidney Beans

While they don’t have the same super-high concentrations of ALA as some of the other entries on this list, kidney beans still contain about 0.4% ALA by weight. Just a cup of kidney beans provides almost your entire recommended daily intake.

The reason kidney beans are on this list is that they’re an American favorite, and they are so easy to incorporate into your diet.

It is the bean of choice for chilis, nachos, and other classic recipes. Plus, kidney beans bring healthy omega-3 fatty acids to the table in a form accessible to even the most stubborn eaters.

Eating plenty of kidney beans and other legumes has also been shown in studies like this one to reduce your cholesterol levels, reducing your long-term risk of heart disease (15).

6. Hemp Seeds

In 2004, the chemist J.C. Calloway published a review of the evidence around hemp seeds as a nutritious food (16).

While hemp refers to Cannabis plants without the intoxicating effects, the association with the drug had long been a barrier to the study of hemp’s uses as food, fiber, and medicine.

Calloway found that in addition to being a great source of protein, hemp seeds were a fantastic source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Hemp seeds contain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio of 3-4:1, often considered as optimal for human health.

Much like flaxseeds and chia seeds, hemp seeds can easily be added to soups, salads, and oatmeal, blended in smoothies or added to baked goods. It’s easy to add them in with different kinds of seeds as well.

7. Brussels Sprouts

If seeds and supplements aren’t your thing, there are still plenty of more traditional options to get your omega-3 fats within a plant-based diet.

Raw Brussels sprouts contain about 0.1% ALA by weight, but this roughly triples when they’re cooked.

250g of cooked Brussels sprouts provide about 0.75g of ALA, over half of the recommended daily intake. Brussels sprouts can be a useful source of omega-3 fats that are easy to incorporate into many meals.

Eating Brussels sprouts and other leafy green and cruciferous vegetables is also a great way to protect your heart.

A statistical meta-analysis of the available evidence on the topic calculated that people who reported eating these kinds of vegetables regularly had a cardiovascular disease rate that was 15.8% lower than those who didn’t (17).

8. Perilla Oil

The seeds of the perilla plant contain an oil that has a unique property: it contains far more omega-3 fats than it does omega-6.

According to this analytical study, perilla seed oil contained between 54 and 64% ALA, compared to just 14% omega-6 fatty acids. That makes perilla oil a great plant-based omega-3 source (18).

Common to Korean cuisine, perilla oil is less common in Western cooking. But it is a great cooking oil due to its flavor and high flash point, which means it can handle sauteeing at high temperatures.

9. Canola Oil

This common cooking oil is a surprisingly good source of ALA as 7.45% of canola oil by weight is this omega-3 fatty acid.

However, given that canola oil is such a common food, there are thousands of different products available all labeled as canola.

Some of these are more processed and can contain trans fats. Consuming trans fats was linked in this review to higher instances of heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and several forms of cancer (19).

Some brands also contain more ALA than others. You can find out which supermarket brands have more ALA than others by checking for the highest polyunsaturated fat content in the nutrition information.

You can also look for organic or cold-pressed canola oil brands, as these will likely contain more ALA.

10. Purslane

Purslane is treated as a weed by many people, but more and more gardeners have been growing it deliberately. It is edible and considered quite delicious by many.

It’s also a nutritional goldmine.

An analytical study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition compared antioxidant and omega-3 acid content in wild purslane, chamber-grown purslane, and spinach (20).

They found that the purslane contained more ALA than the spinach, and 100g of purslane contained about 400mg of ALA. That’s a quarter to a third of the daily recommended intake!

It was also found to be rich in vitamin C, vitamin D, and glutathione, a common antioxidant found in many leafy green vegetables.

11. Butternuts

Butternuts aren’t common, but they are another great source of ALA.

While they’re native to Eastern North America and are a favorite in American dessert recipes, their relative lack of large scale cultivation along with the serious impact on the global butternut crop from diseases means they’re not always easy to get in the grocery store.

If you can find butternuts, they are delicious and contain a lot of ALA. At just under 9% ALA by weight, they are about as rich in omega-3 as their cousin, the walnut.

They’re similarly easy to incorporate into your diet as they can be eaten as a snack or added to desserts and baked goods.

The Bottom Line

Plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids usually contain ALA, the precursor form of the biologically active EPA and DHA fatty acids. Due to the low conversion rate of ALA to EPA and DHA, a large amount of ALA is needed in the diet.

Fortunately, there are plenty of foods that have very high concentrations of ALA, including flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts.

Brussels sprouts and kidney beans contain lower concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids but are dietary staples present in plenty of popular recipes.

Whatever you choose, it’s essential to get enough of these crucial fats to protect your heart and lower your risk of other harmful diseases.

Find ways to incorporate these fats into your favorite recipes or try some new meals that contain foods high in omega-3.