Rebuild from Depression Blog

Omega 3 fatty acids are critical to health, particularly to brain health. Deficiencies are linked to depression (Omega 3 and depression) and diseases such as Alzheimer's. They are critical to heart health and are used in patients with diabetes. We need to make sure we have Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet.

Fish and seafood are absolutely the best food source of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Which fish contain Omega 3? A good many.

Note in the figure both above and below (in data available at the USDA) that the top five fish in Omega 3 are salmon, herring, anchovy, sablefish, and whitefish.

Salmon has something on the order of 2 grams of Omega 3 for each 100 grams of fish (about 3.5 ounces). The omega 3 content will vary by salmon species and how the salmon are raised, but salmon packs a huge amount of omega 3 (even if only a still-impressive one gram per hundred of fish). For people rebuilding from depression, one 100 gram serving of salmon may meet your daily need for omega 3 unless you are mega-dosing at 4 grams or more a day. If you have depression and wonder if fish is enough, read more about how much omega 3 to take for depression.

Before shopping for fish, I like to browse the website of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It provides a list of fish available in each region of the country which are grown or harvested in a sustainable fashion. Ocean's Alive provides lists of fish and environmental pollutants.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday.