Oils high in omega-6’s, are in nearly all processed and packaged foods, as well as most restaurant foods because they are cheap. If your diet consists of packaged foods and a few meals out a week, you are significantly exceeding the recommended intake of omega-6.

Omega-3 Rich Oils

Rich omega-3 foods are found in fish; salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and trout. As well as sea algae, flax seeds/oil walnuts and chia seeds.

Begin by limiting saturated fats from the bottom of the chart. Notice the oils high in omega-6 oils. Focus on the rich omega-3 oils like flax seed oil.

Avoid the oils with no omega-3’s: safflower, sunflower, sesame, peanut, cottonseed, cocoa butter, palm kernel and coconut.

Reduce Omega-6 Reduce Inflammation

Nuts have a potential to provide too much omega-6 fatty acids. Two exceptions to this rule are walnuts with an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 4.2 and butternuts with an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 3.9. Incorporating nut and seed milks while making sweet nut treats will likely trigger inflammation in the body.

Achieve a balance omega-6 to omega-3 ratio by:

• Limiting omega-6 as much as possible, less than 2% of calories.
• Moderately increase omega-3 of DHA and EPA can be obtained by eating a 4 oz. portion of salmon twice a week.

Limit consumption of the top sources of omega-6 fatty acids: peanut and other nut butters, chips and buttered popcorn, takeout and packaged foods, fried, battered chicken or fish, margarine and vegetable shortening, chicken skin, salad dressings and vegetable oils. Best choices are olive, macadamia nut and flaxseed oil.