Great for the brain and body, omega 3 fatty acids are without a doubt an essential nutrient for overall health.
If you want to boost your omega 3 intake, then you should consider adding certain seeds into your diet.
Thankfully, there are quite a number of seeds that are excellent sources of omega 3, especially for vegans. Most importantly, these seeds are so easy to incorporate into your food. They also offer a delightful flavor and texture to your dishes, making them great culinary additions.
So, what are these seeds, exactly? Learn more about these omega 3-rich seeds that are a must-have for vegans!
Seeds That You Should Eat For Omega 3
Adults need about 250 to 500 milligrams of omega 3 for optimum health. This nutrient is easily available in seeds, which is beneficial for those who follow a plant-based diet.
Learn all about the best seeds to eat for omega 3 and how to include them to your daily meals.
1. Flax seeds
Did you know that flax seeds offer up to 2,350 milligrams of omega 3 per serving? That’s a great amount of this essential fatty acid, considering how small these seeds are!
In fact, flax seeds are the richest omega 3 plant-based food source. You can easily get your daily ALA requirement from just a serving of flax seeds.
Moreover, if you’re not keen on consuming them in a seed form, you can simply take flax seed oil as your omega 3 daily supplement.
But in addition to omega 3, flax seeds are also rich in magnesium, fiber, protein, and other minerals. As compared to other plant seeds, flax seeds have a better omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. Hence, your body is able to metabolize these seeds more efficiently.
2. Chia Seeds
Another great source of omega 3 for vegans, chia seeds offer up to 5,060 milligrams of this fatty acid per serving.
One serving is equivalent to 28 grams or about 2 tablespoons of these tiny seeds. In addition, you can also get your daily supply of magnesium, selenium, manganese, and protein from chia seeds.
Interestingly, a serving of chia has up to 5 grams of protein. But that’s not all – you also get up to 8 of your essential amino acids from it!
3. Hemp Seeds
Earthy and nutty-flavored, hemp seeds are super nutritious and add a unique flavor profile to your dishes.
Best of all, these seeds boast a whopping over 50 percent of your body’s daily omega 3 requirement. Hemp hearts are also great sources of fiber, protein, magnesium, and iron! Now those are more than enough reasons to eat hemp hearts or hemp seeds daily.
How To Add Seeds For Omega 3
Now that you know more about the best seeds to eat for omega 3, let’s talk about the different ways to add them to your meals.
For flax seeds, you can simply sprinkle these seeds into your porridge or oatmeal. If you like to make baked goodies, you can add some flax seeds to your granola bars, brownies, and cookies.
Chia seeds are excellent egg replacement, thanks to their gooey, sticky texture when soaked in water. You can also make chia pudding, or take a spoonful of these seeds and blend them in with your smoothie ingredients.
If you like to make smoothie bowls for breakfast, you can also include some chia seeds for that delightful crunch. And just like flax seeds, you can make homemade granola bars with chia seeds or bake your own breads with these seeds added in.
Lastly, hemp seeds are so versatile that it does not take much effort to eat them everyday. You can add hemp hearts to your smoothie, protein shake, or granola recipe. If you’re a big fan of poke bowls, you can just sprinkle them in to boost the omega 3 and protein content of your meal.
Final Thoughts
Omega 3 essential fatty acids are a must-have for a healthy heart, brain, and muscles. These fatty acids also fight off inflammation, which is your best defense to preventing a number of ailments.
Adults need about 1.1 to 1.6 grams of omega 3 each day. However, for vegans who prefer to get these fatty acids from plants, they can simply include certain seeds to make this possible. Omega 3 from plants, however, take longer for the body to transform into DHA and EPA.
Thus, you may want to consume other foods such as algae oil and spirulina, in addition to the seeds we have just mentioned earlier. This way, you can have your omega 3 boost even as a vegan!