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How Much Omega 3 Do I Need Per Day?
In the UK there is no officially recommended amount of Omega 3 that you should be consuming. However the NHS does suggest two portions of oily fish per week as part of a healthy diet.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find many health experts suggesting 500mg of Omega 3 per day, from a combination of EPA and DHA (the primary active sources of Omega 3).
Want to know what all this means, and which are the best fish oil supplements you should be buying in the UK, then continue reading to find out.
What is Omega 3 and Why Do You Need It?
Omega 3 is found in many food sources and is an essential part of our daily diet. Everything from fish, eggs, seeds, vegetables and nuts and you may find Omega 3.
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats with several health benefits. High intake is linked to a reduced risk of inflammatory diseases and depression.
Problem is, much of our modern western diet is devoid of this magical substance.
It’s why fish oils, omega 3s, krill oil, cod liver oil and all their associated products, are one of the most popular nutritional supplements in the UK.
You’ll find stacked shelves in the supermarket, local health food stores, on amazon and specialist supplement companies like ours all vying for your purchases.
What Is The Right Dose of Omega 3s For You?
The answer to this question is not as clear cut as you’d hope. Picking the cheapest fish oils from the supermarket shelf is not the answer. The tub the capsules come in will have more nutritional value than the fish oil itself, with less than 30% of usable Omega 3.
The key is being able to read the label quickly to see if the Omega 3 is any good. This is actually quite simple, despite the silly long names.
DHA, EPA and ALA
About those silly long names… Omega 3 is made up of three main components… docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
No, I can’t pronounce them either. But the proportions of each fatty acid in your Omega 3 supplements is important.
Most people already get enough ALA from their normal diet, however DHA and EPA much less so. Unless you’re eating oily fish regularly it’s unlikely you are getting enough.
Your chosen Omega 3 supplement should ideally be made up of at least 50% DHA and EPA combined. So a 1000mg capsule should show at least 500mg of the combination of the DHA and EPA values.
The images below shows the label from a cheap omega 3 supplement (red label), vs a high quality Omega 3 supplement (black label).
Why Buy A Premium Omega 3?
Very simply the higher quantity of EPA and DHA per capsule, means a fewer number of capsules to consume per day.
We tend to find the cheaper Omega 3 capsules cause more fishy after-tastes too.
For Lean Greens - Good Fats premium Omega 3 product, our recommended daily dose is just 2 or 3 capsules. This provides a strong 1500-2250mg per day of EPA/DHA.
Equally, you can just take 1 capsule per day for a steady maintenance dose of 750mg, (at around 28p per serving, that’s a bargain for a healthy daily dose)
So before you blindly pick up a tub of cheap Omega 3s from the supermarket, spin the tub around and look at the label…
Add the values for the EPA and DHA and divide by the recommended dose. Just note that some products quote per capsule, some per serving.
So a 1000mg capsule should have at least 500mg EPA/DHA
A 3000mg serving should show at least 1500mg EPA/DHA
Good Fats has 2250mg in 3000mg serving which is 75% EPA/DHA
I hope that guides you to making a more informed decision about the Omega 3 supplements you choose to buy in the future.
For more information on the benefits of Omega 3 head to our extensive blog post here 👇🏻
Want to try our Good Fats Omega 3 Premium Fish Oil Capsules?
Click Here 👇🏻🐟