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Omega 6 Content of Common Foods

This is from Matt Stone's blog, and I know he is a controversial figure, but I think this post is a good one for all of us. I think it's pretty commonly accepted around here that the Omega6:Omega3 ratio is pretty out of whack for most people on a Western diet. I've long since tried to eliminate as much as possible all the high-PUFA vegetables oils high in Omega 6. But Matt also goes on to say:

http://180degreehealth.blogspot.com...mmon-foods.html

Quote:

My point is that we simply need to ignore the banter about what is and is not a healthy food, and instead focus on what we need to do to actually make some progress in overturning this high omega 6 imbalance. It takes more than just cutting out vegetable oil. It takes a concentrated effort to keep omega 6 at levels low enough that omega 6 tissue concentration falls substantially.

And what matters most in taking simple steps in pursuing a low omega 6 diet, is the overall percentage of calories as omega 6 in the foods you are eating in greatest abundance. The most relevant and substantial contributors are fats, meats, nuts, and starches.

As you will quickly realize, the higher your diet is in total fat content, the more important it is that you are diligent about keeping omega 6 intake under control.

I can't disagree with that. But what really makes his post worthwhile is that he includes a valuable list of common foods, and where they fall on the Omega6 content spectrum. I was bummed to find my favorite bacon grease on the high side of the Omega6 spectrum. But at least it's not in the "very high" category like the peanut butter beloved of many low carbers, or worse yet, not on the "Omega 666 – the most Evil omega 6 powerhouses" like soybean oil - which is found in all standard commercial mayos also beloved of many low carbers. But I thought printing a copy of the full list was worthwhile for me, so here it is for you too.

Interesting in that among the "very low" category is that more blah of meat foods - chicken without skin. :lol: Seems the O6 in chicken is mostly in the skin and fat, as chicken fat is also high. But I have pan-fried skinless chicken breast chunks in coconut oil (also very low) and they turned out pretty tasty.

Quote:

Omega 666 – the most Evil omega 6 powerhouses (over 50%)

Grapeseed oil 70.6%!!!
Corn Oil 54.5%
Walnuts 52.5% (oil is 53.9%)
Cottonseed oil 52.4%
Soybean oil 51.4%

Very High Omega 6 sources (20-50%)

Sesame oil 42.0%
Pepitas 34.5%
Margarine 27.9%
Pecans 26.9%
Peanut Butter 22.5%
Pistachios 21.3%

High Omega 6 Sources (10-20%)

Chicken Fat 19.5%
Almonds 19.1%
Canola oil 19.0%
Flaxseed oil 12.9%
Cashews 12.6%
Duck Fat 12.2%
Bacon Grease 10.2%
Lard 10.2%

Moderate Omega 6 Sources (5-10%)

Olive oil 9.9%
Goose Fat 9.8%
Avocado 9.4%
Chicken with skin 9.0%
Olives 7.4%
Bacon 7.0%
Eggs 6.8%
Pork chops 6.2%
Popcorn (Air Popped) 5.8%
Oats 5.6%

Low Omega 6 Sources (2-5%)

Corn 4.7%
Chicken Liver 3.7%
Sunflower Oil 3.7% (High oleic variety - others are very high in omega 6)
Butter 3.4%
Beef Tallow 3.1%
Cocoa Butter 2.8%
Macadamia Nut oil ~2.5%
Cream 2.2%
Beef liver 2.1%
Grassfed Beef 2.0%
Whole wheat flour 2.0%

Extremely low Omega 6 Sources (Less than 2%)

Coconut oil 1.9%
Prime rib 1.8%
Whole milk 1.8%
Half and Half 1.8%
Ground Beef 1.6%
Macadamia Nuts 1.6%
Chicken without skin 1.4%
Lamb 1.4%
Cheese/Brie 1.3%
Coconut Milk 1.1%
Seal Oil 1.1%
Foie gras 1.1%
Palm Kernel Oil 0.8%
Sockeye Salmon 0.5%
Yams 0.4%
Potatoes 0.3%
Halibut 0.2%
Shrimp 0.2%
Clams 0.2%
Canned tuna 0.1%
Blue crab 0.1%
Lobster 0.1%

Interesting to know that Ground Beef has less Omega 6 than Grass Fed Beef.

Patrick

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valtor

Interesting to know that Ground Beef has less Omega 6 than Grass Fed Beef.

Patrick

Maybe it's lean ground beef, with less overall fat than a grass fed steak.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mirrorball

Maybe it's lean ground beef, with less overall fat than a grass fed steak.

I'm sure it is. Grass fed lean ground beef would probably win. :)

Patrick

Thanks for the list, Debbie. I'm going to print it and tape it inside my cupboard door so I can refer to it often.

Merpig- thanks for the list! Very helpful!

I don't think he is being fair to the actual ratio of 6 to 3 that we need (2:1). Those foods that he considers "high" in Omega 6 like bacon, duck, chicken fats also have some omega 3. I would never deprive myself of bacon, duck, or chicken fat because it's supposedly high in O 6. So frying the salmon in lard or duck fat isn't going to kill you.

Edit: I'd like to see a list with the ratios of 6 to 3. Most of the stuff I see in the USDA database is mg per 100 grams, not a percentage. It'd be great if we had a list of the ratios!

I thought Walnuts had a fairly good ratio compared to other nuts

this thread got me interested so i found this website on grass-fed beef:

http://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/gr..._a_nutshell.htm

there is a side by side comparison of grain and grass-fed beef

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shobha

I thought Walnuts had a fairly good ratio compared to other nuts

This site has a ratio of 1 (Omega 3) : 4.5 (Omega 6) for walnuts

walnut nutrition data

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shobha

I thought Walnuts had a fairly good ratio compared to other nuts

You're right about this - walnuts have the best ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats. That said, nuts and seeds in general have to be eaten in moderation.

Here's a snippet:

Quote:

Throughout the book, we've talked about the omegas - omega 6 and omega 3. One kind - omega 6 fats - is not good for you when eaten in excess; the other kind - omega 3 fats - can make you healthier in many ways. The ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats should be between 2 and 3 to 1. For most Americans, unfortunately, it's between 10 and 15 to 1. All nuts and seeds - except for walnuts and possibly macadamia nuts - have unacceptably high omega 6 to omega 3 ratios. This is why you must eat them in small amounts. ~ Loren Cordain, Ph.D., in his book, "The Paleo Diet"

Dr. Cordain goes onto explain that walnuts have the best ratio of all the nuts and seeds, with macadamia nuts coming in second.

Quote:

Nut or Seed...............................................Omega 6 to Omega 3 Ratio
Walnuts ...................................................4.2
Macadamia Nuts ........................................6.3
Pecans......................................................20.9
Pine Nuts...................................................31.6
Cashews....................................................47.6
Pistachio Nuts............................................51.9
Hazel nuts (filberts)....................................90.0
Pumpkin seeds...........................................114.4
Brazil nuts.................................................377.9
Sunflower seeds..........................................472.9
Almonds.............................extremely high (no detectable omega 3 fats)
Peanuts (not a nut, but a legume)...extremely high (no detectable omega 3 fats)

~ Loren Cordain, Ph.D., in his book, "The Paleo Diet"

So yes, walnuts are the best nuts you could eat, from an omega 3 standpoint. The nice thing about walnuts is that they don't seem to trigger the hungries as much as some other nuts might. Once in a rare while, I like to combine 1/4 cup walnut halves, 1/4 cup fresh blueberries with a splash of coconut milk.

You should not look just at the ratio by itself.

- Walnuts has 33 GRAMS of Omega 6 per 100g 33% by weight!
- Macadamia has 1.2g of Omega 6 per 100g only 1.2%

In fact IMHO, Macadamia nuts seems to be the perfect nut for us. It's only 5.7% net carbs by weight.

Patrick

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valtor

I'm glad you pointed this out Patrick - I hadn't thought of this. Just that I knew that walnuts and macadamia nuts were a bit "better" compared to other nuts/seeds in terms of their omega 3 content, relative to omega 6 content.

I'm glad I eat a fair amount of fish and fish oil. I don't get into trying to figure out ratios or percentages, but I do try to get a variety of things in my menus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valtor

Wow, Patrick .... had no idea at all about that. Thanks.

My mom has been having lots of walnuts the past 6-8 months because I told her they had the best O3/O6 ratio among nuts :o

Macadamias are available rarely in India and when they are, are very expensive. Maybe I should shop online somewhere ....

This is what I see. The highest sources of o6 are all vegetable. The lowest sources of o6 are mostly animal.