Getting your intake of omega 6 oils down to a healthy level is simple. Simply abide by the following:

• Do not buy or use soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, or corn oil in your kitchen.

• In leu of the oils above, choose extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). This anti-inflammatory oil should be your oil of choice for room temp to moderate heat food preparation. For high heat food prep (above 400 degrees) choose organic, expeller pressed canola oil, avocado oil, or sesame oil.

• Avoid processed foods that lists one of the omega 6 oils as the first or second ingredient. Most bottled salad dressings & mayonnaise are notoriously high in omega 6 oils. Make your own salad dressing with EVOO and look for mayo made with canola oil, olive oil or avocado oil. Thankfully, they are now widely available in standard grocery stores. Snack foods and classic junk foods are yet another infamous source of omega 6 oils. Check the ingredients list for these oils if you are purchasing a processed food.

• Avoid fried foods, especially in restaurants and from Fast Food outlets. Omega 6 oils are favored oils for restaurant-based fried foods.

• Minimize your intake of conventionally raised red meat – beef, pork and lamb. Choose grass fed beef or wild game if available and within your budget.

Get the Omega 3 Fats In! – Plan of Action   

• Eat 3 or more modest servings of oily fish a week – salmon (wild best), tuna (Chunk Light least mercury), sardines, herring, mackerel, halibut, cod and lake trout. Wild salmon and sardines are the cleanest sources of omega 3 fats. A serving is just 3-4 ounces (the size of a deck of cards). Oysters and other mollusks also contain modest doses of omega 3 fats.

• If eating oily fish/seafood as noted above is not possible for you, take a high quality fish oil supplement ( I recommend Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega) or an algae-based omega 3 supplement (great for those who are allergic to fish or vegan). If you do not eat oily fish regularly, it is impossible to get optimal amounts of omega 3 fats without supplementing. That said, eating the real fish should always be your top strategy as it  offers the most for your overall health. *Always consult with your healthcare provider before taking any supplements. 

• Enjoy walnuts, whole soy foods, wheat germ, hemp, chia, or flax seeds, canola oil, omega 3 eggs and dark leafy greens for additional omega 3 fats.  Although these foods are great for you and contain appreciable amounts of omega 3 fats, on their own they cannot provide the body with the optimal amounts of the biologically active forms of omega 3 fats it needs. Meaning, they are fantastic for supplementing your diet, but they cannot replace the quality and quantity of omega 3 fats in seafood/oily fish or fish oil/algae oil omega 3 supplements.