Essential Fatty Acids

These instructions are for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) patients to learn how to increase essential fatty acids in the diet

Important Information:

• Your body needs fat to be healthy. Your body makes some fats, and some come from the foods you eat.

• Essential fatty acids (EFA) are fats your body cannot make so they must come from the food that you eat.

• EFA come from both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acid food families. Usually Americans eat too many Omega 6 foods with very few Omega 3 foods in their diets.

Instructions for eating fatty acids

• It is important to eat a balance of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acid sources.

• The ideal ratio is about 4 servings of Omega 6 foods to every one serving of Omega 3 foods.

• Avoid cooking with soybean or corn oil.

• Avoid hydrogenated and trans oils/fats.

See below for examples of excellent and good sources of healthy fats to include in the diet:

Excellent sources of healthy fats include:

• Omega 6 foods:

  • Pine nuts

  • Pistachio nuts

  • Sesame seeds

  • Pumpkin seeds

  • Soybeans

  • Sunflower seeds

  • Almonds

  • Brazil nuts

  • Tofu

  • Nut "butters"

• Omega 3 foods:

  • 12 oz/week of fatty fish, such as salmon, lake trout, anchovies, sardines, mackerel.

    • Avoid shark, swordfish and orange roughy

  • Walnuts

  • Flaxseeds

• Other healthy fats (without EFA)

  • Olive oil

  • Avocado

Good sources of healthy fats include:

• Omega 6 foods:

  • Chicken

  • Egg yolk

  • Walnuts

  • Safflower oil

  • Sunflower oil

  • Canola oil

  • Walnut oil

  • Mayonnaise

  • Salad dressing (with above oils as main ingredient)

  • Avocado

• Omega 3 foods:

  • Flaxseed oil

  • Canola oil

  • Walnut oil

  • Wheat germ oil

  • Pumpkin seeds

• Other healthy fats (without EFA)

  • Peanut oil

  • Sesame oil

Menu Ideas Rich in EFA

Breakfast

• Hot or cold cereal sprinkled with wheat germ

• Omelet with smoked salmon

• Whole grain (includes flax seeds) toast with sunflower seed butter

Lunch or Dinner

• Chicken salad made with grapes, walnuts, and canola oil mayonnaise

• Salmon Cake sandwich with pesto (basil, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese)

• Tofu stir fry

• Egg or tuna salad sandwich

Snacks

• Trail mix made with the nuts and seeds listed above

• Whole grain chips (includes flax seeds) with guacamole

Reviewed on October 1, 2021