Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to your body in ways ranging from lowering your risk for heart disease and cancer to maintaining brain performance and memory. They're also essential fatty acids, meaning that you're body can't make them, so you have to get them through your diet. All you have to do is eat the right foods.
Benefits
Omega-3 fatty acids are a multifaceted health booster. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, they can help resolve and prevent health problems including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence gathered also suggests that omega-3 may benefit people suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, certain types of cancer, asthma and macular degeneration. Omega-3s resume of benefits makes a good case for incorporating more of them into your regular diet.
Walnuts
Walnuts are a good source of omega-3. Specifically, they contain the variety of omega-3 known as alpha linoleic acid, or LNA. Clinical studies have shown LNA to lower overall cholesterol and serum triglycerides levels, notes UMM. Walnuts have about 2.8g of of these essential fatty acids in 1 oz. of nuts. This makes them one of the best sources for omega-3. To give you an idea of how significant these numbers are, there are only 2.2g of omega-3 fatty acids in a 4-oz. serving of salmon.
Almonds
Almonds are densely packed with vitamins and minerals. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, a website by the George Mateljan Foundation, 1/4 cup of dry roasted almonds contains 45 percent of your daily manganese and vitamin E;, 25 percent of your magnesium; 20 percent of your tryptophan and copper; and 15 percent of your riboflavin and phosphorus. They've also been shown to reduce your levels of low density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol. However, contrary to popular belief, almonds contain no trace of omega-3 fatty acids.
Nutrition
Walnuts and almonds both have their redeeming qualities. Walnuts are supercharged with omega-3, specifically LDN, which can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of developing serious issues like certain cancers and heart disease. Almonds are filled to the brim with macronutrients that help your body function properly and also have the tendency to lower your levels of LDL cholesterol. Their beneficial attributes pose good arguments for adding both nuts into your diet more regularly.
Considerations
When it comes to omega-3, the path to follow leads to walnuts. With more omega-3 content than the mighty cold-water salmon, walnuts allow you to reasonably attain a stable source of essential fatty acids. In comparison, almonds have no omega-3 content. So even though they have their own health benefits, they simply can't step in the ring with the omega-3 king.
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