Do All Nuts Have Omega-3 Fats?

Nuts tend to have a high fat content, ranging from 12.7 g per ounce for pistachios to 21.6 g per ounce for macadamias. Chestnuts, however, provide only 0.6 g of fat per ounce. Nuts generally contain small amounts of saturated fat; most comes from healthier, unsaturated fats. Because appropriate amounts of healthy fats such as omega-3s are beneficial, the American Heart Association recommends you eat at least two servings of oily fish and four servings of nuts, seeds and legumes each week.

Content

English walnuts, in particular, are good plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, providing 2.6 g per 1 oz. serving, according to Tufts University School of Medicine. Although other varieties of nuts, including pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts, do contain some omega-3s, they don't come close to walnuts. Pecans and pistachios, for example, provide 0.3 and 0.1 g of omega-3 fatty acids per ounce, respectively. Not all walnuts are the same either. Black walnuts provide only 0.6 g of omega-3s per ounce, packing 2 g less than their English counterparts.

Factors

While most nuts contain trace amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, the negligible content makes them poor sources of this healthy polyunsaturated fat. Even nuts with little or no omega-3 fatty acids provide healthy fat, however, including other types of polyunsaturated fat, as well as monounsaturated fats. Pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, chestnuts and pistachios all contain polyunsaturated fats, which can improve your cholesterol levels and heart health when consumed in place of unhealthy saturated and trans fats.

Guidelines

The recommended intake for dietary fat in general is 20 percent to 35 percent of total caloric intake. Seven percent or less should come from saturated fats and no more than 1 percent from trans fats. That means the bulk of fat in your diet should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources, such as nuts, seeds, fish and healthy oils, including olive, canola, flax, peanut, safflower and sunflower. While consuming omega-3 sources such as cold-water fish, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil provides heart health benefits, specific recommended intakes from omega-3 fatty acids have not been established.

Considerations

Nuts also are good plant sources of protein, fiber, vitamin E, iron and certain B vitamins. Almonds, for example, are not a source of omega-3 fatty acids, but they do provide 4 g of fiber, 5 g of protein, 80 mg of calcium and 6.7 mg of vitamin E per ounce. The calorie content per ounce of nuts ranges from 69 for roasted chestnuts to 204 for raw or roasted macadamia nuts. While nuts are a healthy component of a nutrient-rich, balanced eating plan, excessive consumption of nuts may contribute too much fat and too many calories to your diet.