Omega 3 fatty acids are long-chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and are mainly found in plants and sea organisms. Human body is not capable of synthezing these fatty acids. Hence, they are called essential fatty acids (EFA). They are major components of brain cells and thus crucial for proper nervous system function. The deficiency of omega 3 fatty acids has been associated with multitude brain disorders such as depression, learning skills, memory loss. Omega 3 fatty acids include DHA and EPA. Below is a list of top 300 food items containing the highest content of omega 3 fatty acid DHA. The foods are ordered from high to low DHA content. The food items are from the Nordic region and are analysed by the Finish National Public Health Institute.
List of Foods High in Omega 3 Fatty Acid DHA
| Rank | Omega 3 fatty acid DHA food sources | Omega 3 fatty acid DHA content in mg per 100 grams of food portion |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eel | 2100 |
| 2 | Lamprey | 2100 |
| 3 | Tuna, fried | 2028 |
| 4 | Tuna | 1800 |
| 5 | Mackerel smoked or canned in water | 1673 |
| 6 | Rainbow trout, fillet in oven low-fat | 1283 |
| 7 | Rainbow trout fillet | 1251 |
| 8 | Caviar dark roe of sturgeon | 1248 |
| 9 | Roe average | 1248 |
| 10 | Fish fatty smoked | 1192 |
| 11 | Roe average salted | 1185 |
| 12 | Rainbow trout fillet with cream | 1181 |
| 13 | Rainbow trout fillet, creme for food preparation | 1181 |
| 14 | Rainbow trout sea, fillet | 1160 |
| 15 | Rainbow trout, fillet cold smoked | 1158 |
| 16 | Anchovy | 1153 |
| 17 | Rainbow trout, fillet | 1103 |
| 18 | Rainbow trout | 1100 |
| 19 | Salmon, fried fillet | 1089 |
| 20 | Salmon in oil | 1052 |
| 21 | Rainbow trout, fillet salted | 1037 |
| 22 | Salmon | 1002 |
| 23 | Salmon fillet | 1002 |
| 24 | Trout | 1002 |
| 25 | Sardine average, in oil and tomato sauce | 965 |
| 26 | Herring salted | 953 |
| 27 | Herring pickled, average | 919 |
| 28 | Rainbow trout fillet with sour cream | 907 |
| 29 | Rainbow trout carpaccio | 899 |
| 30 | Salmon, breaded, fried | 895 |
| 31 | Sushi with tuna, without seaweed | 739 |
| 32 | Rainbow trout whole, average | 717 |
| 33 | Vendace salted lake fish | 708 |
| 34 | Herring with garlic or mustard sauce | 689 |
| 35 | Salmon, whole | 651 |
| 36 | Redfish | 649 |
| 37 | Redfish frozen | 649 |
| 38 | Roe paste | 649 |
| 39 | Roe sauce, creme fraiche | 608 |
| 40 | Baltic herring fillet | 586 |
| 41 | Baltic herring fillet, in oven | 569 |
| 42 | Baltic herring | 529 |
| 43 | Halibut | 520 |
| 44 | Fish low-fat smoked | 519 |
| 45 | Vendace smoked lake fish | 502 |
| 46 | Whitefish, pollan, lavaret | 493 |
| 47 | Baltic herring | 491 |
| 48 | Baltic herring, fried | 491 |
| 49 | Baltic herring | 482 |
| 50 | Bream smoked | 479 |
Source: National Public Health Institute of Finland