Health Topicsdiet nutritiondietsAll about you: getting more better-for-you fats

All about you: getting more better-for-you fats

Flax Seed
Written by Michael Gollust. Medically reviewed in May 2023 by Ann Wendling, MD, MPH.

Corn oil, margarine, steak . . . if these items make a regular appearance in your diet, you may need more "3s."

That's omega-3s—found in foods like fatty fish, peanuts, and flaxseeds. Your body needs them to balance out the omega-6s in foods like red meat and certain vegetable oils.

Balancing act

Omega-3s and omega-6s are both healthy, unsaturated fats. (How can you know how much you're getting of each? Check out this video.) But omega-3s are considered healthiest. Besides keeping your arteries clear, omega-3s boost your immunity. And the right 3s-to-6s dietary ratio is important; it helps keep health-hampering inflammation in check.

Read this article to learn how striking the right balance between 3s and 6s may help thwart metabolic syndrome.

Super "3" sources

You can boost your intake of heart-healthy omega-3s by eating more of these foods:

  • Flaxseeds or flaxseed oil
  • Walnuts
  • Oily fish, such as cod, halibut, and trout
  • Omega-3-enriched eggs or margarines—check labels

Medically reviewed in October 2019.

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