Planning Meals with Heart-Healthy Omega 3 and 6 Levels

Balancing the Ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6

After my husband's recent heart attack we have had to plan and prepare meals much more carefully than we ever used to. Does this mean that we are destined to eat nothing but "rabbit food," grilled chicken, and oatmeal? Not at all.

We came home from the hospital three weeks ago with several dietary requirements concerning fat and sodium, but we were also instructed that the fatty acid Omega 3 should be greater than 1600 mg/ day.

With some research I learned that Omega 3 must be kept in balance with Omega 6, and the Omega 6 value, on average over time, should be no more than five times the average of Omega 3. This is due to the fact that although both are essential for health (and must be consumed because the body cannot make them independently), the conversion of the Omega 3 chains is slowed by the Omega 6 compounds. ¹

Armed with these requirements and new knowledge, I began tracking these components of everything we ate in a spreadsheet. It quickly became apparent that controlling the fat and cholesterol was very easy. To be sure, if you have been used to chowing down on potato chips and ice cream, you will have to learn more about basic nutrition. But simply cooking more things at home, and sticking to the USDA food pyramid will easily control the fat in your diet.

However, it can be a challenge to keep the Omega 3 and 6 in balance.² And we have come to the conclusion that we cannot meet the requirement of an average of 1600 mg/day of Omega 3 without adding fish oil supplement capsules. We are currently eating fish every third day, which is about as often as we can face seafood. If you really love fish, you may be able to meet that minimum without taking a supplement.