Foods High in Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)

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Foods High in Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)

Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) is an essential omega-3 fatty acid necessary for a wide range of functions in the body. Deficiency is rare in adults, but can lead to rough and scaly skin.

ALAs and Omega 3 fatty acids are thought to be beneficial in protecting against heart disease.

In today's modern diet, most people eat a much higher proportion of Omega 6s than Omega 3s, leading some to look for foods with a good Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. For this reason, the amount of omega 3s per omega 6 fat is listed for each food.

Foods high in ALAs include flaxseed oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, canola oil, soybean oil, edamame, navy beans, avocados, whole wheat bread, and oatmeal.

Since data on all fats is difficult to obtain, there are likely to be more foods high in ALA, but we are just missing the data. As such, it can also be assumed that most plant sources of omega 3 fats in general, are also high in ALAs.

For more foods high in ALAs see the complete ranking of over 200 foods high in ALA fats. Note: The list of 200+ foods contains many fried foods which are likely fried using soybean or canola oil, and this is why they have a high quantity of ALAs. That said, deep-fried foods are high in saturated-fats, calories, and not part of a healthy diet. For this reason, the top 10 list below excludes these foods.

List of Foods High in ALAs

Oil from a bottle1 Flaxseed Oil
4mg Omega 3 per 1mg Omega 6
ALA
per Tblsp
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
7258mg53368mg12074mg
Chia Seeds2 Chia Seeds
3mg Omega 3 per 1mg Omega 6
ALA
per oz(~2 Tblsp)
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
5064mg17830mg7337mg
Hemp Seeds3 Hemp Seeds
1mg Omega 3 per 3mg Omega 6
ALA
per Oz
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
2466mg8684mg3141mg
A bottle of vegetable oil4 Canola Oil
1mg Omega 3 per 2mg Omega 6
ALA
per Tblsp
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
1279mg9137mg2067mg
Soybeans5 Soybean Oil
1mg Omega 3 per 8mg Omega 6
ALA
per Tblsp
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
923mg6789mg1536mg
Green Soybeans (Edamame)6 Edamame (Green Soybeans)
1mg Omega 3 per 5mg Omega 6
ALA
per Cup
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
555mg358mg592mg
Navy Beans7 Navy Beans
1mg Omega 3 per 1mg Omega 6
ALA
per Cup
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
322mg177mg253mg
Half an avocado8 Avocados
1mg Omega 3 per 15mg Omega 6
ALA
per Avocado
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
223mg111mg139mg
Whole Wheat Bread9 Whole Wheat Bread
1mg Omega 3 per 11mg Omega 6
ALA
per 2 Slices
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
88mg137mg109mg
A bowl of oatmeal with blueberries10 Oatmeal
1mg Omega 3 per 30mg Omega 6
ALA
per Cup
ALA
per 100g
ALA
per 200 Calories
42mg18mg51mg

See All 200 Foods High in Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)

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Printable List of Foods High in ALA.

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.


View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central

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