Omega-3 Intake Calculator
Calculate recommended daily omega-3 intake (EPA + DHA) from age, diet type, and health goals.
Includes food sources and fish oil supplement dosage guidance.
How Omega-3 Intake Is Calculated
Omega-3 fatty acids come in three main forms: ALA (plant-based), EPA, and DHA (both from marine sources). EPA and DHA have the strongest evidence for cardiovascular and brain health.
Recommended Intakes:
| Organization | EPA + DHA Recommendation |
|---|---|
| WHO | 250–500 mg/day (healthy adults) |
| American Heart Assoc. | 1,000 mg/day (heart disease) |
| EFSA (Europe) | 250 mg DHA + 250 mg EPA/day |
| ISSFAL | 500 mg EPA+DHA/day minimum |
ALA Adequate Intake (AI), which is where age comes in:
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 700 mg | 700 mg |
| 4 to 8 | 900 mg | 900 mg |
| 9 to 13 | 1,200 mg | 1,000 mg |
| 14 and over | 1,600 mg | 1,100 mg |
| Pregnant | — | 1,400 mg |
| Nursing | — | 1,300 mg |
Conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is under 15% efficient, and some studies put it nearer 5% for DHA in men. That is the whole reason a plant-only diet needs a much larger ALA number than the EPA+DHA target it is trying to reach, and why an algae supplement rather than flaxseed is the usual advice for vegans.
Children need less EPA and DHA than adults, and this calculator scales the target down under 18 rather than handing a four-year-old an adult figure.
Omega-3 Content of Common Foods (per 100g):
- Atlantic mackerel: 2,670 mg EPA+DHA
- Salmon (wild): 2,260 mg EPA+DHA
- Sardines (canned): 1,480 mg EPA+DHA
- Tuna (canned, light): 270 mg EPA+DHA
- Flaxseed: 22,800 mg ALA (but only ~15% converts)
- Walnuts: 9,080 mg ALA
- Chia seeds: 17,830 mg ALA
Worked Example:
Weekly fish, averaged over seven days, against a 500 mg/day EPA+DHA target:
- 200 g of sardines a week: 1,480 × 2 ÷ 7 = 423 mg/day, short of 500
- One 150 g salmon fillet a week: 2,260 × 1.5 ÷ 7 = 484 mg/day, also just short
- Two 150 g salmon fillets a week: 2,260 × 3 ÷ 7 = 969 mg/day, comfortably over
The pattern worth noticing is how close a single weekly portion lands to the target and still misses. “Eat fish once a week” is the advice most people have absorbed, and at the 500 mg level it very nearly works and does not quite. Two portions clears it with room to spare, which is exactly why both the American Heart Association and the NHS say two servings rather than one.
Canned light tuna is the trap here. At 270 mg per 100 g it carries about a ninth of what mackerel does, so a daily tuna sandwich contributes less than one salmon fillet a week.
Supplement Note: Fish oil capsules typically contain 180 mg EPA + 120 mg DHA per 1,000 mg capsule, so a “1000 mg fish oil” label means 300 mg of what you actually want. Reaching 500 mg takes roughly two capsules, not one. Look for the triglyceride form, which absorbs better than the ethyl ester form.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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