Logo

MonoCalc

/

Omega-3 Intake Calculator

Health

Your profile

The adult ALA adequate intake differs by sex.
Optional — overrides the guideline target.

Omega-3 from food

Flaxseed, chia, walnuts, hemp, canola.
Optional — enables mg/kg dosing.
The classic 1000 mg capsule: 300 mg of EPA + DHA, 700 mg of other fats.
1

EPA + DHA target

500.0 mg

EFSA adequate intake and AHA fish-intake advice

Current total

510.0 mg

210 mg food + 300 mg supplement

Surplus

+10.0 mg

Total minus target

Status

On target

102.0% of target

Target 500 mg

EPA 300 mg

DHA 210 mg

Total 510 mg

102%

of EPA + DHA target

ALA — plant omega-3

Target 1.10 g/day — Females 14+ years

You have 1.20 g/day — 109% of the adequate intake.

EPA / DHA split

300 mg EPA + 210 mg DHA

Total omega-3 including ALA: 1.71 g/day

Per body weight: 7.5 mg/kg/day

Headroom to the FDA 3 g/day reference: 2.49 g

Guideline notes — General health

250 mg/day is the EFSA adequate intake; 500 mg/day matches the AHA's two servings of oily fish per week and is used here as the working target.

Upper-limit check

Total vs FDA 3 g/day

0.51 g

2.49 g of headroom

Supplement vs FDA 2 g/day

0.30 g

Within the supplemental share

Total vs EFSA 5 g/day

0.51 g

Within the EFSA tolerable supplemental intake

Educational tool, not medical advice
These figures are reference values for healthy adults and do not account for medication, pregnancy complications, bleeding disorders, liver or kidney disease, or a prescribed omega-3 product. Talk to a clinician or registered dietitian before starting, stopping or changing a supplement.

Terms used here

ALA

Alpha-linolenic acid (18:3), the plant-based essential omega-3 found in flaxseed, chia, walnuts and canola oil.

EPA

Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5), the marine long-chain omega-3 most closely tied to triglyceride and inflammatory outcomes.

DHA

Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6), the structural omega-3 concentrated in the brain and retina; critical in pregnancy and infancy.

Omega-3 Index

EPA + DHA as a percentage of the fatty acids in red blood cell membranes; below 4 % is the highest-risk band, above 8 % the desirable one.

Triglyceride vs ethyl ester

Two chemical forms of concentrated fish oil. Re-esterified triglyceride (rTG) is absorbed somewhat better; ethyl ester (EE) is cheaper and best taken with a fatty meal.

µg RAE

Micrograms of retinol activity equivalents — the unit for vitamin A. The tolerable upper limit for preformed vitamin A is 3000 µg RAE/day.

About This Tool

Omega-3 Intake Calculator – EPA, DHA and ALA Targets

Most people who take fish oil have no idea how much omega-3 they are actually getting. This omega-3 intake calculator closes that gap: it looks up the target for your age, sex and life stage, adds up what you already get from food and supplements, and tells you exactly what to change — how many capsules, how many fish servings, or how much algal oil.

Three Fatty Acids, Not One Nutrient

Guidelines treat omega-3 as three separate things. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid, 18:3) is the plant-based essential fatty acid in flaxseed, chia, walnuts and canola oil, and it has a formal Adequate Intake — 1.6 g/day for adult men and 1.1 g/day for adult women. EPA (20:5) and DHA (22:6) are the marine long-chain omega-3s that carry the cardiovascular, retinal and neurodevelopmental evidence, and they are recommended together as a milligram figure: 250 mg/day as EFSA's adequate intake, around 500 mg/day for the AHA's two servings of oily fish a week, about 1000 mg/day after established heart disease, and 2–4 g/day to lower triglycerides under medical supervision.

Why a 1000 mg Capsule Is Not 1000 mg of Omega-3

The number on the front of the bottle is the fill weight of the oil, not the omega-3 inside it. A standard 30 % concentrate holds roughly 180 mg EPA + 120 mg DHA = 300 mg of EPA + DHA per 1000 mg capsule. The calculator does this arithmetic for you:

capsules = ceil(target ÷ (EPA + DHA per capsule)) and concentration % = (EPA + DHA) ÷ oil per capsule × 100. A 1000 mg/day target therefore needs four standard capsules, but only two of a 75 % concentrate — which is also why comparing brands on cost per gram of EPA + DHA beats comparing them on price per bottle.

Flaxseed is not a substitute for fish oil
ALA converts to EPA at roughly 5–8 % and to DHA at well under 1 %. A tablespoon of flaxseed oil supplying 7.3 g of ALA yields about 440 mg of EPA but under 40 mg of DHA. On a plant-based diet, algal oil is the only direct source of DHA.

Fish Servings, Mercury and the Weekly Plan

The fish planner converts a daily target into practical weekly servings: EPA + DHA per serving = (grams ÷ 100) × mg per 100 g. Farmed Atlantic salmon carries about 2150 mg per 100 g, so a 113 g (4 oz) serving supplies roughly 2430 mg and two servings a week clear a 500 mg/day target. Tilapia, at 150 mg per 100 g, would take more than twenty. High-mercury species — swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tilefish and bigeye tuna — raise an advisory that escalates when the pregnancy life stage is selected.

Where the Omega-6 Ratio Fits

A typical Western diet runs an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio near 15:1 or 20:1, against a commonly cited goal of 4:1 or lower. The ratio analyser divides your omega-6 intake by your total omega-3 and then sizes both routes to the goal — how much omega-3 you would have to add at your current omega-6 intake, and how far omega-6 would have to fall at your current omega-3 intake. Usually the second route is the realistic one, because reaching 4:1 by supplementing alone can demand more omega-3 than any sane dose provides. Absolute EPA and DHA intake still predicts outcomes better than the ratio does, so treat the ratio as context rather than as the target.

The Omega-3 Index and Safe Upper Limits

The Omega-3 Index measures EPA + DHA as a percentage of red blood cell fatty acids: below 4 % is the highest-risk band, 4–8 % is intermediate and above 8 % is desirable. This tool estimates it from sustained intake, rising about one percentage point per 280 mg/day from a 4 % baseline, and a measured lab value always overrides that estimate. On the other end, the FDA treats up to 3 g/day from all sources as generally recognised as safe (with no more than 2 g from supplements) and EFSA considers supplemental intakes up to 5 g/day tolerable. From about 2 g/day, omega-3 can lengthen bleeding time and interact with anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, so the calculator flags every dose that crosses those lines. It is an educational estimate, not a prescription.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Omega-3 Intake Calculator free?

Yes, Omega-3 Intake Calculator is totally free :)

Can I use the Omega-3 Intake Calculator offline?

Yes, you can install the webapp as PWA.

Is it safe to use Omega-3 Intake Calculator?

Yes, any data related to Omega-3 Intake Calculator only stored in your browser (if storage required). You can simply clear browser cache to clear all the stored data. We do not store any data on server.

How does this omega-3 intake calculator work?

It looks up the ALA adequate intake and the EPA + DHA target for your age, sex and life stage, adds up what you already get from food and supplements, and reports the gap in milligrams per day and as a percent of target. Separate modes back-solve the capsules or weekly fish servings needed to close that gap, model ALA conversion for plant-based diets, analyse your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and estimate your Omega-3 Index.

Why is a 1000 mg fish oil capsule not 1000 mg of omega-3?

The number on the front of the bottle is the fill weight of the oil, not the omega-3 inside it. A standard 30 % concentrate holds roughly 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA — 300 mg of EPA + DHA per 1000 mg capsule. Reaching a 500 mg/day target therefore takes nearly two of those capsules, and a 1000 mg/day cardiovascular target takes four.

How much EPA and DHA should I aim for each day?

EFSA sets an adequate intake of 250 mg/day of EPA + DHA for adults, and the AHA's advice of two servings of oily fish per week works out near 500 mg/day. Pregnancy and lactation add 100–200 mg/day of DHA on top of that. About 1000 mg/day is used for secondary prevention after established heart disease, and 2–4 g/day is the therapeutic range for lowering triglycerides under medical supervision.

Can flaxseed, chia or walnuts replace fish oil?

Not for DHA. Those foods supply ALA, which the body converts to EPA at roughly 5–8 % and to DHA at well under 1 %. A tablespoon of flaxseed oil delivering 7.3 g of ALA yields only about 440 mg of EPA and under 40 mg of DHA. Algal oil is the direct vegan source of DHA and EPA, and the plant-based mode of this calculator sizes the dose you need.

What is the Omega-3 Index and how accurate is the estimate here?

The Omega-3 Index is EPA + DHA measured as a percentage of the fatty acids in your red blood cell membranes, banded as below 4 % (highest risk), 4–8 % (intermediate) and above 8 % (desirable). This tool estimates it from sustained intake using a linear approximation anchored at a 4 % untreated baseline, rising about one point per 280 mg/day. It is an estimate that assumes three to four months of consistent intake; a measured lab value always overrides it.

How much omega-3 is too much?

The FDA regards up to 3000 mg/day of EPA + DHA from all sources as generally recognised as safe, with no more than 2000 mg of that from supplements, while EFSA considers supplemental intakes up to 5000 mg/day tolerable. From about 2000 mg/day, omega-3 can lengthen bleeding time and interact with anticoagulant and antiplatelet medication, so doses in that range belong under clinical supervision.