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It's easy to get answers about health and nutrition! Just send your question by email to [email protected] and Dr. Harlan will respond to selected questions of general interest. Answers will be posted in the Ask Dr. Gourmet newsletter (sign up now!) and archived in the Ask Dr. Gourmet section of the website.

Please note that the Ask Dr. Gourmet feature is restricted to questions regarding food and nutrition. Due to the many questions we receive, not all questions may be answered. For more specific questions about your individual health, please contact your doctor. About Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy


 

Ask Dr. Gourmet

Do kidney beans contain omega-3 fatty acids?

I read that red kidney beans, like those used in Red Beans and Rice, contain omega-3 fatty acids. Is this true?

Dr. Gourmet Says...

a wooden bowl full of dried kidney beans

Kidney beans and most such legumes have very little fat of any kind. Peanuts and soybeans are exceptions to this, however.

One cup of cooked kidney beans contains just under a gram of fat (0.9 g). The USDA reports that there are 301 mg of omega-3 fats, however. That's not a lot, but it's more than there is in 4 ounces of shrimp, which has about 200 mg of omega-3 fats. A serving of tuna, by comparison, has over 1,200 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.

Here's a list of the different amounts of omega-3 fats in fish.

Thanks for writing,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet