Fish Oil Ish

So I'm sure you've all heard that taking fish oil 

to get Omega 3 fatty acids is good for you. 

If you haven't... it is.

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Benefits: 

Enhances exercise performance, endurance and recovery

Supports circulation and blood vessel function

Promotes the metabolism of dietary fat and cholesterol

Supports healthy brain function, memory, focus and attention

Supports the function of natural anti-inflammatory molecules

Supports internal repair systems that act in response to inflammation for a healthy back and joints

There are several other benefits for pregnancy/lactation/joints/eyes/heart. 

Check out this website to view them all.


If I cooked fish on a regular basis, I wouldn't worry about this as much...
But since I don't, I looked into the supplements.

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My scope of practice doesn't include supplements so I tried to do some research into find out how much I should actually take. When I first looked into it, most of the info out there said to take 1 gram of fish oil for every % of body fat you have. OK. I'm %14 right now. I'll take 14 grams...

But when I actually bought fish oil capsules I notcied that 1 capsule is 1 gram. That meant I'd have to take 14 of them every day. What the what?! There's no way. And what about heavier people? If you're %30 body fat you have to take 30 of those pills? WTF. That can't be right... So I consulted with my buddy, Chris. He's a buddy of mine that I work out with every week (ok, every other week). He and his wife both have PhDs in nutrition and present all over the world on tons of topics relating to food and supplements. And since he's a "doctor", I guess he knows what he's talking about...

Here's what he had to say: "When buying an omega 3 -- fish oil -- there are a few key factors to consider.  One is the amount of 2 omega 3's, EPA and DHA.  These two ingredients should add up to be at least 50% of the "Total Omega" figure.  For example, if the total omega in the product is 1000 mg, EPA + DHA must be at least 500 mg.  And that figure, EPA + DHA, is what you want to base your intake on.  Then, that being said, aim for a minimum of 1 gram EPA + DHA per day."

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Ok, I can definitely deal with taking 2 capsules rather than 14 per day. Thanks, Chris! 

Then he also told me that I should be taking the Nordic Naturals brand

 (the KING of all supplements because of safety and effectiveness) 

and not Kroger brand. Eek! Ok, ok. It was on sale. 

Now I know... 

: ) 

Do you take fish oil?