Up until today I have supplemented my diet with fish oil. I started out using Carlson's in my smoothie, daily. I did that for several years. Just recently, I switch to krill oil, 1MD Krill Oil Platinum to be exact. I had studied fish oil and found that krill oil is more beneficial than other kinds of fish oils on the market and widely studied by the scientific community.
Yesterday as I was taking my supplements, I was talking with my oldest daughter about my findings regarding krill oil supplements. She quickly reminded me that fish oils aren't as good as they seem.
On the surface, fish oils seem to do good things for our health. They are packed full of Omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that help with cardiovascular health, bone health, mental health, inflammation and so much more. However, there are so many negative aspects of fish oil. Here are some:
Mass amounts of fish are killed to supply the world with fish oil.
There are trace amounts of mercury found in fish and fish oil supplements. The mercury is capable of crossing the blood/brain barrier and other critical systems of the body and wreaking havoc on our health.
Heavy metals found in fish and fish oils feed viruses and bacteria in the body that can contribute to illness.
The ever present concern over the condition of our ocean waters from radiation, oil, and pollution that can be found present in fish.
She went on to remind me of a page in Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal. In Chapter 19, he discusses the things you should not consume. One of these is fish oil. He also discusses a couple of the points I made above. He recommends instead to get your omega-3 fatty acids with EPA and DHA from plant based sources. And as much as I love the Medical Medium and his advice, I always have to double check with science before writing. Anthony William's (The Medical Medium), "Spirit" has educated him in regards to health and his recommendations are far ahead or different than that of what science has revealed to us in some cases. In the case of fish oil and Omega-3 fatty acids from plant based sources, it seems the science community is beginning to evaluate and are currently in agreement with Anthony and his spirit guide.
Anyway, my daughter took great pride in knowing that she was able to remember something so crucial and that I had not, from a book we had both read. And it was an "a-ha" moment for me. I immediately went to work and began to research plant based Omega-3 supplements. In short, this is what I found:
If you are going to take a fish oil supplement, krill oil is better and has more health benefits of any of the fish oils. Here are a couple of studies I looked at during my research.
Comparison of bioavailability of krill oil versus fish oil and health effect
A Nutritional-Toxicological Assessment of Antarctic Krill Oil versus Fish Oil Dietary Supplements
There is one microalgae that beats the benefits of krill oil and that is Odontella Aurita. This phytoplankton packs a powerful punch. More so than krill oil! Below are a couple of studies regarding odontella aurita that explain in more detail the benefits of odontella aurita as a supplement.
Fish Oil and Microalga Omega-3 as Dietary Supplements: A Comparative Study on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in High-Fat Fed Rats
Odontella aurita-enriched diet prevents high fat diet-induced liver insulin resistance
Odontella Aurita is hard to find. I found one website that carries the algae in caplet form HERE.
There is an added benefit of using odontella aurita as a supplement for your Omega-3 fatty acids, weight loss!
It's vegan friendly!
There are many plant based Omega-3 supplements on the market, but rare to find odontella aurita.
Prevention is key. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to your diet to remain healthy and vibrant for many years. It's never too late to start incorporating this particular supplement into your daily routine to protect yourself from cardiovascular disease, inflammation, arthritis, depression, cancer and many other unwanted diseases or illnesses. Always consult a health and wellness provider before adding supplements to your diet. Also, please read ingredients labels and do your homework regarding purity before buying or taking any supplements.
Tina
References:
Guiry, W. (2016). Odontella aurita (Lyngbye) C.Agardh :: Algaebase. Retrieved from http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=39270
William, A. (2015). What Not to Eat. In Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal (p. 286). Hay House, Inc.