Lets face it, “fish oil” just sounds nasty.
Fish can be stinky, and ingesting their “oil” sounds downright yuck…right?
Wrong. This is something that you need to do a double take on.
The American diet has moved SO far from what it was a hundred or two hundred years ago, and it’s even vastly different than diets in other countries in the world today. We consume a lot of crap. Our food has been so over processed and filled with fake ingredients our bodies are a hot mess most of the time. Now, that’s not to say that you need to freak out and go vegan…instead, take a deep breath and let’s look at some ways to get things back to where they should be.
Back to fish oil, our bodes need certain fatty acids to function optimally. There are different kinds of fats, some better (and some way worse) than others. Omega 3 specifically are ones that can be tough for the average american eater to get through their diet. In fact, a Harvard study has shown that Omega 3 deficiency is one of the top 10 causes of death in America today.
The other fatty acid that is worth mentioning is Omega 6’s, which aren’t bad, but the secret to health is found in the ratio between the 3 and the 6. A lot of health problems are linked to an imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Omega-6 fats aren’t necessarily bad for you but if they are consumed in large amounts without omega-3’s they cause inflammation which leads to chronic illness.
The biggest cause of omega-3 deficiency comes with the overconsumption of fried foods, fast foods and boxed foods that contain vegetables oils (soybean, canola, and corn oil) Which, maybe surprisingly, are found in a LOT of foods that we eat daily.
Fish oil (a leading source of Omega 3’s) has a host of benefits including the treatment of many health issues like: heart disease, ADHD, anxiety, depression, high cholesterol, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, alzheimer’s disease, eczema, diabetes, cancer, weakened immunity, autoimmune disease and macular degeneration…to name a few!
Increasing the amount of DHA/EPA omega 3’s in your diet can help to offset any of the following that may be caused by an imbalance of Omega 6 and Omega 3 in your diet
- Autoimmune Disease
- Asthma
- Obesity
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Type II Diabetes
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Look for a high quality fish oil that is minimally processed and contains properly sourced fish. 1,000mg a day is a good place to start. Look for something that contains DHA/EPA as these are what can be tough to increase in your diet. Try putting them in your fridge or freezer to help with any aftertaste you may experience, this brand has not given me any problems at room temperature, however.
And now, that fish oil isn’t no nasty, eh? 🙂