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The Great Fish Oil Debate

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Last year I released a blog that revealed the health risks of taking fish oil. No, that’s not a typo. You can read about the risks here.

Today I want to talk about krill oil and cod liver oil because I still get a lot of questions about these. There’s a lot of confusion about harmful versus helpful supplements and I’d like to shed some light on this today for you.

Part of what determines if an Omega-3 supplement is going to be helpful or harmful has to do with the current state of health of your gut.



As you know, your gut healthy is extremely important. Your gut is where you take all the good stuff you eat and drink and transform it into the many building blocks your body needs to make energy, sleep well, maintain a healthy weight, build muscle, and clear out toxins that need clearing out daily so you can thrive. 

It’s also where short-chain fatty acids, like those found in flax, chia, and hemp seed get converted into longer fatty acids that impart the health benefits we are looking for (reducing inflammation, improving brain function, etc). But this conversion doesn’t happen when your gut isn’t function properly.

It is my passion is to work with people like you whose health symptoms–like gut/digestive issues, excess weight, low energy, mood imbalance, and skin & sleep problems–are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 

Krill Oil

Krill are small crustaceans that lives in all the oceans. They are excellent sources of Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA (the long chains that your gut doesn’t need to convert). What’s also really cool about krill oil, unlike fish oil, is that it’s naturally protected from damage by something called astaxanthin (an antioxidant superhero) AND phospholipids. Phospholipids are fatty layers that not only protect the oil from getting damaged before you can absorb it, they’re a primary building block of your own cells!
Ensuring that the oils you bring into your body aren’t already damaged or prone to damage the moment they get into your body is hugely important–otherwise you’re just adding to your inflammation and damaging your cells (which is the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish!).
The research supports that krill is a better option than other types of fish oil for high-quality, undamaged Omega-3’s.

Cod Liver Oil

Without overloading your brain, I want to add that if you are looking for a fish oil that is a good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D, cod liver oil is superior to krill oil. Krill oil has some, but cod liver oil has more.

Most brands of cod liver oil have the same health risks as fish oil as far as their likelihood of being heated and damaged during manufacturing. If you’re going to take cod liver oil, you want extra-virgin, cold-processed, and unrefined. Here is an example. 

Summary

So if you are looking for Omega-3 fats that are safer and least likely to add to your inflammation, eat good quality fish several times per week! Next best way is a high quality krill oil supplement.

If you are looking for natural sources of Vitamins A and D along with (lower amounts of) Omega-3’s, unheated virgin cod liver oils are better than krill oil.

Regardless of these supplements, supporting your gut health with a high quality diet, clean water, enough sleep and rest, stress management, and addressing hidden sources of gut stress like infections is the path to regaining your health so you can enjoy your life fully.

If you need support, email me at rebecca@choosinghealthnow.com or apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Symptoms of Vit D Deficiency & How to Boost Your Level!

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In case you missed my announcement last week, you are invited to my Solutions to Permanent Weight Release Masterclass: How to have freedom from diets, yo-yoing, and self-sabotage! 

This Masterclass is going to be awesome! It is a free online event and I’d love for you to join me and invite anyone that could benefit from it to join too.  I’ll be going deep into mindsets that prevent permanent weight release and I’ll be sharing 3 simple yet incredibly powerful steps you can take for releasing extra weight for good!

Claim your spot today by clicking here (plus there’s a free gift when you register!).

Now last week, I introduced a common-yet-overlooked condition, which is vitamin D deficiency. As you now know, vitamin D is vital to your body’s processes. Let’s now dive a little deeper to learn about the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and, of course, the actions you can take to prevent or reverse it.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency

 Actually, most people don’t have any symptoms at all, but what’s alarming is that vitamin D deficiency predisposes you to diseases such as cardiovascular disease. 
 
Some known symptoms are:

  • You always get sick – Because vitamin D has an important role in keeping your immune system strong, chances are you easily catch a flu or colds if you have low levels of vitamin D in your blood.
  • You feel tired most of the time – It was discovered in a study that women who complained of chronic daytime fatigue and headaches had very low levels of vitamin D and symptoms were resolved after taking a vitamin D supplement.
  • You often feel blue – Taking vitamin D supplements has been proven to improve depression including seasonal depression during the colder months.
  • You have lower back pain and bone loss – Vitamin D maintains bone health by improving your body’s ability to absorb calcium.
  • Your wounds heal slowly – Do you have a wound that takes a long time to heal? You may be low in vitamin D as this vitamin increases the production of compounds that help form new skin in the wound.
  • You have hair loss – Vitamin D deficiency is associated with severe hair loss in women and alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease characterized by severe hair loss.
  • You have muscle pain – There is a link between low levels of vitamin D and muscle pain because the nerve cells that sense pain have receptors for vitamin D.

Are these familiar to you?
 
If you or your loved one is experiencing these symptoms, get yourself tested and make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D.
 
Around 400-800 IU is the recommended daily intake of vitamin D.

So how do you increase your body’s level of vitamin D?

 As I said last week, vitamin D is produced through a reaction of UV rays with some form of cholesterol in your skin. I must say that the best source of vitamin D is sunlight.
 
So the simplest and free way to get vitamin D is to simply go outdoors and expose your skin to sunlight.
 
Next in line is getting vitamin D from food sources. Did you know that fatty fish and seafood are the best natural sources of vitamin D?
 
A hundred grams of salmon can actually provide your body with about half of your daily dose!
 
In addition to salmon, tuna, mackerel, oysters, shrimp, sardines, and anchovies are also rich in vitamin D.
 
Mushrooms  are the only plant-based source of vitamin D, and just like us, they synthesize vitamin D through their exposure to sunlight. Pretty awesome.
 
Egg yolks from free-range chicken are another great source of vitamin D.
 
If you seldom consume these foods, there are also fortified food available in the market today. Usually, these products are milk, juice, yogurt, and some other packaged foods which aren’t as healthy.
 
Vitamin D supplements may be necessary for some and the dosage depends on the severity of the deficiency.
 
Whether you take natural food sources, fortified foods, or supplements, the important factor in making sure dietary vitamin D is properly absorbed is by taking care of your gut. You can take in lots of Vitamin D, but if you don’t absorb it, it’s no use.
If you get sunlight exposure and you eat the foods I mentioned regularly but your Vitamin D levels are still low, that’s a clue that your gut needs supporting.
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!
~Rebecca